Although I have never been big on journaling, or writing in general, I cannot deny that a blog could be a useful educational tool. There are many people who love to blog about every little thing that happens in their lives, almost as if telling it to their blog is the same thing as speaking to a therapist or dear friend. Some people get quite a crowd of those who share similar interests in cooking, raising kids, fashion, humor, etc. I have only read a handful of blogs, but I find it difficult to get into the blogging culture. Therefore I'll have to be more creative in my classroom in order to keep myself engaged.
A basic use of a blog could be for parents to connect with the classroom. As the teacher, I could post assignments, pictures, announcements, or other information that parents could easily access. Privacy settings could be changed by myself in order to protect the students, and parents would be able to leave comments if needed.
I could also use a classroom blog to post links or other resources for students to use online. If I am teaching a lesson on identity, I could gather online materials and create a page for them to research. This could help instruction by shortening the time needed for research, lowering the cost because I wouldn't need to print everything out, and it increases accessibility. Students cannot say "I lost the rubric" or "I don't know where my paper went" because it would all be kept online for them to access.
If I ever taught an advanced or AP art class, I could teach students how to create their own blogs in order to make a presence in the online world. Artists today use the internet as a powerful marketing tool. If any of my students wanted to become an established artist, I could teach them how to safely promote their work through a blog.
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