First Assignment

  There are so many things blogs allow us to do as educators.  The possibilities are nearly endless.  I think that the effective implementation of blogging in the classroom will facilitate greater learning in a variety of ways.
  Discussion is a primary example of effective blogging for learning.  As a Willamette undergraduate student, I took multiple classes that required a knowledge of the clunky WISE system in order to publish posts and create threads of discussions on various reading assignments etc.  By eliminating the need for systems like WISE, web based blogging allows for greater ease of posting by the students and much less time involved for management of systems by educators.  A greater degree of control can be exercised by the teachers as well.  Being a person who got tired of having to use outdated and unappealing systems for discussion, the prospect of blogging for the purpose of education is a welcome relief...
  Dissemination of class schedules and lesson plans are another way in which blogging can affect the classroom.  Rather than having to wait to find out from a friend or from the teacher after missing a day, a student can go online to the teacher's blog to find out exactly what is happening that day in class and potentially get all of the work that was done in class that day at home.  Not everyone can make it to school every day, and allowing those who miss more days to keep up with the rest of the class more efficiently.  Plus, this gives students more power over their own education.  They become more responsible for making up the work they miss; plus no one wants to sit at home and do nothing all day when they are sick.  Just because you miss class doesn't mean you have to miss a beat.
  Blogs aren't just for teacher to student relationships either.  As the world gets smaller and more complex, educators must be able to communicate quickly and effectively.  By combining blogging with email alerts, school staffs can not only stay up to date, but in the actual moment of changes in the school.  They say knowledge is power, and by implementing blogging in the schools and their classrooms empowers all participants: administration, teachers, students, and parents.