Why We Blog

Why We Blog

For over a decade now, blogging has become an important way for people to gather information and find solutions to their problems. Nearly every major brand with an online presence has a blog as part of their website. This is because people have started to turn to blogs for answers. When we want to know the best tips for planning a trip we turn to a travel blog. When we are searching for new recipes or trying to follow a specific diet we turn to food blogs. If there is a topic where you can have a problem there is a blog that can help you find the answers. The number one purpose of a blog is to provide a solution to someone’s problem.

But how does all of this translate into an English class? Let me share some of the greatest advantages of using blogs as a writing curriculum.

Metacognition

This is the concept of thinking about our own thinking. It’s considered the highest level of thinking because you must first identify what you think. Then you must analyze where these thoughts came from and how they were formed. This process automatically happens when writing a blog post. Writing to provide a person with a solution starts by identifying a problem.

For example, you might ask yourself should I read A Wrinkle in Time before I go see the movie? It’s a popular book, it has won book awards, but would I enjoy reading it? I could easily jump on Google and look for a book review to help me make my decision. Book reviews are just one of the writing tasks students tackle on their blogs.

The process of writing a blog post requires students to think critically. Analysis questions tend to be the most difficult for students to correctly answer on standardized tests. Part of this is because these questions are often asked in two parts. If the first part is not answered correctly then the second part will not matter. Practice with analysis as often as possible is important. Analyzing what we read through a blog post helps to practice the skill assessed through the Part A, Part B type test questions.

Share your voice

Blogging tears down the walls of our classroom. With access to the Internet, our world becomes flat. Students have the opportunity to share their voice with a global audience. Working with other teachers from around the world who also blog with their students, give us an opportunity to learn about places in the world we may never experience. Collaborating with students from around the globe allows students to interact with cultures they might never encounter otherwise. Whether those cultures are from students living in a different state or a different country, hearing from other high schoolers can elicit empathy and a wider worldview.

Sharing your voice can also be an important way to express oneself. High school can be a time when childhood and adulthood begin to mingle and the lines are more blurred creating stress and overwhelm. Processing through the written word and hearing feedback through comments can help ease worries and fears. Finding a way to speak your mind helps to shape our thoughts that in turn motivate our actions.

Collaboration

In blogging, collaboration can come in two different varieties. The first is collaborating on a writing piece. Working together to share opinions or provide two different, possibly opposing viewpoints. Professional bloggers practice this often. Working with people who have a strength where you may have a weakness or inexperience allows for personal growth. It’s a great way to gain needed experience and strengthen a weakness.

Another way to collaborate is through commenting. Reading classmates’ blog posts and leaving them a comment that challenges or confirms their writing helps a writer to grow. When students are only ever hearing from their teachers they can become numb to their feedback. Writing for an audience of one, a teacher, can also be less of a motivation to write. Writing for a number of people who consistently comment letting the author know they are being read and making a difference for someone can be incredibly motivating.

Future Career Opportunities

Through my own professional blog, I have met a number of professional bloggers who now blog full time to provide for their families. A number of them have talked about not having a college degree, but having the motivation to learn a skill that would help them make a living. College is not always for everyone, and with the opportunities presented by the Internet to learn nearly any skill possible, it’s not always necessary. College is a good option, but with the increasing cost and academic skills necessary to succeed some students would be better to choose a trade and complete course work through the Career Center. Blogging in English would allow any student with the desire to learn graphic design or web design to gain some basic knowledge.

Those who are college-bound and seek jobs in technology blogging is a great foundation. Technology is a growing field where understanding the basics can provide someone with a wealth of knowledge to pursue more advanced degrees. Our blogging curriculum will teach students basic graphic design, the WordPress platform (which hosts 80% of websites), online etiquette, and even a few basic entrepreneurial concepts.

Writing skills

Last but not least, blogging weekly provides an opportunity to increase writing skills. Learning to write informational text can often be the most difficult, but when it is about topics students feel passionate about or have personal experience with it can be much easier. Writing an opinion can also be difficult because the audience expects that opinion to be backed up with evidence. It’s not enough to simply say I didn’t like it because it was dumb. Sharing your opinion with an audience you know is going to read what you have to say adds enough pressure to be sure your sources are relevant and strongly support your opinion. All of these are essential writing skills, as well as, part of the Ohio Standards for writing.

When starting our unit on argument writing I often like to share with the students that there is a possibility for them to one day negotiate their salary. When their boss asks them why they deserve a raise they may want these skills to defend that raise.  Writing skills can translate to speaking skills which are all useful in the workplace.

In my opinion, blogging in the classroom is a total package writing curriculum. There is so much for students to gain with this one weekly activity that I place a high value and importance on this assignment. It is my hope that students enjoy learning these skills and sharing their voice and hearing the voices of others that it feels less like an assignment and more like a passion.

 

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