Blogging in the Classroom

Currently I teacher both 7th and 8th grade language arts.  I have been fortunate that two of my sections are honors level.  It has allowed me to push my students harder than ever before as they are up to the challenge.  We are always discussing the world outside of the classroom, and there are many topics that we want to cover that we just have not been able to bring to the table.  Enter blogging.

Many of the indicators that we must cover in class revolve around using logic and supporting ideas with sound reasoning.  In the heat of a discussion, my students are prone to slipping back into an emotional argument and veering terribly off topic.  With blogging, we have been introduced to a medium that allows for us to step back and consider our ideas AND provides others with the opportunity to add to or challenge our ideas. 

While Internet posting has its share of emotionally driven responses, I feel that blogging in the classroom can be used to manage two very important things.  1) Students need to be able to express their opinions and beliefs in a safe environment.  2)  Students need their ideas to be challenged in a way that is different than the usual "Nuh uh, you're wrong, I'm right" argument. 

Recently, I had a very interesting conversation with one of my students.  She has very strong religious beliefs, and often her arguments derive from her faith.  What we discussed was something that she picked up on very easily but had just never considered.  Faith often comes from a place that is not always made of clearcut facts that can be presented to people with differing beliefs.  If she wanted to get others to at least consider her perspective, she needed to present her perspective in a way that provided others with a tangible idea they could grasp without retreating into aggravation or anger because someone was telling them that their belief was wrong.  While I know there is a very fine line when discussing religion in a public school setting, this led me to thinking about how this conversation could apply to other issues and interests.  I believe that blogging can be a terrific way to showcase student work, and what better way to do this than to allow them to develop their arguments in a safe, monitored situation where they can learn the needed skills to use logic to develop arguments, receive feedback from peers, and perhaps even have their thoughts and ideas challenged by others.