Blogging can be a fun way for students to put their language
skills to use outside the classroom. Students can express their own thoughts
and opinions on a variety of subjects without feeling the same immediate
anxiety many language learners deal with when speaking aloud to the class. It
gives students with poorer fluency an opportunity to take some time, gather
their thoughts, and edit their contributions to their liking before clicking submit.
Another great advantage to having students keep a blog is
that the content options are limitless. There are so many different kinds of
blogs out there that it may be difficult to choose a topic to write about.
Students could write weekly journal entries, but I’ve always found it difficult
to keep students’ journals from becoming wearily repetitive. It may be more
beneficial to have the teacher choose a new subject for each entry, posting an
example to model useful structures and vocabulary on a blog of their own.
Students could introduce their favorite artist or athlete, analyze a movie
trailer, or review an album or game (ESL.C.9-12.3.1.1). It seems a good topic for
students to blog about should not only be interesting for the student writing
the entry, but should also invite conversation from other students in the
comments section (ESL.C.9-12.4.1.1
Students aren’t the only ones who could be using blogs for
class. Many teachers do use blogs to share lesson plans, worksheets, and
classroom strategies with other teachers, but teachers of younger learners could
also be using blogs to keep parents in the loop by sharing news about the class
and suggesting exercises or videos for staying sharp at home.
The concept of allowing students to work at their own pace through blogging by being able to gather their thoughts is one that is a good one. This would allow students to write without the pressure of the classroom environment. Sitting at a computer is something that digital natives are so adept at and would probably help them feel more at home in trying to communicate in another language. It is also true that the same blog entries can become wearisome, especially for the instructor. Keeping the topics fresh is key for students and teacher!
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