Benefitis of Blogging in a Classroom?

Blogging is a new concept for me. I have had to blog more in my last two years of college then I ever thought I would have too. However, there are benefits of blogging that I've come to discover over that period; especially ideas related to classroom involvement. When I think about blogging I would say that it is definitely a tool for middle school and high school students. Being an Elementary Education major, I think the benefits would be more for the teachers rather then the students. For example, your group of team teachers could create a page and share ideas of worksheets or books they thought worked best. That way you can bounce ideas off each other online rather than meeting in person. If I were to ever be in a middle school classroom I think this idea of blogging is a great idea. With the advancement of technology, students love to go on computers. I know I used to find computers, when we went to that special, fascinating and fun. Therefore, if I were a middle school teacher I could do something along the lines of implement it by using it as a tool for a class discussion. For example, the students could make a project and share it on their blog. When everyone finished their projects I could have my students go look and read at least 5 of there classmates blogs and reply. The replies could consist of stating what they liked, what the student could improve on, and one question they had for the creator. This would help on classroom management because time management is a big part of teaching. Teachers try to fit so much in the day that having a blog to help that out is something to consider. However, you must keep in to mind the school district your students are in. Some students have could have never dealt with or have access to a computer. If you are able to have the proper technology to do the blog then the only constraint would be that you have to take time out of the typical day to explain how to work the site. Overall, I think this idea of blogging could be used just beyond typing papers up there for a teacher to read.