Blogging with students has potential to be very beneficial to communication with students! Due to the fact that nearly all high school students are constantly on sites such as facebook, it is very convenient for them to be able to check homework, post responses and communicate with the teacher and other students in the many hours they are not in school.
In order for students to be well aware about blogging and how to use it and what is appropriate it is very important that you, as a teacher, give strict instructions on how to create, post, and respond to blogs.
Internet safety is very important, so it is necessary that your students only allow posts by people they know and make their blog accessible to their parents in order to keep them safe. (and emphasize their safety)
Blogs in the classroom could be used to post homework assignments, rather than making students write them down on their own and then later lose the paper and/or forget about it. Making blogging a habit in the classroom would help ensure they don't forget. You could also use it for class discussions if school is cancelled or any of the students or teachers are absent. The blog would allow students a broad spectrum of time to do their out of school work.
I think that you are wise to proceed carefully and cautiously before moving ahead. Let students, parents, and even administrators know about your expectations and the reasoning behind it. Get the necessary permissions and GO FOR IT. The kids will respect your efforts, even when they don't go well.
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