How would you use blogging in your classroom? How would you use a teacher centered blog? How would you use a student centered blog?

One of the things I will make sure to do in my future classroom is write in a blog. I've had teachers in my past keep blogs, and I always found it a great way to connect to my teacher. It made he/she more accessible and human, while it also helped me stay up-to-date with what was going on in the classroom. 

I plan on writing both personal experiences as well as classroom-related posts. This way students can check the blog to see what we did in class on a particular day, as well as access some helpful web resources I have compiled on a particular topic. I think it is also important to include some personal posts as well; students want to know about who is teaching them everyday. I do believe that the instructor should not share too much of their personal life, but the more you share with your students, the more comfortable they will feel when sharing their own lives.

Another option for using blogs in my future classroom is to request students blog for assignments. I do like this option. Students are more likely to enjoy typing on a keyboard more than picking up a pencil and journaling. I do not, however, want my students to get to the point that they are so tired of writing and responding to blogs that their responses begin to lack in quality of insight. I will have to monitor their reactions to blog assignments to ensure that this does not happen. I know that in my online classes, I have problems with this as a student. I will have to remember that when I am the one giving the assignments!