The term “blogging” comes from the words web and logging.  A blog is a stream-of-conscious account on the internet.  It’s like a journal of sorts.  People can read a blog and then respond to it.  The writer and others can read all the posts and it’s usually up to the author whether or not they make themselves known on their post to the blog.
 
There are many interesting uses for blogs in the classroom or for networking educationally. One year, my students were participating in a bee study. They were working with OSU scientists and students to find out why some species of bees were becoming extinct in the Willamette Valley. This type of collaboration invites blogging. My students could blog about their theories as they learned more about the bees. Entomologists could then read the blogs by the students and respond to them with their own theories and knowledge. This "collective" understanding is just one benefit of blogging and other methods of learning on the internet. My students learned way more than I knew about bees and conducting scientific studies.

The problem with blogging is that what a student posts doesn’t need to go through you first unless you are the sole poster (potentially a lot of work for you).  It’ll be difficult to keep tabs on many blogs.  Students need to be educated about what they should and should not be posting and who might be responding to their blogs and HOW they might be responding.  Remember, your number one concern should be keeping kids safe. Netiquette and the differences between online communication and face-to-face should be explicitly clear. Though our kids are familiar with online communication, it doesn't mean they understand the differences.
 
Ideas for using blogs in education:

• I have known teachers to have their students post their writing online to get feedback from others in the form of a blog.
   
• Blogs are a great way for educators to journal and communicate.  You can begin a blog for whatever concerns or excites you about education.  The problem is that blogs are needy.  They need to be checked periodically and updated.  Few of us have this kind of time unless we don’t need sleep.
   
• Have your young students create a virtual tour of their neighborhood using a blog. They can work together with older "buddy" students. People from the community can comment in with their own "snippets" about each location.
   
• Blog a discussion between your students about the titles and authors they are reading. Have them add to the list as a monthly assignment.
   
• You can have students blog with an expert on things that they are studying.
   
• Students can use a blog to voice their concerns or dialog while service learning.  This is an excellent way to get feedback about taking action in the community.
   
• Parents, teachers and students can blog about events and other things occurring at school.  Blogs about things that groups want to see happen (community garden, fundraising, etc) can be examined and expanded on through a blog on the school’s website.
   
• Last year, I taught in a school that was slated to close at the end of the year. Many of our white, middle class families had never experienced this kind of forced change. We used a blog as a support tool. It allowed parents to communicate with us and each other about how they were feeling (they'd been using a listserv that had been our parent organization's main avenue of communication and that generated a lot of unwanted mail).
   
• Teachers and students and can keep a running commentary of what's going on in their classroom. Plan for the upcoming week or reflect on the past week as a class and post your thoughts.
   
• Have a homework blog. Give students tips and websites to help them with projects. They can respond with other sources they used or tips they find useful for successful studying.