Can blogging really be incorporated into any classroom?

I’ve noticed that a lot of us educators who are online blog about blogging. I do. I’m convinced that blogging, along with other Web 2.0 tools, is valuable in the classroom. It’s also enjoyable for me, a way to reflect on my practice and invite other perspectives.

But not everyone is that comfortable with technology. Lee LeFever of CommonCraft reflected on this recently:

I’m writing this because I’ve caught myself assuming too much lately and I’m hoping for new perspectives. While we spend so much time debating the merits of Twitter (for example), there is literally a world of people who are still perplexed by the basics of computers and the Web.

While he explains that this is based on anecdotal evidence, it rings true to me. There are people – educators – who have been using tools like blogs for years and are championing their application in the classroom. There are others like myself who are just starting to use these tools, enjoying the new discoveries they bring.

But there are a lot of people who just don’t like technology. They don’t like computers, often because computers represent work. The idea of spending an evening or two ‘playing’ with a blog or other tool strikes them as being about as appealing as extended study hall supervision does to me. Without playing with those applications, they remain slightly uneasy with them and understandably will do everything they can to avoid using them in a classroom with 20 teenagers watching.

The head of the English department at my school is supportive and visionary, and would like to see tools like blogs and wikis be embedded into course curriculum. I’m quite excited about this, but I’m wondering how this can work for others. Is there a way for educators who dislike using technology to still incorporate some aspect of these tools positively in the classroom?

It’s inevitable. It is simply a matter of time.

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Photo by Matthew Clark Photography and Design.

Related posts:

1. Blogging in the English Classroom
2. Beginner (Edu)Blogging Tips: A Newbie's Perspective
3. Assessing student blogging
4. Self-evaluation is Key to Student Blogging
5. Helping students become content creators