The primary reason I would like to start a blog in my classroom is to quickly and efficiently deliver information to both parents and students. I see the blog format as a great way to post assignments. Additionally, I intend to use it for announcements of upcoming concerts and field trips. It will be helpful to be able to post permission slips and the weekly practice records that students are required to fill out. I realize much of this could be accomplished with a web site, but the post it and forget format of blogging seems to be easier to manage on a daily basis.
Another component of blogging that I am excited to try with my students is the ability to ask a question and then allow them to comment and/or debate it in the comments section. Of course there would need to be guidelines in place and it needs to be closely monitored, but it seems like a great place to spark discussions that we don’t have time for during a regular class period. Another option to get students thinking and writing more about music is to post a writing prompt related to the music world and then allow students to use the comment feature to respond. This could be an assignment for credit or just for fun.
Finally, there are occasions when I reference a web site in class and the blog seems like a great place to send students so they can access the information on their own time. We also enjoy many of the videos posted on YouTube that have relevance to what we do in class and students are always asking me for the titles so they can so find them on their own. The blog would allow me a place to quickly and easily post the video so students can watch it again without having to navigate YouTube.
