1. What is blog?
Blog is a website, in which people can reflect the events of their life.
2. Types of blogs used in language teaching
By Aaron Campbell there are three types of blogs for use with language classes:
a) The Tutor blog is made by the teacher of the class and students work with it.
b) The Class Blog is used not only by the teacher but students as well. Students are given more freedom than in the Tutor Blog. Such blog can be used in the discussion.
c) The Learner Blog gives to students the chance to have an individual blog, with the help of whitch they can use the blog as other usech.
3. Some reasons for using blogs
One of the best reasons is to give the students a chance to study with a help of other people.
1) It is a real chance to improve the students' skills of reading and writing.
2) It gives a lot of useful information for students.
3) It can unite the class during the interests of every member of the class.
4) It gives the opportunity to express students in creating or using blog.
5) It is also a great area for discussion and work not only in class but out class.
6) It helps to know closer each member of the class.
4. Some ideas for activities
1) Teacher may use a Project work, it gives the students a chance to make something creative.
2) Teacher may write some comments on the students' blogs and asks some questions to stimulate the students.
3) Teacher may invite someone as a guest to its blog. Students must guess his identity.
4) Using internatianal link-ups. Students may communicate and work together with other ones from different parts of the world.
5) Using photoblogs.
5. Problemes to watch for
1) Privacy. Almost all the blogs are public, it means that you can find and read the blog and write comments. If privacy is an issue, you'll be better of using a blogging tool that allows different levels of access rights.
2) Unwanted comments. To avoid them, you may restrict comments to people.
3) Correction. You can do correction the written work in the class before publishing in the blogs.
