Blogging in the classroom

Blogging in the classroom is an interesting subject. I like the idea of students expressing themselves through written communication. I think it evens the playing field. I steal this mantra from an article in the New York Times that I read (check it out http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/19/technology/circuits/19blog.html?ex=1250568000&en=33627811ca310596&ei=5090). Students who are normally quiet in class have a chance to express themselves. This useful article from The Journal from a former educator weighing in on the usefulness of blogging in the classroom gives props to the idea of blogging (check it out http://thejournal.com/articles/20292_1). She makes a good point that blogs are good for peer to peer learning. Students can comment on other students' comments. Opinion like blogs can be risky though. A student could have something hurtful posted on the internet for everyone to see. The teacher would have to be strictly monitoring the site and have imposed strict rules for postings. Most blogs are publicly viewable (like this one) which leaves students opionions (if not login in names) open to anyone who is lurking on the web.