Blogging isn't just for ranting anymore!

We are the techno generation. We grew up with PC's and laptops, cell phones in our pockets at the age of twelve, iPod earbuds entwined around our necks, and the Internet anytime we want it. In the middle of this deluge of information, however, a large percentage of this generation is woefully ignorant of the vast majority of tools the Internet can provide. Sure, most teenagers can e-mail, check facebook, shop online, and maybe even check Wikipedia. However, blogging is something that many more students should be made aware of. It is a way for students and teachers to interact in a less formal setting, a way for students to feel more at ease completing an assignment, and way for students to become more connected with the outside world.

Blogging in schools is fast on the rise. It's a way for the students to share their thoughts and feelings in an environment that is controlled but untamed at the same time. Theoretically, anyone could comment on any blog post a student does. But, what exactly does a student get out of blogging? Well, for one thing, it allows the student to express themselves in a way that might otherwise be uncomfortable for them, say in the classroom. Also, a student way wish to look at their classmates blogs, which could lead to a sharing of ideas and information. After all, isn't that a main goal of education in the twenty first century; to make students more well rounded and worldly?

Blogging also provides the amazing ability to connect to other stories, articles, and ideas. There is nothing better than presenting a point and then linking to someone else with that opinion; it makes your thought sound more real and more accepted. A student writing a blog can link to an article discussing the facts of the case, present their opinion, post a picture of a concept, and then get feedback from others. It is a self-contained world of action and reaction.

However, a blog may have drawbacks. Privacy is always an issue. Though I mentioned earlier the privacy afforded by a blog, the opposite may be true as well. You can be as anonymous as you want on the Internet but, at the end of the day, your ideas are still your ideas. People who you may not want to read your writing have every right as anyone else to. Also, there is always the chance of a blog to go off topic, or of a student not completing an assignment. After all, it's easier to keep track of a student manually writing an assignment as opposed to setting them loose on the Internet.

The Internet and technology are here to stay. My generation, the techno generation, knows more than Generation X or the Baby Boomers. However, our children will know even more. Today, we scoff at the ideas of typewriters and rotary telephones. Maybe, in the future, our kids will scorn us for our cell phones and laptops. Maybe, this is the future:

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