Will Richardson quotes Barbara Ganley on he benefits of blogs for her students:
the asynchronous nature of the discussions allowed the writers the time to slow down their thinking, to consider the contributions of their peers and to repsond thoughtfully and reflectively. Students began almost immediately, as a result, to make more interesting observations online than they had in class or in their papers: in collaboration with their peers and team of teachers, they were extending their analyses beyond the obvious; building their arguments carefully yet succinctly, often with help of postings of others; synthesizing the postings preceding theirs; responding to their peers respectfully and seriously, and making real attempts at communicating something about which they felt strongly. (qtd in Richardson 42)
This sounds amazing! (I also enjoyed Richardson’s article because Sue Monk Kidd visited his students’ weblogs, which is pretty freakin’ cool — akin to when James Paul Gee, Charles Lowe, and Terra Williams visited our English 595 class blog).
Richardson, Will. “Weblogs in the English Classroom: More Than Just Chat.” English Journal 93.1 (Sept. 2003): 39-43.
