Using blogs in large classes

In a post in “blogs for learning”, Alex Halavais, from Quinnipiac University, considers the use of blogs in large classes. The entry relates several experiences with blogging in large classes and considers the issue of evaluation of student writing in the class blog, its time consuming nature and wether it is necessary for te teacher to evaluate all posts.

clipped from blogsforlearning.msu.edu Abstract In this short article, I hope to provide some examples of failures and successes in managing blogging in large classes, and some indication of where this might go in the future. Like many people, I started blogging in small senior-level seminars. This was in 1999, and at the time there were not really blogging systems available, and like many other people, I had to write my own. What I saw as a very simple way to replace email lists and bulletin board (forum) systems turned out to be an extraordinarily effective way to encourage conversation among students, and I have used blogs in most of my classes in the years since. Today, blogging in a small class is a fairly easy way to get started for both students and teachers.