Five reasons why EFL blogging is a good idea
Expanding students' consciousness
The second reason why EFL blogging is a good idea is connected with the reason mentioned above. As while they are blogging students are talking among one another -and with their teacher as well- they are in fact talking to a REAL AUDIENCE. Therefore, their talking has a REAL PURPOSE. Most importantly, as blogs are on the web, THE AUDIENCE CAN END UP BEING MUCH LARGER THAN THE CLASS ITSELF. The student/blogger audience can include people from other courses, people from other schools, people of a different sex, people of a different age, people from a different city, people from a different province, even people from a different country!
Thirdly, and also in connection with the first and the second reason, EFL blogging gives students the possibility of having a MUCH GREATER EXPOSURE to the foreign language than the one the teacher can offer them within the four corners of the"English classroom". Students usually only have classes twice, if they are really lucky, thrice a week, for one hour or one hour and a half each time. Through a blog, students are free to be in contact with English 24 hours a day seven days of a week if they feel like it :)
In a fourth place, EFL blogging is a good idea since it helps students and teachers to develop or enhance HIGHER THINKING SKILLS like reflecting, analysing and synthesising; all of them are needed when wanting to make a sensible post or to leave an intelligent comment.
Finally, EFL blogging is a good idea when there are SHY STUDENTS or SLOWER STUDENTS in a class . As blogs don't force learners to show their faces, they can serve as a tool to help shy students to feel more self - confident to participate and collaborate with their lessons of English. As far as slower students are concerned, blogs also allow each person to work at their own pace, giving these students the time they need to process new knowledge and, what is even more important, they have the chance of being helped by other classmates who are posting and and commenting as well.
