comments on blogging so far

Let me start with a question that I should know the answer to, but don't - how do I make a shortcut on my desktop to this blog site or to blogger.com? HELP!

Affirmed: the book said use & setup were easy - incredibly so, even for a neophyte! Easy to navigate and use (at basic level), and easy to set up my own independent blog ("stellyssis"-you figure it out!). Also, gave me a chance to learn something new >> feeling of challenge & accomplishment.

Something new: besides the technology itself, list of possible uses of blogs by educators (pp 40-42) - some good ideas to explore. Didn't know about incorporating links to facillitate further exploration.

What needed: time!!! time to access, time to experiment; time to effectively evaluate and give consturctive comments. My biggest concern in using blogs in courses is the marking aspect - how much time does this take to make meaningful use and to help students move towards improvement in their written expression & critical thinking skills?

Other concerns: 1) student access to computers in school/at home; 2) claim is made on p 28 that blogging supports different learning styles - ?? - it mainly involves writing. yes, the quiet student does get a chance to comment, as does the person slower to develop their ideas, but for the "non-writers," blogging regularly would be a chore not to be enjoyed I think; 3) claims are made that it encourages critical thinking & "demands clarity & cogency" (p29) - used well I agree, but I am not yet convinced this would be the case with the majority of "non-writers" in our classes. I had a discussion with my AVID 12's before our meeting today to see if they used/liked blogs, and all of them said it is just another form of the hated learning log/journal entries - most said they just fill the space to get it over with. How do we as educators steer them around that by using blogs instead of paper? Ideas please!