What Makes a Successful Blog Post

Okay, so there has to be some reason we would use blogs in class instead of simply submitting reading responses in Word Documents, right? Sure. There are a few advantages to blogs:

#1 Your classmates can see your work and comment on it. Since we aren't in class together (but even if we were) being able to "converse" about what we are reading is beneficial. If you are having difficulties formulating and clarifying your ideas about a reading, you might find some guidance from one of your classmates. Of course, you need to come up with your own ideas, but just like in a classroom, some of those ideas may be sparked by something a classmate says.

#2 You can keep your blog forever. You might love blogging and continue to use your space to write book reviews, or keep a journal, even after the course is over. Or, you might realize that blogging isn't your cup of tea, but even then, if you want to show someone the work you've done in class, or return to it later for whatever reason, it will be there (until you delete it, of course).

#3 We could just use the VISTA discussion area but I wanted to show a way to use the concept of virtual discussions in the classroom. Meeting the needs of 21^st Century learners can be a challenge and blogging is an excellent tool to use.

#4 Blogs are a great place to make your work more than just words on a paper. With all of the technologies and resources available on the Web these days, we have unique opportunities to enrich our learning by making our work multimedia. Different students have different learning styles. Some of us learn best by reading and writing or by listening to a lecture; others learn by doing or by watching a demonstration. Using a blog, your writing can appeal in different ways to different readers. You can go beyond the words on the page to include things like visuals, videos, slideshows, audio clips, surveys and links...

...which leads us into the topic of this post, which is: What makes a successful blog post?

You want to be sure that each time you post a response to your blog, you are taking advantage of the possibilities that the medium offers. So, you don't just want words on a paper. I suggest that you compose what you want to say in Microsoft Word first to check for spelling and grammar. Then, copy and paste into your blog post and begin to add other elements. Your classmates will be reading and commenting on your posts, it is important to always read what is being posted on your page and to respond. The only way that I will know if you have read the responses is by commenting on them.

Each post on your page should contain:
1. At least one link
2. At least one visual (video or image)

One thing you need to remember is that many images on the web are copyrighted, so be sure to cite your sources if you are using something like an original work of art. One great place to find images and audio that you can use is the Creative Commons.