Now that I can run it, how am I supposed to use this in the classroom...?

It's funny you should mention that! I actually gave this a shot last week and had a pretty successful run! To see what we produced, click here.

That represents a small bit of what I want to do with these down the line. In this example, I was able to produce a great discussion by first having my students post comments about an IQ test we all took in class. Part of their posting assignment was to first read what others had posted. This actually worked a lot better than I could've imagined because we were able to debate the claims of cheating while tying that into the bigger issue of intelligence and how one could effectively measure it. The students were engaged the whole time because they knew that 1. Their comments would be read and 2. They got to read the comments of others! Fantastic all around!

One of the things I'd like to do with this in the future is stage an active debate on issues surrounding ethics, which we will highlight in the coming weeks. I'd like to post some ethical dilemmas on the blog and have people weigh in. I would to this in 2 ways: During the first one, I would allow students to stick to their own viewpoint on whatever issue comes up. In the second scenario, I would tie in role playing so that the students would have to attempt to understand other perspectives.

In addition to this, I think the blog can be a useful communication tool between students, parents, and me. I currently run a moddle site, which is okay, but the blog format offers a lot more in terms of 2 way communication. The moodle doesn't really allow for that.

Speaking of blogs, here's a digital map about the experience...

I hope it all makes sense!