I would like to have students author their own blogs as Reading Journals. I would require two journal entries per week. Students could reflect on what we read in class, a piece of art, a film, and/or how these things relate to one another. Especially for later grades, an exercise like this might help students think independently while investigating and observing the world around them, and then force them to put their thoughts into words. I would probably have each student comment on an entry authored by a classmate once a week.
I would like to have a class blog. I could post assignments on the blog. I also like the idea of posting hypothetical questions or images associated with questions and asking students to weigh in with their opinions. I would also like to have a section of a blog where students could post their questions or thoughts regarding whatever we are covering in class, and then other students could respond. I think this sort of collaborative learning and exchange of ideas would be fascinating and beneficial. A class blog could also be a way for parents, administrators, or other teachers to know what is going on in the course.
One of my favorite ideas for a blogging assignment came from the Emerging EdTech website: have students blog from the perspective of a character in a novel. Students could describe a day in the life of that character, or summarize a passage from the novel from that character's perspective, or write a chapter or epilogue as that character. I see this is as a great way to encourage creativity and also have students engage with character on a deeper level.
Imagine a chapter of Harry Potter from Hermione's perspective...
