I've written about blogging a couple of times before, mostly on how to write blogs. What I want to discuss now is how you might use blogs in classes, not just writing (though that's one key aspect), but reading and exploring them.

You're reading a blog right now. A blog is basically a frequently updated web site. It's typically comprised of entries presented in reverse chronological order. Blogs also allow for reader feedback, something standard web sites don't allow. For example, anyone, even folks outside of Bryn Mawr, can leave a comment here. Blogs also tend to be somewhat personal. Usually bloggers write about news, technology, and other issues from their own perspective, providing sometimes a unique insight into certain issues. For example, a great many soldiers in Iraq keep blogs as well as Iraqi citizens. That gives us a very different perspective on that area than we get from the news.

Blogs can be used in the classroom in many different ways. As I mentioned before, one could require students to keep a blog, either on the Bryn Mawr blog site or elsewhere. Students can write about their reading assignments, about topics and issues related to the course, or can construct rough drafts for papers. Another possibility is to have students read blogs written by experts or regular people about a particular topic. This would bring a different perspective on the topic and might even present more up-to-date information than one can get from tv shows or newspapers or journal articles.

There are, for example, a huge number of science blogs. Science Blogs, run by Seed Magazine, hosts 48 blogs written by scientists in various fields. I have three favorites there myself: Adventures in Ethics and Science, written by a woman whose primary work is the philosophy of science; Pharyngula, a blog by P.Z. Myers, an evolutionary biologist who covers primarily politics and science, but also we get to see pictures of squid; and Thus Spake Zuska, a blog that covers the role of women (or lack thereof) in science, especially in university research labs. All three of these are well-written and thoughtful and easily understood even by a novice like myself.

Want early modern history? Try Carnivalesque, a monthly collection of blogs posts on early modern and medieval history and literature. Or find another topic at the blog carnival index. There are teaching carnivals (great!) and feminist ones and political ones. Take your pick.

If you want find more specific topics, try Technorati, where you can see the most popular topics, most recent topics, or search for specific interests. Almost anything you want to have your students read blogwise, you can find via Technorati or Google Blogsearch.

Tomorrow, I'll post some resources for those who might want to have their students actually write blogs (or who might want to write blogs themselves).