Using Blogs in the Classroom

After reading the assigned article and checking out the blog for students, I found myself trying to find ways to use a blog in my own classroom. For my secondary endorsement, theater, I can see a blog as a wonderful tool to guide students to more in depth research on the aspects of drama that appeal to them. For actors, I could have links to information by Stanislavsky and Uta Hagen. For students more interested in the technical aspects of theater I could have links to pages about lighting, stage management, directing, hair and make-up, etc.
I had a much harder time, at least initially, coming up with ways to utilize the power of the blog in a musical classroom setting, my main endorsement. After some much-needed web-browsing, however, I have found ways to implement a musical blog. Mp3’s and podcasts will inevitably be the main features. I think it will be wonderful to make available to my students the wealth that great music provides. It will also broaden their horizons by introducing them to genres they have never heard before. I can also provide information on upcoming musical events that deserve attention, and can possibly be attended for extra credit.
Looking around, I found blogs from other music teachers that were specifically geared towards inclusion of the parents. They informed the parents of what was being studied in class and when/where all the upcoming performances were to be. These blogs also introduced the teachers to the parents, so they knew what kind of person was instructing their child. All my research confirmed the inevitable: blogging will now be taking on an important role in my classroom.