Being a foreign language teacher, I think blogging provides a new medium for students to express themselves in the target language through writing. It also allows them to utilize their creativity by adding graphics or pictures to what they write so that it is personal. I’ve used blogs once so far with an 8th grade Spanish project that required students to talk about their favorite pastimes or activities. Students were given specific requirements and they were permitted to add whatever sort of graphics they wanted to make it more representative of them. Others could comment on what they wrote. The example I provide below is a student talking about her favorite activities which include video games and lacrosse.
To see an example, click HERE.
This next example showcases how a blog can be used to teach English as a second language or as a foreign language. It should give the typical French, Spanish or German teachers some ideas to consider if thinking about using blogs in the classroom. It looks like the students in this case speak Spanish as their native language and are learning English. As the author, Isabel Perez, indicates in her introduction, the blog was created to give her students a place to read and listen to English. It includes videos, questionnaires, and plenty of links for students to view.
To view Isabel’s site, click HERE.
Finally, I came across a couple of Spanish teachers that use the blog format to post assignments and resources for their students. Considering that blog posts usually show the most recent post first, it’s a good idea for assignments as students will always see the most recent assignment first. Take a look.
To view Señora Malan’s blog, click HERE.
This one is from Señor Urry. Click HERE to view.