Blogging improves student writing

Thanks to Mike Silverton for fowarding me the PEW internet study.  http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/247/report_display.asp

Here are two quotes I wanted to highlight from the study
"Teens who communicate frequently with their friends, and those who own more technology tools such as computers or cell phones, do not write more often for school or for themselves than less communicative and less gadget-rich teens, according to the study, released April 24. Teen bloggers, however, write more frequently both online and offline, the study says."

"Most students (82 percent) believe that additional instruction and focus on writing in school would help improve their writing even further--and more than three-quarters of those surveyed (78 percent) think it would help their writing if their teachers used computer-based writing tools such as games, multimedia, or writing software programs or web sites during class."

I am glad that our district has not taken a stand to try and stop blogging or access to the blogging tools.  There is so much value that we can see when we use the tools.  It is good to know that what we see and believe can also be backed up in research.

Kevin