How can I use blogs in the EFL classroom?

I have experimented with a number of different ways of using blogs. If you think of any new ideas please email me.

The first choice depends on your reason for blogging. What do you want your students to write about? Are you teaching an exam course? In this case, practice exam texts can be posted. Are you teaching general English? You may choose to set a topic that will encourage the students to use this week's target language. Do you want creative writing? Diaries? (Great for pastoral care). Is the blog for rapport building? Do you want photos? (Yes, you do.)

The second choice is whether to have a group blog (the whole class together) or individual blogs. Both work well.

Finally, do you want a discussion, where students compose on the spot? Or do you want accuracy, where students go through a writing process, posting the final copy on the blog?

Please see below for examples of EFL student blogs.