By Karen Phan, Staff Writer
Writing is essential for students to improve their communication and analytical skills. It’s also been a set standard in many education systems; therefore students are required to write. However, students typically only write when they have to. Much of the writing done in school consists of essays, research papers, short answer responses and so forth, which may not be interesting to students. A few Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) English teachers turn to blog writing to encourage their students to write more.
More writing practice leads to sharpened skills. In order to get better at writing, one needs to take initiative in writing and reading. Teachers can assign as many written assignments as they want so their students can write more, but there is often a lack of freedom and creativity. Blogging allows students to find enjoyment in writing about something they care about.
“This type of writing is modern, relevant and could help to develop practical skills for the future. Plus, it can be really fun,” said English teacher Joseph Barro.
Barro thinks blogging not only gives students freedom in their writing, but also gives them an understanding of website development. One of the goals of blog writing is to build an audience. In order to do so, blogs need to be visually appealing to readers in addition to the content of the posts. This way, students learn to combine several elements into their blog to attract readers. They acquire a wide range of knowledge from managing a blog.
Not all FVHS English teachers implement blog writing. English teacher Taylor Stamper has not blogged in the past with her English classes due to a lack of chromebooks, however she plans to introduce blog writing to her classes now that she has a class set of laptops.
Some teachers also do not blog in their classes because their students sharpen their writing skills adequately through written assignments, like research papers and essays. English teacher Amy Futagaki does not blog write in her English classes for this reason. She believes her students are writing enough due the amount of written assignments they are given and requiring them to manage a blog on top of their current work is excessive.
Blogs serve as an outlet for people to share their thoughts, and this may be especially important to students who feel they have no voice or venue to share their ideas. Students foster different skills and gain knowledge that are taught in a typical class just from managing a blog. More importantly, students find enjoyment and creativity in writing about something that interests them.
