How to use blogging in learning - via Downes

• Begin simply. Most uses of blogs in the classroom began with the instructor using blogs to post class information such as lists of readings and assignment deadlines. This fosters in the teacher a familiarity with the technology and with students a habit of regularly checking the online resource.
• Lead by example. Before requiring students to blog, instructors should lead by example, creating their own blogs and adding links to interesting resources and commentary on class topics. This not only produces a useful source of supplemental information for students, it creates a pattern and sets expectations for when students begin their own blogging.
• Read. Students should begin their entry into blogging by reading other blogs. Teachers should use this practice not only to demonstrate how other people use blogs to support learning but also to foster critical thinking and reading skills. Teaching how to respond to blog posts is as important as creating blog posts.
• Create a context. Like the author facing a blank sheet of paper, a blogger will be perplexed unless given something specific to write about. Have students blog about a current issued, about a specific piece of writing, or some question that comes up in the course.
• Encourage interaction. Blogging should not be a solo activity. Encourage bloggers to read each other's works and to comment on them. Encouraging students to set up an RSS reader with each other's blogs will make reading and commenting a lot easier. Teachers, also, should subscribe to student blogs and offer comments, again setting an example of the expected practice.
• Respect ownership. A student blog becomes important because it is a manifestation of his or her own work. However, to have this value, a student's ownership of a blog must be genuine. While reasonable limits or codes of practice need to be respected, student bloggers should have the widest latitude possible for personal expression and opinion.
• Address issues immediately. The most significant danger to students online is posed by other students. In particular, bullying (or ragging) is a significant problem. It is important to spot instances of bullying as soon as they occur and to take steps to prevent further incidents. Teachers should educate themselves as online bullying can be invisible and hard to address.

Designing blogging activities

• Model the type of work you expect
• Start slowly and walk students through the process
• Suggest a blogging and aggregation tool for all students to use
• Provide clear expectations for how contributions will be assessed
• Require regular participation (weekly)
• Encourage students to comment on each other's posts
  
  What suggestions do you have for designing blogging activities for a course? Leave a comment to this post

What to avoid

• Creating busywork for yourself or your students
• Waiting until the last minute to become familiar with blogging and create your own blog
• Assuming students have previous experience blogging
• Letting students figure out blogging all by themselves (structure and guidance is necessary)
• Jumping into blogging for your class without first experimenting with the technology in a sandbox environment
• Choosing to not provide an organizational structure to your blog (e.g. categories, tags, blogroll)
  
  What else should an instructor seeking to teach with blogs avoid? Leave a comment to this post with your suggestions.