Passport to Becoming a Writer

Student Bloggers and Virtual Writing Folios

English teachers are always trying to find ways to tap into new and exciting means from students to express themselves.

Teachers who want to encourage self-publishing and self expression need go no further than Blogger. The new fad of 'blogs', or online journals provide a means for people to express their views in non traditional ways.

Some blogs, like these at Soul Food, are used to pass on news from Soul Food, news from other sites, publishing suggestions and so on.

Despite curriculum guidelines that demand that every written piece start with a clear 'purpose and audience' here at Soul Food we are working to bring alternative forms of zine publishing into the classroom.

Students are responsive to the idea of writing done by real people, for people their own age and are keen to participate. Blogging enables thousands of young people to write in public for the first time.

The potentiality is amazing. A blog can be personal or it can stick to a topic. Blogs can be used as a forum for users to have converstations online. Bloggers can be shared and have multi users.

A blog can provide someone with a personal home page, a diary, an archive of their favourited destinations on the web.

The blogger can link to news reports or point to other sites of interest. It is a place where students can work in teams and share the burden of their work load.

A student can keep their school work on a blog and be assessed online.

Alternatively they can set up a blog as a kind of dream book and find some time each day to dream and muse. Why not join the growing group of students and patrons at Soul Food who have found self expression through blogging?