Blog Benefits

Based on your projects, I've compiled a list of some of the benefits you all discussed regarding using blogs in the classroom.  

What are the benefits of researching with blogs?

1. Blogs offer a low-risk way of having students learn about source credibility.  Although books, journal articles, and newspapers are credible and are certainly needed in research, blogs remove the "guarantee of credibility" and make students delve more deeply into the sources to look for that credibility.  
2. Using blogs makes students research the research.  In other words, many of you had to conduct research on the people who created the blogs to determine its credibility/worth.  Again, this goes with debunking the "guarantee of credibility."
3. Blogs allow students to conduct research informally.  They can choose topics they want to pursue while learning how to be a researcher (i.e. how to let curiosity drive their searches).  Many times, students only view research as the "scary research project you do at the end of the year," and topics tend to be a bit more academic (i.e. dull).  Having students research through blogs on topics of their choices can help them better understand what it means to conduct research, and that perhaps not all research is boring.
4. Conducting research via blogs reminds us that we are ALWAYS researching.  How many times do you "Google" something in a day?  How many times do you think students Google something in a day?  Why not bridge "Googling" to school research practices?
5. Blogs allow us as teachers to discuss peoples' motivations for writing (via blogs, journals, etc.).  Examining why we write may enable us to look at the how and what as well.
6. Put your name at the bottom as a reply for bonus points;)