A Great Idea!

The school I teach at really emphasizes the importance for students to keep "commonplace books".  The main idea behind a commonplace book is to record things you are learning or just find interesting, like quotes, formulas, observations, and such.  I admit that even though I think the books are a great idea, I have a hard time encouraging the students to keep their records up.  The idea just hasn't seemed to resonate with them.  

After a little bit of research and brainstorming, I thought of a possible solution.  Many of the students have grown up using technology on a regular basis.  Why not show them how to use technology to accomplish the goals of commonplace books, especially when they are more comfortable with this format than the traditional pen-and-paper writing?  Blogs are (or at least can be) today's commonplace books.  Blogs can not only help students keep a written record of their learning, but also add to the variety of formats they can use for self-expression.

I'm excited to tell them about the different format and have them test it out for themselves!