By setting up a blog, my aim is to encourage my students to do a bit of writing on a daily basis and to provide them with a different means of getting feedback about their mistakes and a somewhere from where I can suggest, correct or provide alternatives to their choice of words and phrases. A place to question their choices. And undoubtedly, congratulate them on their progress, too. All kept together in one single permanent and accessible on-line space.
So far we've been using our work email but this is a fairly new tool, and as a new element, it looks more dynamic, even more personal, with the advantage of it being all kept together instead of single, separate emails or, say, quick explanations on the phone. It's quick, it's instant, it's engaging, it's permanent, it's "editable", ...you name more adjectives!
I am always a wee bit reluctant when it comes to introducing new technologies into my daily life, I just don't seem to get round to learning how to do certain things and when I actually get down to doing it,I find it a lot easier than it appeared!
Not only can it be used to provide feedback and as an engaging writing tool but also to discuss the latest film you've seen, the book you are reading or how you satisfied or frustrated you feel with work or your learning process or even to curse this hard-to-remember expression or verb in English which never seems to stick in your minds! By writing about it and by having your teacher (or other colleagues / students, eventually and if you want them to) write comments about it will help you learn the word, you'll see. Anyway, I hope they make use of it and we are able to exploit it for learning and teaching purposes. No need to say that I am open to any suggestion you guys can make, too.