The Missouri Reader Vol. 33, Issue 2 | Page 26

basis for their own edification and for audiences on issues important to them; bloggers write of their own volition, sharing writing and thinking, and, in essence, publishing their work. As supporters of offering students opportunities to publish and write for authentic purposes, how could blogs be used in high school English classes for this end? Testing the Waters: Getting Started Although Keri had some personal experience with blogs, Barbara, a veteran teacher of twenty-two years, had little experience. We began by creating a blog site at Blogger. Barbara’s three classes of English I Honors shared one blog: “Reading Great Books” at http://readinggreatbooks.blogspot.com. Barbara collected emails, helped students create email accounts, and sent out invitations to students. Blogger has an option allows only invited members to post or comment. In an effort to keep students safe, students created pseudonyms and any references to the school and the area were deleted. Barbara introduced the blog with the following post: It might sound corny, but I can't wait to get to know all of you and read about what you're reading and thinking. This space is reserved for our spring semester classes, and I sincerely hope you find a new avenue here, a place to share your thoughts and ideas and to connect to each other. You may hear about some good new books to read, and I hope you learn about the way your classmates think about them and the world in general. Your honest responses will be respected. So, take a risk. Tell us what you think about your reading. We have some very important work to do! Let the journey begin and good luck! In that first week, we could not have imagined students would post over 1200 times in a 16-week semester. Barbara chose to respond very little to the blog posts and allow students to guide the discussion with their own questions. Once again, this thinking was guided by Barnes (1992) who writes, “Consider how the pattern of a teacher’s questions tends to signal to pupils whether they are expected, for example, to think aloud or to supply a ‘right answer,” whether they should obey an implicit command or merely show understanding of a statement. Add to this the great power of the teacher’s reply” (p. 16). By not commenting or posting prompts, students focused on each other’s thinking rather than focusing on whether Barbara thought they had the “right answer.