Learning to Write Publicly: Promises and Pitfalls of Using Weblogs in the Composition Classroom

This article reports on a study designed to help writing instructors better understand the promises and pitfalls of assigning blogs – a Web 2.0 technology characterized by its facilitation of a public, networked form of writing – in composition classes. Class blogging offers students the opportunity to experience writing in a public space, where their communication has real value both among class members as well as among a wider, public community of users of the Internet. This sort of writing activity better prepares students for communication in a freeware age, where “network literacy” is essential, and where writing has social meaning and public consequences. Our study examines students’ participation on required class blogs in four English composition classes during the Fall 2007 semester. Our research methods consisted of two questionnaires, one completed at the beginning of the semester and one at the end, an examination of content on the student blogs, and interviews with composition instructors.