To write or not to write?

The benefits of blogging are well worth it, says Downes (2004), " if for no other reason than that blogs encourage students to write." It is this "genre of writing", says Richardson (2004), which may have "great value in terms of developing all sorts of critical thinking skills, writing skills and information literacy among other things." Blogging, says Richardson (2004), "offers students a chance to a) reflect on what they are writing and thinking as they write and think it, b) carry on writing about a topic over a sustained period of time, maybe a lifetime, and c) engage readers and audience in a sustained conversation that then leads to further writing and thinking."

A different interpretation is offered by Downes (2004). He suggests that "blogging isn’t really about writing at all; that’s just the end point of the process, the outcome that occurs more or less naturally if everything else has been done right. Blogging is about, first, reading. But more important, it is about reading what is of interest to you: your culture, your community, your ideas. And it is about engaging with the content and with the authors of what you have read—reflecting, criticizing, questioning, reacting. If a student has nothing to blog about, it is not because he or she has nothing to write about or has a boring life. It is because the student has not yet stretched out to the larger world, has not yet learned to meaningfully engage in a community. For blogging in education to be a success, this first must be embraced and encouraged."