I teach 8th grade math. I think it is important for students to learn how to blog properly because it is becoming more and more a part of society. This will be a life skill. Since anyone can read blogs, students need to be aware that prospective colleges and even employers may be able to access their blogs to make decisions about who to accept or hire. Therefore, they should always put their best work on the web. This week I have chosen to use my blog for students to showcase their collaborative work. I created a private chat room with a password. I gave my students the directive of collaborating to decide what data they would collect to put into our data analysis lessons. But, they cannot talk to each other. They can only "chat." When they are finished collaborating, they must post to my blog what they have decided, as a group, to do to collect data. I gave them some ideas such as surveys, lunch room observations, and parking lot inspection. In the near future, I will have them collaborate on exactly what those ideas will mean. For example, if they choose a survey, the next step will be to collaborate on to whom the survey will be given and what questions we will use. I am excited about this new way to teach my lessons. It is easy to incorporate language and science in this lesson so that it is cross curricular. However, I think it is a little more difficult to come up with creative ways to use blogs in a math class than in a language course. I look forward to brainstorming more ideas and ways to incorporate technology in my classroom. I also welcome ideas from my readers. As I tell my class, all ideas are welcome here.