Most students don't like writing.

The integral part of every educational system, academic writing is a must-do for all students; essays, theses, reviews, reports, dissertations – they develop critical thinking and teach students to express thoughts clearly and argumentatively. But more often than not, young people face problems when it comes to writing, which can be a lack of motivation, uninteresting topics, a lack of knowledge to cover them, no skills to research, no writing skills, a fear of failure, strict deadlines, etc.

Teachers want students to enjoy the process of writing, so they try to get them excited and motivated to write. Wondering how to improve the US education system, teachers are ready to use students' Internet addictions and turn them into a productive activity to enhance writing skills and make students love writing tasks.

The name of the game is all those gadgets, software, apps, social media, blogs, and websites no student can live without today. Why not try blogging in a classroom? The pros of such decision are obvious:

1. Students enjoy technology and digital platforms as they have a social media component.
2. Blogging will help students establish a sense of ownership.
3. Blogging will increase their level of engagement and develop their critical thinking.
4. Blog writing will develop computer skills as well, such as typing, uploading, or basic HTML.
5. Blogging provides an opportunity to get online portfolios after leaving a class; it can be a good add to resumes in the future.

With that in mind, teachers need to know digital platforms and writing tools to recommend to their students. The following ones would be a good choice to try:

1. Medium: Set up by Twitter's founders, this platform is free and easy to use. Log in via Twitter account and post everything you want.
2. Tumblr: It's one of the easiest platforms to use for free blogging. It's mobile-friendly, and that's why so many young people choose it to share thoughts and info with others.
3. LiveJournal: This platform combines features of blogs and social networks, letting students create posts, comment on others' accounts, interact with users, and more.
4. Weebly: This platform provides free blogging templates and lets users create beautiful websites to express individuality.
5. Pen.io: You don't need to log in for joining Pen.io: just define a URL for your post and set your password.
6. Ghost: Install Ghost to your system to use it for free. It's easy to navigate, and it gives a preview of what writings will look like after publishing.

What will teachers get from blogging?

First of all, blogging will ease the process of teaching: it's high time for educators to say goodbye to all those paper journals and give students access to a managed digital platform where teachers will post presentations and links to useful resources. Second, a teacher's blog may become a perfect place to post homework or create a dashboard where students will do their homework. Finally, a blog can be a kind of social network for educators to interact with mentees.

In today digital world, all those blogs, platforms, tools, and software seem the future of education, don't they? So, why hesitate using them in a classroom?

AUTHOR BIO:

Lesley Vos is a private educator, currently teaching French, and online tutor, helping students deal with academic writing and reach their academic goals. Lesley is an experienced blogger and contributor to many authoritative publications about education and students life. Connect with her on Twitter at @LesleyVos or read more works of hers on G+.

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