To be or 2.0 be? Using blogs in the classroom

My goal is for students to be setting individual goals for their learning (based on clear academic standards) as well as sharing the questions they want to explore. Classroom blogs work well with idea-based instructional strategies to meet these goals. For example, when students blog about their essential questions and goals for a project to an authentic audience of their peers, then they are more likely to pose thoughtful questions and create a plan to follow through on their goals. The expectations for students can include higher-order thinking skills of analyzing, evaluating and synthesizing information found on their classmates' blogs. The power of blogs is the presence of a motivational, supportive audience for students' ideas and questions. Blogs are an excellent place for students to practice their persuasive, analytical and creative writing skills.
The instructional strategies that don't work well with the use of blogs include "close-ended" questions in didactic learning since this learning doesn't lend itself to analysis and a discussion forum. Blogs also bring up issues of access to technology, since some students will be able to work on the internet from home while others will need to have an alternative access to the internet, such as the public library or after-school access to school computers.
I hope to be a full-time teacher in a 5th or 6th grade classroom next year. I can see using a classroom blog as a bridge between school and the families who have internet access, since families who are able to participate in the blog will become participants in our learning community. My goals for our classroom blog will be on "the power of discussions" and practicing our persuasive, analytical and creative writing skills.