The+EBD+Student+and+Blogging

**Accessibility-EBD/Blogging**
EBD (Emotional and Behavioral Disorder) students’ have a hard time finding outlets for their temperaments and emotions. Many of these students also struggle with social skills amongst their peers. With the digital age becoming such a prominent part of our society, Web 2.0 may be just the outlet that these students need to help them feel like they ‘fit in’ somewhere. There are several aspects of web and access that may prove to be beneficial to EBD students such as blogs. Blogs may, if monitored correctly within an educational or a parental setting, prove beneficial to the student who needs to feel like they are part of something and what they have to say is important.

Ideally, EBD students would find blogs of interest to join and follow, and would comment and add feedback. A barrier or concern could be the type of blogs the EBD student may find to join. If the blog is derogatory or negative, this could prompt more serious behaviors and have an adverse affect. If a good positive blog of interest to the student is found, students may find an opportunity to communicate in a ‘world’ that they feel a part of as opposed to feeling like an outcast in the ‘world’ in which they physically exist. This too, however; could have an adverse affect in students actually learning to communicate one on one with other people.

The most effective way for blogging to be beneficial to students is to have parents and teachers involved in helping the student find blogs of interest, monitor usage and content, and block potentially harmful or destructive blogs. Research should be extended to consider both positive and negative effects that blogging could have on EBD students.

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