Tumblr is probably the simplest and easiest to use, free, blogging system available. The process of registering an account and starting a blog takes less than a minute on Tumblr. Tumblr offers a number of simple, clean templates and layouts while not offering so many that students will be tempted to spend a lot of time tweaking their layout. (Students won’t be bombarded with “pimp your page” advertisements). Adding blog entries is simple and intuitive. All blog entries appear chronologically and with a date stamp. Comments are disabled by default on Tumblr so teachers having students use Tumblr need not worry about strangers posting comments on a student’s blog.

Applications for Education
Getting students to write consistently and keep a journal can be a challenge for many writing teachers. Having students write blogs is one technique for encouraging them to write consistently, pay attention to detail, and take pride in their work. Blogging provides students with a wider audience than they can have with with a paper and pencil journal. Tumblr is a very simple blog program that students can use to practice and improve their writing.