blogkathleen reports on an article that talks about weblogs vs. email discussion. The first part of the quote below are Matt Kirschenbaum's followup comments from the article. Second paragraph are Kathleen's comments:

Couple of reasons I think: one, like all the rest of us, my students now get a lot more email than they used to. Course-related mail gets mixed in with the usual jumble of spam and whatever else. All too easy just to hit the delete key. Two, the blog allows them to see their ideas instantly published on the Web. Email is a closed world, a self-contained loop between the instructor and the other students. With the blog, the fourth wall is always open. Best, Matt

I think that what Matt says about "the blog allows them to see their ideas instantly published on the web" is key. One of my earlier posts talks about the role of identity building as a critical motivating factor in weblogging. Matt hits on a key difference in the motivation behind weblogging and email discussion: reputation building.

...via elearningpost