Frustrated by my own attempts

I know what my students feel like at school constantly reaching the blue screen with the gigantic stop sign indicating that for whatever reasons the site they are trying to reach is not appropriate for school time.
I got it today trying to access my blog so I could write my thoughts about the usefullness in the school setting. I have students journal everyday in two of my course and immediately thought it would be a great place to have students write and to do reflections on course content.

Downside at our school is that blogs are not seen as appropriate use of computers. More so with legality issues than educational issues. For everything we want to do online with our students needs a written consent from the legal guardian of the child. I use an online grading system with my classes and before I can use it I have to get written (preferred) or verbal approval from all of the students parents. This can be a nightmare but I see the benefits of students being able to access their grades and assignment descriptions at any time worth the hassle.

Question for me is... "are blogs worth the hassle?" Real answer is that I don't know. I see the benefits of providing a way for students who are uncomfortable to participate in the classroom setting to have a voice. It also implies that if a student doesn't say anything they were not particpating in the conversation. At the same time I see added pressure on students who feel the need to write the perfect response/answer in a posting... as this is more permanent and people are able to go back much easier than what was said in class.

In the end, the question has to be does it support the learning or are we just trying to fit it into the learning so we can boast of using technology in the classroom.