Blogging in the Biology Classroom

I have used blogs in courses I have taught before.  I used it as a location for students to interact while writing about prompts I gave.  The purpose was to get them talking with each other about biological concepts.  The blog would enhance the lesson by allowing communication outside of the classroom and allow longer time to process the writing prompts.  I teach 9-10 graders in biology.  I believe blogging will allow students to think deeper about the course content and interact with students other than those they regularly do in class.