Is blogging an effective learning tool?

Throughout this class that is half a semester long we have done blogs every week to learn more about what has been being lectured in class.  Sometimes, the blogs have been on topics that haven't been lectured much on, as well.  So the question is, if blogging has been an effective learning tool this semester.  I would say yes, blogging has definitely been an effective learning tool.  How can blogging be effective to help you learn?  Well, blogging has helped me learn things because I am doing the research myself.  Each blog had to be at least 300 words long and have two sources used to find information about the subject.  The fact that I am the one researching the topic, I find myself more engaged in the topic than I would be had I been sitting in a class being lectured on things and having to take a lot of notes.  Blogging instead of having to take quizzes or exams is definitely better because you are learning about things not just for the quiz or test, but for your own knowledge about things.  A lot of classes teach you for the test, and you easily forget the things you spent all semester studying and learning because of the way you learned the material.  Looking the information up yourself makes you become in control of how you learn things, thus making you remember and learn more of the things you research.  After we blog about something, usually the next class we would discuss what we have blogged about.  You find yourself remembering a lot of the things you researched and are able to have a very good discussion about the topic, whereas in other classes you might not remember what you did last class necessarily and may need a refresher of the last lecture.  I definitely think blogging is a great and effective way to make you learn more about things, because you are in control of what you learn and how you do it.  You can research anything, what videos, etc. and because you are the one doing it and not being lectured about it, you learn more.  That is how blogging is an effective learning tool.