Wow! Until this lesson, the word blog had just been an ethereal kind of fuzzy term for me. I had heard it, knew it had something to do with posting online, but beyond that, I had very little information. My greatest discovery was that blogs are so interactive. Another poster has commented that a blog is a conversation; otherwise it would be a diary!I had no idea of the capabilities of communicating with other people or of the wandering paths that are often created. As I read some of the blogs suggested, I felt myself meandering through an online wonderland, deciding whether I wanted to follow this link, pursue another link or just stay on the same path..the original blog. Mindblowing! I'm a little afraid sometimes of not being able to find my way back. Thank goodness for the bread crumb trail provided by my trusty back button!
On to the assignment...I do agree with some others who have said that the blog style of writing is less formal and more personal. It reminds me of the stream of consciousness writing I tried to follow in high school when I read Joyce or Proust. It definitely has voice and is more disclosing of personal feelings than most kinds of writing. Perhaps we ought to use blog writing to help our students develop voice in their writing. But, I digress. The genre itself is interesting. You have to be able to read the original post and then navigate through the comments and questions along with answers that may be sprinkled through out. It is often difficult to remember the exact question since it is separated by time and space. I often found myself scrolling back up to reread the question once I had found the answer. So it is definitely not as linear as regular written text. That is one of the things that I think must be included if we think about what defines "blogging literacy." Also I read in a comment left on a class blog , that skimming and scanning are skills that are very important to reading in the 21st century. I can see how that is so true because we and our students are glutted with information to plow through.
I noticed in reading Imagine Turning on the Faucet and Nothing Coming Out that blogging can really facilitate learning. In this student blog, the kids are discussing a water shortage in Georgia. The teacher is able through tracking the blog to find some hastily offered opinions on the subject that were not really grounded in reality and were a bit short-sighted. Typical teenaged responses. She is able to point out to them some additional things to think about about as they ponder this difficult problem. The possibilities seem really endless. Even in my position, I can see so many opportunites for sharing with teachers. I am excited!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Great post! Do you think a blog might be a way for you to communicate in a different way with teachers?
ReplyDeleteIt will be more than just a way to communicate with teachers...it will be a conversation with teachers which is even better!
ReplyDelete"Another poster has commented that a blog is a conversation; otherwise it would be a diary!"
ReplyDeleteIt is kind of like an interactive Diary. I think it is the Diary of the 21 Century. I know historian have always depended on diaries to get a look at differing times in history. I wonder what future historians will do with the blogs of today. Will they survive like a paper diary or will they simple eventualy dissipear as the technology they are developed on changes.
That is already a problem with some software programs and data bases from the 60's and 70's
Someone else called it "living room conversation". I thought that was a good description as well.
ReplyDeleteYes, the stream of thinking outloud on paper is different. I too loose focus on the question asked and will need to scroll up to refocus on the question. I guess the next step is to blog with teachers about content and curriculum questions.
ReplyDeleteI also had heard the term blogging, but had no idea what it really meant. I certainly did not have an appreciation for it as an educational tool, and didn't realize all of the ways that it could help me with instruction and faciliate learning for my students.
ReplyDeleteI loved the way you said "I felt myself meandering through an online wonderland, deciding whether I wanted to follow this link, pursue another link or just stay on the same path..the original blog. Mindblowing! I'm a little afraid sometimes of not being able to find my way back. Thank goodness for the bread crumb trail provided by my trusty back button!" That is so me! :)
ReplyDelete