Thing 3-Slightly Obsessive Bloggin'

Blogging…O how I love thee!  Blogging is such a fascinating realm of Web 2.0 because it allows people to come through your screen while simultaneously becoming your long lost friend who have inside jokes.  While reading Will Richardson’s book “Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms” (http://www.amazon.com/Blogs-Wikis-Podcasts-Powerful-Classrooms/dp/1412977479/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1296331417&sr=8-1) my vision of blogs developed and deepened.  I was really moved by Richardson’s labeling of blogging as “connective writing.”  This term flitted around my head and finally settled into my heart…because I want to be a part of this.  To open up and express my true self to anyone is nearly impossible for me due to some anxiety issues I deal with on a daily basis. However, through the use of blogging I can express myself and lean on the shoulders of complete strangers (who are really not strangers because they are my long lost friends!) and become connected when I am not always able to in my “people life”.  “Blog lives” can help people express what is on their mind when people in their “people life” do not always have time or care about what they think (not in a mean way, but in the whole educator trying to explain hormonal 8^th graders to a single businessman…not the best two-sided conversation ever).  Blogs allow people to express themselves and connect with people who do care what they say, because somewhere out there in the Internet, there is at least one person who will read what is posted and care or at least be ambivalent, but think about what you wrote.

Now that I have finished my rant (which I am not sure how it started! Maybe it was the power of blogs J), blogs really do express a person on multiple levels when there is only 1 level of text.   Reading a blog is very similar to reading someone’s journal you “happened” upon while he/she is in the bathroom except the person is not in the bathroom (well…they might be but that would be too much information to post for my comfort!).  You do happen upon blogs by searching and following links, but someone chose to trust the world and post their inner thoughts and opinions for others to read and reflect on.  Reading a blog is a very personal experience, just as writing one is personal.  It might not seem to some that there is no personality in a blog. It is just words linked together with commas and periods.  No big deal.  However, the commas and periods do not matter.  It is what is written, not how it is written. 

For this grad assignment, we were supposed to go and read 5 suggested blogs to help us shape the way our minds view blogs.  The blog that stood out the most to me about supporting my whole “the what vs. the how” idea I have was Patrick’s 5^th Grade post (http://itc.blogs.com/patrick/2005/02/5th_grade.html).  He did not spell correctly or have the best grammar I have ever seen (I am a reader…I have seen lots if you are second guessing my credentials), but his “what” was one of the most powerful pieces of written word I have seen in some time (that might have to do with my reading selection, but I still stand strong on this point!).  Patrick had a blog as a class assignment and this particular post discussed why he was going to make good grades.  You could feel his passion and drive.  You could see him for who he is and not for just his misspelled, bad grammar post.  Blogs offer anyone a way to show the world who they really are, without the world ever knowing them.

To make blogs “connective writing” the connect part needs to be there, besides the actual aspect of just reading.  I can read someone’s personal thoughts and opinions any time (so long as they go to the bathroom long enough for me to happen upon their journal), but I cannot comment on their journal.  If I did, they would know I happened upon it and there goes my invite over again!  However, with blogs you can comment…it is the connective part of the connective writing.    Blogs also allow people to link to other websites to further explain what they are talking about (just like I have done…this blog is connected!).   Cool Cat Teacher’s blog post “Spies Like Us” really shows how connected a blog can be.  (http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2007/01/spies-like-us.html) She did research on for her blog post to show that her opinions are really occurring, which helps others to make an informed decision by following her links to her research and reading it themselves.  Also, the comment section of her blog is full of life!  People are commenting on her post (even 4 years after the original post! Have you ever had a conversation 4 years after the fact???) and they are commenting on the comments.  Actual conversations are occurring on her blog, which only furthermore connects people together, just like they were long lost friends.  That is the power of blogs.  Forming connections where they normally would not be.  Can you really connect with the person 105 miles away reading the same book as you?  That would be hard!

Now that I have gone on and on about blogs (for probably way too long for most people…sorry!), I shall now touch on the subject of blogs for educational purposes.  They do exist, even if I have not brought that up yet.  My classroom uses a blog for daily assignments, upcoming due dates, and documents.  I am in the process of starting student blogging with my advance Physical Science students.  They will be blogging for their current events.  The hope is that they will become “connected” through their blogs by reading and responding to their assigned groups.  I hope that discussions will be created that we would not normally have time for in the classroom.  Educational blogging allows the classroom to continue outside the building and enter the students’ lives.  Since there are so many different uses for blogging in the education world and I decided to link to a blog that helps explain it better than I can! I Read the blog and go to the link for the matrix.  The author has come up with such a simple way of explaining the main reasons.  http://www.edtechpost.ca/wordpress/2003/10/09/matrix-of-some-uses-of-blogs-in-education/  There is so much to say about blogging, but I think I have covered a lot for now…until the next blog post about blogging comes along!