Thing #4

Blogs have always fascinated me. I think they have great value in education. We have to get out of the traditional way of thinking about reading and writing. This includes our thinking of conventions or mechanics. As my own children text, I am amazed at their speed only to find out that they are leaving out half the letters! There is a unique language or code for texting. I can't bring myself to use all the code but that is my hangup. After reading several blogs I see that blogs have a unique codettoo. A person write's basically their opinion sometimes formally, others comment, usually informally. What fascinates me is the ease with which people feel free to comment on complete stranger's blogs. I didn't come across any negative comments in the blogs I read, however I have in the past. It does bother me that because it is a stranger, people feel free to say things they might not say in person. I think it would need to be monitored it studentes were writing blogs.

Blogs seem to be written on a more personal nature. More of an opinion or sharing of thoughts. I suppose depending upon who your intended audience is will determine how carefully you craft your blog. Then again, it's the author's thoughts and who knows who will come across the blog. I know as I read one blog, I would link to another and another and so on. It reminds me of the genealogy tree in the Bible of all the "begots".

I particularly enjoyed Why I Don't Assign Homework. Maybe because after reading Marzano's thoughts on homework I agree with the author. I have never been a huge proponent of assigning homework for the sake of homework.

Two blogs that I think cause teachers to rethink the way we teach are Is This SSR, 2.0? and Patrick's Update. We complain all the time because kids aren't reading. Maybe the problem is they aren't reading the way we want them to read. If they will read on-line things, aren't they still reading? Patrick writes and perhpas with the comments back and forth he will continue to write.

I think as with any new medium, we have to teach students that blogging is a genre. You would not write a research paper as you would blog. Or maybe we need to rethink the research paper and that purpose hummmmm. Additionally, we wouldn't talk as we text. There is a place for all of it. The question is will we as teachers embrace it and use it.