I really like blogging; I find that blogs allow for people to write in an entertaining/fascinating way while still getting important (or sometimes not so important) information across. For example, the blog about Baghdad Burning blog that was linked to our website conveys a young women's experience in way that is truly eye opening and full of information that the average American would never receieve, yet it is done in a way that feels more personalized then a book, due to the nature of blogging - which is consistent and updated - rather than a book, which is stagnant. On the less serious sides, blogs are an excellent way for people to get out their opinions about vairous political beliefs or other interests, and again, they differ from books in the fact that they are interactive due to comments and responses. Both of these elements I believe allow for blogs to often make a greater impact than books, even though that in and of itself is a cause of concern.
I have used blogs in an independent reading project within my classroom, and I am planning on adding a link to show one of my student's off. I find that students really liked the personalized nature of blogs and therefore felt more comfortable sharing their opinions. The blogs also very much allowed for my students to add more creativity about their book - meaning pictures and seperated quotes - than the traditional essay would have allowed for.
This, of course, asks the questions - will blogging and wikis become the essays/ preferred method of writing in educational future? If so, what larger implications will this have in terms of literature and writing?
Michelle
ReplyDeleteYou actually inspired me to make my own blog for the weekly journals! I was getting really frustrated with the wiki and then saw your blog. I had never used one, and already find it so much easier than the wiki...less chaotic maybe? Also, I was looking at the student blogs that you listed on your wiki and am SO impressed. I'd love to know more about what the assignment was and the "glog"! Do you use a blog in your classroom?
Nice work here. My sister-in-law runs a blog through a site like this one. She says it was a good match for her skills. I made one on wordpress but there are 1,000 of buttons to push. Each one was so-far-so-good for me, but I may want to look into what you've done. Basically, think about this: as a blog creator, I did OK in the first 10 minutes on my wordpress blog. But as a blog reader, I was instantly drawn to the easy on the eyes style you have here.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
Kevin~~~
Glad you choose a blog, for the reasons you give, and I love the student blogs your students created. I agree that blogs offer a very nice format for sharing reflections on readings or other work with other students in the class (as well as writing for a larger world).
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