Blah Blah Blogs....

Blogs are a 21st century way of communicating.  People are putting their thoughts out there without having to show their faces.  It allows them to think more freely and say things they might not say face to face.  People get more courageous on a blog to express their opinions when they feel no immediate course of repercussion.  I'm not talking about liability issues, but more along the lines of criticisms or opposing views or the talk that might happen in the parking lot.

Blogs are interesting to explore.  It is fun to read through what other people think about a topic and the way they write.  I found blogs with shorter texts more appealing just because my time to sit and read it are limited.  But I think a topic or discussion that was more pertinent to my interests or needs would hold my attention without question. As I was exploring blogs, I found it somewhat overwhelming.  If you aren't very familiar with blogs or blogging you can get lost in the numbers and kinds of blogs there are.  It is kind of like when you are searching the internet not knowing what you are looking for.  When you discover a purpose or reason for a blog, it seems almost natural to use it.  I like how we are being pushed into using this technology tool to overcome our fears and bring us into a new way of communicating.

In setting up this blog, I had few problems or questions.  But then I have a teenager in the house for backup if any issues arise. As I think about how this may work in schools, I can see possibilities for responses to reading or class discussions about a topic.  But I'm somewhat cautious about the ability to monitor what is said or seen by others.  I think I just need to learn more about it.  My classroom has individual student netbooks and I think this could be a great idea for them to use in reading and writing activities.  We have access to a links through Moodle for chats (although I haven't used it yet!)

I think a quality blog would create conversation.  The entries would provoke questions and responses for a written dialogue.  I wouldn't look at blogs that were simply a personal venting space because they would seem to one sided or only look for other "victims" like themselves.  A blog that suggested ideas that were applicable to my life, on the other hand, would be interesting to explore.

 A couple of blogs I found interesting for teachers were:

Ms. Cassidy's Classroom Blog

Regurgitated Alpha Bits