Thing #4 - Blogging begins with Reading

After reading several blogs on the Sample Blog Post list I have determined that:

• Blogs are more like a living room conversation than formal writing.
• Blogs are different/similar to other reading…they are like reading a play…pay attention to which actor is saying what.
• Blog writing is different/similar to other types of writing (1) first and foremost remember that the entire world is reading what I say, (2) will it be offensive to the reader, (3) will it make sense to the reader, (4) is it relevant. Remember also that I need to cover the subject without writing a thesis.
• Commenting contributes in a cooperative learning format—this is my idea, what do you think, how can I/we improve. It can become a sounding board.
• Without “Blogging Literacy” it becomes a group project where one or two do all the work and the others coast.

Blogging can facilitate learning (1) it is new, fresh, and challenging, (2) different teaching style creates new, fresh, and challenging teaching, (3) it uses the technology which students love so well. Everyone has to think out of the box.

References:
EduBlog Insights (Anne Davis): A Rationale for Educational Blogging
Discourse About Discourse: The Ripe Environment
Students 2.0: Teaching Brevity
NeverEnding Search: PowerPoint Reform - A First Chapter
Weblogg-ed (Will Richardson): Why Can't We Do This? Andy Carvin/Learning NOW: An Open Letter About Cyberbullying

Some of these did not strike me from the “education” point of view but from the world we live in point of view, life in general. Even the computer industry will have to update their spell checker. I even had a few great laughs along the way—“been there, done that”.