Thing #4

First of all - thanks for the video on how to find the permalink! :-)

What do you notice about the genre of blog writing in general?
The writing is very informal! Anyone can do it. When I read the duck blog I found it so humorous! I wondered if some of our secondary friends would be able to decipher what was written because it was invented spelling of second graders. Every blog was an opinion from the writer and then comments, of course, were a free for all!

How is blog reading different from other types of reading?
Reading a blog takes a little time to get used to! I wish I knew how to make a thinking map online to compare and contrast to other types of readings! I am sure I'll learn that down the road somewhere in a Thing! First of all, most books that are used for information have gone through some type of peer review, I would imagine. Obviously blogs do not and therefore, the information gleaned from them would need to be taken cautiously - or at least with the understanding that it is not "gospel". That could be a good thing or bad thing, I guess. Great thing being that you have some opinions from which to make your own opinion and bad in the sense that it can't be counted on as fact...

How is blog writing different from other types of writing? How is it similar?
Blog writing is different because anyone can do it. In order to write a book or an article for a journal you have to be credible. No credibility required for blogging! :-0 However, I think that this type of freelance writing empowers people to say what they feel needs to be said. When in the history of mankind would an at-risk fifth grader have been given the time of day to talk about his will not to fail? What an amazing thing for him. To read all of the comments and then to read his thank you post, you know this kid felt encouraged, proud and determined! How awesome is that? Immediate feedback, praise and encouragement when he needed it most!

How can blogging facilitate learning?
There are so many uses for blogging! It is really fun to see my students at school blog about the book they are reading in book club or to see Mr. Smith's class blog about the daily events in his math class, much like the math blog from SP-817 Math Class. It can provide the teacher with a deeper understanding of what kids know and don't know. It provides parents a way to participate in the learning of their students. It gives students the ability to have input from all ends of the earth - not just little Mesquite! It gives administrators the power to observe student learning without ever entering the room! We can do it from our iphone! (Although that blog titled Spies Like Us scared me a little with the technology available to students on their iphone!) Blogging definitely could have a place in our buildings and classrooms, but the necessary precautions need to be taken! The blogging could certainly get out of hand or cause problems for students like in the article about cyberbullying!