"A Work in Progress" progressing...

Wow...8.5 days ago I didn't even know the "blogosphere" existed and now here I am!

It's been quite a cyber journey, I now have just a little more understanding of what it must have been like to charter new territories on the "Nina".

But seriously, how did I get here, to Blogger? Well, for me, it was between three blog creators - Wordpress, Blogger or Blogspot (examples given from the course outline) First, I looked into Wordpress (top of the list) and it looked ok, easy enough, but nothing seemed too familiar. Also, the graphics didn't grab me, too much fine print I think. Next, I tried Blogger and behold, there was that ever-present word "Google" and I was immediately drawn to it's familiarity (power of advertising!). Well, even I can Google... Lastly was Blogspot, which seems to be one and the same as Blogger. I kept getting re-directed to Blogger everytime I tried to find Blogspot...I've since found out that Blogspot is Bloggers hosting service (simple Google search). My confidence in Blogger was boosted, as well, by Richardson's recommendation - p.48 "Blogging Step-By-Step"- for it's "ease of use". Whew...a cyber compass! (note to self: pays to read ahead) So off to Blogger I went...

As promised, Blogger was very straight forward, easy to use and I was set up with my blog in a matter of minutes. What took some time, for me, were all the finer details...what to name my blog (another nts: allow kids plenty of 'creative time' when choosing user names), how to transport a picture from my files, how to create/edit/post. As I was going through this process, I was always conscious of considering my audience, clarifying my purpose for writing...things I had read over and over about as being "...the most important aspects of the Read/Write Web" (Richarson, p. 27).

This was a real "A-Ha" moment for me when reflecting on the implications of the blog for teaching and learning. As I began to make connections with my own experiences, I thought of my youngest daughter as an example. She completes her weekly, written journal assignment in 2.2 seconds flat and grudgingly does corrections after my editing. Her comments are that's it's only for Mme____ (name withheld to protect the innocent) and why should she put in more time/effort? I could instantly visualize what a powerful motivating tool a blog would be for her, having to publish for a larger audience beyond the classroom. I even went so far as having her suggest making a blog to her teacher ...and offering to help set it up once I'm a little more comfortable with the process. (I'll blog about how that's going at a later date!)

As David Warlick notes (http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech217.shtml)
"...Blogs, because of their ease of use, and because of the context of news and editorial column writing, have become a highly effective way to help students to become better writers. Research has long shown that students write more, write in greater detail, and take greater care with spelling, grammar, and punctuation, when they are writing to an authentic audience over the Internet. " Purposeful, thoughtful, reflective writing...what a great learning tool!

I like what Darren Kuropatwa, a Manitoban teacher, also has to say about this medium:
"Essentially, [the blog is] a place to build a community where people become engaged in the content they generate, which makes it more meaningful to them," Kuropatwa said. "Kids are no longer constrained by where they are, what time of day it is or how they want to present information. It's a quantum leap in the nature of the tools that can be used in education."
(www.cbc.ca/news/background/tech/school-multimedia.html) Engaging learners and making learning meaningful are our goals for education and this tool will help us achieve them. Simply viewing You Tube's "A Vision of Students Today" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o) shows the necessity of incorporating new technologies in our education system.

Another moment for me, when thinking of the implications of the blog for teaching and learning, was considering the potential for bringing global communities of learners together, creating empathy and tolerance for other cultures. Being able to interact, visualize and collaborate can only help to connect and bond web 2.0 generations with their peers in other countries. Incredible implications!

Anyway, the journey continues...looking forward to many new discoveries!