Chapter 3  Weblogs

The following quote on pg. 43 speaks volumes to me: "How can a teacher expect her students to blog (or to use any tool, strategy, or technique) if she doesn't use it herself...?" (Ganley, 2004a).  Students are aware of what teachers do, and our level of comfort with a task is usually pretty apparent.  If we aren't willing to explore and take educational risks, our class won't either.  Attitudes are contagious.  As educators, we need to show that we not only accept 21st century tools, but that we embrace them.

Like Richardson, I think the key to writing blogs is reading blogs.  By reading thoughtful blogs, we get a feel for the genre and how we might put our own personal spin on our written reflections.  Hand-selecting the sites that kids check out online is important.  Before they search on their own, it's a good idea to provide them with a list of pre-approved websites (or in this case, blog-sites) so that they get a feel for quality constructed pages.  Even as an adult, I love the fact that Richardson has provided a list of great educator weblogs for me to peruse.  He has saved me lots of time from aimlessly searching! 

The next step would be to have the kids respond to a whole-class blog forum.  After practicing writing and responding with classmates, the students will be ready to create their own blogs and offer them to the world!  I think having this step by step approach is a good way to build the necessary skills that bloggers need.  We all have to walk before we can run, but it's important to know that there are no wrong posts in a blog.  There are opinions which might lead to disagreements, but that is one of the best parts of communicating online.  People are more honest than they would be in a face-to-face situation.  This leads to better and more authentic interactions.