Thing #4

I loved reading the different blogs - so much information out there. All of them seem to be informative or persuasive - giving an opinion and expecting others to comment or add to it. Blog reading is different from other reading in that it is short and I tend to do more skimming through the blogs, especially the comments unless I find one that really catches my attention. Therefore, a blog (that really has the intention of being read) needs to be written in a way that especially catches and holds the reader's attention. I agree with Anne Davis of Edublog Insights that the comments written on the blog allow readers to learn from each other and create a more collaborative learning environment. Comments encourage readers (and contributors) to delve more deeply into a topic and help them apply it to their own situation.

Blogging also encourages brevity in writing. The original post should be short enough to not lose readers' attention, and the comments should be precise and to the point. I love one of the comments to the Student 2.0 blog that said "with brevity comes ambiguity, with ambiguity comes questioning and reflecting." Isn't that what we want from our students - questioning and reflecting? Once students start reflecting, questioning, and commenting, then they get ownership of their learning. Then they begin to collaborate, and according to the Ripe Environment on the Discourse about Discourse blog, this fosters a need to collaborate and collaboration is an extension of our natural instincts as a teacher. And what better way for students to learn than to teach each other. Along with this, though, becomes a necessity for teaching responsible public writing. Students (and some teachers) need to learn what is appropriate and inappropriate and also learn that cyberbullying is no less harmful than bullying someone face to face. Blogging can become a very important part of classroom instruction when used correctly.