Thursday, June 12, 2008

Some things I want to remember about the blog demo

Changes classroom dynamic is a huge way. Sudden voice from the boy that never actually "says" anything. Less voice from the student who usually dominates discussion.
Peer pressure works for us.
It's short for web log. It began being used for web site annotations as a precursor to search engines. Later it developed a writing community. In education it is space saving and convienient.

Blogging -- What I think about it!

When I hear the word blog, my first though is Myspace. I’m sure that’s a generational answer. And I like how the word blog gets a little red squiggle underneath it in MS Word. I know someday (if not already) it will be in Webster’s dictionary. I think of a blog as a better layout of griping! I never write blogs. I only type them. And I type not necessarily faster than I write, because I do both very fast, but I can type a lot more neatly and can I appreciate that when I’m griping or venting about something personal that’s going on in my life. With Myspace (and other blog forums) you have these options of keeping it as a your “diary” that is shared with no one, it being completely open to anyone who can access your blog page, and it being visible only to friends on your preferred list, which is thankfully fully editable and not set in stone the first time you create it. (Although I do with I could create several different ‘preferred’ lists as I would prefer for one group to read one blog and another group to read another particular blog.) They’re not always meant for re-reading so sometimes they’re deleted (but can you really remove something from cyber space?) but I like the safety of my password and at least pretending to be so insignificant that no hacker (or future employer) is going to try to get in and read them.

I feel a little bit of confidence and nervousness. I've always thought about blogs as personal and I usually don't share mine. I think I'll feel selective and a little scrutinized at first, but I'll probably be fine with it with more use. I think I'm more afraid of the people I know reading things I post, than people I do not.