This blog will be a metablog – a blog about blogging.
As I was reading Richardson’s chapters on weblogging, I could definitely relate to what he described when someone first responded to something that he had written online. I remember the first time I realized that people I didn’t know or were not connected to people I knew were reading my blog. It wasn’t getting that many more hits per day, or any real attention, but it was out there, and it was easily searchable and findable. I was really proud, even though I hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary. A friend of friend of mine got a book deal off of his fictitious blog, Anonymous Lawyer. It’s this potential that blog’s have, to reach the right person, that my blog just might come across the screen of the right person, that sparked my interest in keeping up with my blog when I might have let it lapse long ago. What started as an easy way to keep all my friends informed without having to tell the same story over and over has become so much more. I’m always a little surprised when I am talking to someone and they mention something that was in my blog, but it’s a good feeling. It’s out there to read, so I want people to read it.
I think this kind of quasi-fame that can be found through blogging is something that would really appeal to young writers, especially of the late elementary – high school age. As soon as students are capable of higher ordered thinking, they can start creating and generating ideas about things they are interested in and posting them online. I remember in my class this year, I tried to use posting reviews on Amazon.com as an incentive to get my students to finish reading a book and creating a review to put online. They really liked the idea that their post would be online for anyone to read.
I think there are some dangers with having students blog freely online in a school related setting. I wonder how content and appropriateness could be monitored, or even if it should be monitored? Are there student-friendly blog hosting sites that maybe filter out more questionable content so that it could be more appropriate for school. And if a site like this does exist, does it also limit who can access the material that is posted (like friends only subscriptions). I have some reservations when it comes to students posting freely on the internet. Not because I believe they should be censored, but I worry about exposure of too much identity. I find that most children/young adults can find their way easily around the limitations that are set up age wise (i.e. Myspace – putting in an older age). So if they will find a way to do it anyway, do limitations even matter?
July 1, 2007 at 1:30 pm |
That excitement about your thoughts being read by people you don’t even know definitely resonates with students. When we talk about literacy and technology you’ll read an article that relates to that point directly. I also think that students who don’t feel comfortable talking up in class might find blogging a perfect way to get their ideas out. It’s not anonymous necessarily but it’s comfortable. (At least to some.)
In terms of safety issues, for me it’s all about educating students about being safe. We don’t help students with that if we keep them away from the technology and from the public aspects of the technology. Giving students the chance to publish publicly within the confines of a school gives classroom and library teachers the chance to talk with students about the ways to remain safe while online. Does that make sense and answer questions?
July 12, 2007 at 10:45 pm |
I wonder what you mean by “blogging in school related setting”?
And i am with Linda on the filtering issues. I think it is more important to educate the students about wise uses of internet and about its potential dangers. Locking things up is inefficient, for they will always find a way to go around the lock.