How does writing on the Internet, knowing anyone could read it, change how you write or feel about writing?
It's scary! At the same time, it helps me to moderate my writing and think about all of the various people who MIGHT read what is written here. It makes it even more important to review what I've written before posting it and also make an attempt to write as clearly as possible.
At the same time, it is possible that NO ONE will read anything written on this blog! Will anyone want to read something I've written? Or worse, what happens if people post harsh or critical comments to things I've said in this very public forum? While this blog - and most blogs - will never reach the level of nation recognition, expressing thoughts, ideas, and views does expose an individual to new scrutiny that may be uncomfortable.
I have looked at random blogs from all sorts of people and disciplines from time to time and honestly have wondered why the form was such a big deal? Is it really possible that private meanderings in a public Internet space fill any real function? It reminds me of the early days with web sites when everyone was setting one up and telling the world about their life, likes and dislikes, favorite music, images, etc. etc. etc. Many blogs I've looked at are basically a reincarnation of those personal web pages.
For that reason I feel it is critical that any blog established for educational purposes have a clearly defined goal and audience in mind in order to avoid just taking up bandwidth and accomplishing little in the way of instruction or improvement in learning. (Maybe that's a good approach for any blog?) That may be obvious to everyone but it seems worth stating anyway - perhaps to remind myself more than others. Using a blog or any other tech innovation just for the sake of using it isn't enough. As educators I think we need to make the experience relevant for students and ourselves and tie it back to curriculum and learning objectives.
1 comment:
I agree with you when using a blog for educational purposes. I don't want to blog with my classes just to say that I do it. Just like we don't want to go out and buy up all kinds of technology just to say we have it. I think many have made that mistake and continue down that same road trying to figure out how to use it without first thinking about why it could be a good thing to use.
Post a Comment