Starting this Blog
Okay. The blank page of a new blog is always an intimidating thing. I've tried to start a few blogs in my time, but I've never found the right topic or voice when writing in this format. It was very interesting to read about the history of blogs on Wikipedia, and to look at the breadth and scope of blogs out there today. The most interesting thing about blogs to me is the social aspect. I see it as a way to share information about something that you are passionate about, and connect with others who share those same interests or who want to learn more. Based on the types of blogs that I've encountered, I feel like genres have developed in the blogging world, with a loose set of rules and conventions for each genre.
The blogs that I read have changed over time as my interests have changed. Several years ago I was into the genre of "mommy blogging," in which moms chronicled their children's lives from conception until they were old enough to ask their moms not to write about them. While I think that it opened up communication about parenting issues that were rarely talked about, it also drew critics who argued that it violated children's' rights to privacy, and as these bloggers began to attract corporate sponsors, the critics said that these bloggers were exploiting their children for money.
I have explored food blogs, DIY blogs, healthy living blogs, humor blogs, personal diary type blogs, and many other genres. Each follows a certain format, but I think that the ones that are successful are authored by people who are able to write passionately about their subject, connect with the readers, and create a friendly and engaging online persona. Voices can vary by blog, and really influences the tone of the blog. Some are serious, some are irreverent, and even within the same genre there can be a variety of voices.
Some of the blogs I read regularly:
A personal diary type blog- https://bookofjune.com/
Geeky fandoms with a bit of DIY- http://www.epbot.com/
Humor blog (with some mental health discussion)- http://thebloggess.com/
When exploring education blogs, I found some that were very dry, serious, and research heavy, while others explore the humorous side of teaching. Personally, I prefer the more entertaining blogs. I have trouble reading dense texts on computer screens, so the more informational and serious blogs don't tend to hold my attention. For this reason, I prefer blog posts on the shorter side, and especially like when there are images included in the post. I also discovered blogs written by authors who used them to promote their books and share information about the industry. Because of this assignment I discovered a new favorite, a blog written by children's author Tara Lazar.
I think that blogs can be used to explore and experiment with different styles of writing. It could be a good exercise for older kids to write and receive feedback from other students through blog comments. Due to the public nature of blogs, I think that any unit focused on blog reading and/or writing would need to begin with an examination of the public nature of blogs and writing for an internet audience. I think that because there is a blog for just about every subject imaginable, blogs could be a good way to engage reluctant readers, although that would need to be accompanied with a discussion about evaluation of the quality of sources.
For the next two weeks I will be blogging on the book, Reading for Understanding: A Guide to Improving Reading in Middle and High School Classrooms by Ruth Schoenbach, Cynthia Greenleaf, Christine Cziko, and Lori Hurwitz. I am about halfway through the book, and I am excited to write about it, since their pedagogy reflects a lot of the theory that we have been reading and discussing.
The blogs that I read have changed over time as my interests have changed. Several years ago I was into the genre of "mommy blogging," in which moms chronicled their children's lives from conception until they were old enough to ask their moms not to write about them. While I think that it opened up communication about parenting issues that were rarely talked about, it also drew critics who argued that it violated children's' rights to privacy, and as these bloggers began to attract corporate sponsors, the critics said that these bloggers were exploiting their children for money.
I have explored food blogs, DIY blogs, healthy living blogs, humor blogs, personal diary type blogs, and many other genres. Each follows a certain format, but I think that the ones that are successful are authored by people who are able to write passionately about their subject, connect with the readers, and create a friendly and engaging online persona. Voices can vary by blog, and really influences the tone of the blog. Some are serious, some are irreverent, and even within the same genre there can be a variety of voices.
Some of the blogs I read regularly:
A personal diary type blog- https://bookofjune.com/
Geeky fandoms with a bit of DIY- http://www.epbot.com/
Humor blog (with some mental health discussion)- http://thebloggess.com/
When exploring education blogs, I found some that were very dry, serious, and research heavy, while others explore the humorous side of teaching. Personally, I prefer the more entertaining blogs. I have trouble reading dense texts on computer screens, so the more informational and serious blogs don't tend to hold my attention. For this reason, I prefer blog posts on the shorter side, and especially like when there are images included in the post. I also discovered blogs written by authors who used them to promote their books and share information about the industry. Because of this assignment I discovered a new favorite, a blog written by children's author Tara Lazar.
I think that blogs can be used to explore and experiment with different styles of writing. It could be a good exercise for older kids to write and receive feedback from other students through blog comments. Due to the public nature of blogs, I think that any unit focused on blog reading and/or writing would need to begin with an examination of the public nature of blogs and writing for an internet audience. I think that because there is a blog for just about every subject imaginable, blogs could be a good way to engage reluctant readers, although that would need to be accompanied with a discussion about evaluation of the quality of sources.
For the next two weeks I will be blogging on the book, Reading for Understanding: A Guide to Improving Reading in Middle and High School Classrooms by Ruth Schoenbach, Cynthia Greenleaf, Christine Cziko, and Lori Hurwitz. I am about halfway through the book, and I am excited to write about it, since their pedagogy reflects a lot of the theory that we have been reading and discussing.
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