In ‘Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms’, Richardson (2010) quotes Samuel Johnson as saying, “I hate to read a writer who has written more than he has read.” This is not something bloggers are guilty of. Writers of blogs know their writings will be responded to; therefore, they are sifting through material and determining if the material is accurate and trustworthy before they post it. Personally, I hate recommending a book to someone to find that they really could not get into it. I would equally hate to write something that was not accurate or relevant to my post. This reading to write and writing to read for an audience, has a more conversational feature than writing just with one’s own voice. This reminds me of a children’s literature course many years ago, in which we wrote in reading response journals. We wrote in each other’s journals about our reactions and thoughts on the children’s books we were reading. How antiquated that seems now and how much easier it would have been using a blog!
As teacher, we have all given the writing assignment in which we told students who their audience was. Many times these audiences are contrived and artificial, yet in blogs it appears that the audience is real and the material is relevant to both the writer and the reader. This is the aim of the National Council of Teachers of English, to have students writing for different audiences and “using a wide range of strategies.” As Richardson states, “this is something bloggers do by the very nature of their process” Richardson (2010). How much differently do we all write when we know there is an audience reading our posts? Blogging has the potential to make not just students but all of us more critical thinkers as we read through this great body of work. Although, this is a new way to write, it can still adhere to many conventions and rules of writing. Students will not be graded on just their ideas, but on how well they articulate them and follow grammatical rules and a given format. Students still have to spell and punctuate their sentences.
Blogs have truly “expanded the walls of the classroom” Richardson (2010). Commenting on a blog gives someone a chance to interact with an expert in a field they are interested in. Through blogs, the world has suddenly become a smaller place as with Mr. Richardson’s students’ blogging with a famous author. Where will these connections lead us? As people become more connected, hopefully, they will help us solve some the overwhelming and pressing problems of the day.
Richardson, Will. (2010) . Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, Ca.: Corwin.
As teacher, we have all given the writing assignment in which we told students who their audience was. Many times these audiences are contrived and artificial, yet in blogs it appears that the audience is real and the material is relevant to both the writer and the reader. This is the aim of the National Council of Teachers of English, to have students writing for different audiences and “using a wide range of strategies.” As Richardson states, “this is something bloggers do by the very nature of their process” Richardson (2010). How much differently do we all write when we know there is an audience reading our posts? Blogging has the potential to make not just students but all of us more critical thinkers as we read through this great body of work. Although, this is a new way to write, it can still adhere to many conventions and rules of writing. Students will not be graded on just their ideas, but on how well they articulate them and follow grammatical rules and a given format. Students still have to spell and punctuate their sentences.
Blogs have truly “expanded the walls of the classroom” Richardson (2010). Commenting on a blog gives someone a chance to interact with an expert in a field they are interested in. Through blogs, the world has suddenly become a smaller place as with Mr. Richardson’s students’ blogging with a famous author. Where will these connections lead us? As people become more connected, hopefully, they will help us solve some the overwhelming and pressing problems of the day.
Richardson, Will. (2010) . Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, Ca.: Corwin.