There’s a teacher I work with who sneers the word “blog” at me a lot lately. She’s frustrated as hell, because there are a couple of technology coaches who have been sent from the state to “help” us, and they are constantly recommending blogging ~and other bells and whistles, her words~ for her math class. These technology coaches are one part of a contingent of people who come to “help” on a regular basis ~due in part to a situation entirely of the district’s own making which i’m expected to view as a crisis. will blog about that nonsense soon, here or somewhere else~
My colleague is pissed about all the craziness that goes on around us, and I feel her exactly, but I wish she wouldn’t insult blogs in this way.
Blogging has certainly been a challenging writing task for me.
My colleague says blogs are meaningless because you can just write anything. So I started thinking about what blogging entails:
Blogging means I have to write even when I don’t feel like it. ~which is further complicated by the decision to write a personal blog, something I was amply warned against doing~
Blogging means thinking every single day about the world around me.
Blogging means reading other blogs, and formulating responses in the form of comments. ~how many times just this week have students asked me what i mean when i ask them to “respond” to a poem?~
Blogging means thinking carefully about online identity management. This, it turns out, means thinking carefully about identity in real life as well.
Blogging means evaluating, regularly, one’s purpose for writing and adjusting tone, style, and content to accomplish this purpose given a particular audience.
Blogging means thinking through issues on your own and expressing them clearly so others can understand. This public forum also means peer critique & review of ideas.
Not to mention grammar, spelling, usage, and punctuation. In short, blogging means writing, and it’s bloody difficult.
So whenever this colleague says blogging is nonsense because anyone can do it and you can write “anything you want” it really bugs me.
Newsflash: anyone can write anything they want any time they want. Always could. Blogging just makes it interesting and interactive enough for more people to want to write.
And that’s not nonsense.
I'm Taylor. This is my classroom. There used to be a "real" teacher behind this blog, but she nagged me all the time about not saying this and not saying that. ~all she ever did was type anyway, since my fingers are stuck together~ So I've taken over.
Yes, I'm an imitation Barbie knock-off doll. What of it? Barbie's got nothing on me! Let me take you to school.
One of the better blog posts i have read in the last few days.
ankit’s last blog post..India doing well in New Zealand
Nonsense, my ass…
Then again, I am biased.
Thanks for this post.
Know what you mean about having to think of things to write. I think of about three things a day and reckon I’ll remember them. Do I heck.
Fran’s last blog post..Why I could be accused of needing to get out more
Would your friend call it nonsense if it made you $5k/month from it?
My wife used to tell me it was nonsense, 2 years ago, before google started sending in the big checks.
What is nonsense though, is a huge chunk of the $5k goes into her clothes and shoes. lol
Blogging takes you outside of your physical and mental comfort zones at times. Blogging gives you the chance to examine your beliefs. Blogging helps you form new alliances. Blogging is a revelation and a recreation!
diane’s last blog post..Adventures in Art
Blogging is ….hmmm fun and you can get paid for doing it. At least I think it is fun. Your ummm “friend” is a very very VERY odd and jealous person when she talks about blogs.
This is the *best* list of reasons to blog that I’ve ever seen. It’s straight on with real-life implications. Thanks!
Very good post. Direct and clearly stated. Well done.
Mike Summers’s last blog post..It’s about the choices we make
Stop thinking of blogging as writing.
For me, blogging is a way to share my knowledge with other people, as well as engage with people who are interested in similar things.
Blogs are not just about writing, like Alexanderhayes stated.
You certainly could write anything you want, but who would read it? If you have people visiting your blog, especially repeat visitors, then you must be doing something right.