Blogging is the Way to GO!

Before I took English 495 ESM, I have had previous experience in blogging.  I started blogging in middle school with Xanga and then converted to LiveJournal in high school.  One of the biggest reasons why I started blogging was expression and identity building .  Back in middle school, all my friends had Xangas where they wrote just about anything and everything they did, thought, and felt.  When it came time to high school, LiveJournal became the new and maybe even more adult form of Xanga.  But, the purpose and the reasons were still there.  For me, I had always kept a journal/diary where I wrote down anything I thought would be important for me to remember. Now with blogging, I was able to communicate who I was more publicly with friends.  It was a way for me to share experiences without the awkwardness and self judgements.  

Taking this class and rediscovering blogging as a tool for engaging students was really an eye-opener for me.  I definitely will be using blogging in the K-12 class because I think blogging is just an effective way of not only channeling student experiences, but also (for teachers) meeting them halfway in terms of education.  Like we've learned in class, the media and technology is here to stay.  Because children and teenagers are so involved in the media and in technology, education should also adapt and utilize the relationship in order to teach.  Like Dr. Clark had us blog about our experiences in the classroom, so will I with my students.  Instead of having them write journal entries in class, I will have my students blog about a given question as part of next day's homework and discussion.  In addition, I will also require that my students create and manage a blog profile to not only learn more about them, but also get them to share and write in a way that is applicable to their lives outside of the classroom.  Overall, blogging is the way to go mainly because it encapsulates a more modern view of writing and communicating that is just as relatable and expressive.