Blogging!

It's early morning, the sun just rising over the horizon and I'm rocking on my porch chair, sipping a hot cup of tea. Fesh air and a cool breeze surround me with the lovely song of daybreak; until horribly interrupted by loud music, blaring from the teenage neighbor's car. "Get out of her!" I say. My eighty-two year old self simply can't handle those hoodlums and their new music, new iPods, new technology!

Seeing as how the term "blog" isn't quite music to my ears, I'm beginning to fear this cranky old fogy is the woman I am to become. Will I be THAT old lady who despises new technology? I hope not, for who in their right mind wants to be THAT person, the one every young person declares they will never grow up to be? More importantly, I also recognize the quite fantastic and mind boggling advantages technology has brought to the lives of so many, myself included.

In his article titled "Blogs as a Tool for Teaching", Steven D. Krause describes three lessons he has learned over the years from using blogs in the classroom. First, he notes that the idea of blogging for classroom purposes is not always well received by students. I;'m happy to know that I can connect with these students; I'm not alone! He remarks that his students have often complained that the task of blogging is vague because the target audience is often unclear. I seem to have difficulty with this concept as well. Back in the days of Xenga and MySpace in middle and high school, I often wondered why people thought it necessary to post their personal feelings for all the world to see - were they writing for themselves or writing for the sympathy of others? Who was their audience? Krause has found students are more willing to use online tools such as blackboard for a means of discussion. I find this to be true for myself because I know that I am writing to state an opinion that will be evaluated by the teacher and if I want to comment on another student's post, I can.

With all that said, I really am trying to warm up to the world of blogging. While I may sound negative, I am positive that eventually I will find the best in blogging and perhaps use it in the future (this is still up for question)!