Below I will discuss a number of blogs I sorted through to get a better understanding of how teachers blog and how blogs can be used to educate others in a creative way...
The first blog I had the pleasure of researching was Will Richardson's blog. Will Richardson, author of the book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and other powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, is obviously well-versed on the topics of blogging and education, and one the "godfathers" of successfully incorporating web tools into the classroom and instructing others how to do it as well. His blog is very personal, yet informative and relatable at the same time. He has some very progressive ideas on education, as noted in his second to most recent post, "The Uncommon Core". I went back through some of his archived Ed Tech posts as well, and it is amazing to see the response he has gotten worldwide through using Web 2.0 tools. I will definitely be going back through his old posts as I proceed through this course and look to get some blogging inspiration, sadly his most recent most says he is taking a break from blogging.
On to the next blog, David Warlick's "2 cents Worth" blog. This blog seems to have a lot more of a political tone to it. The author has a somewhat fearful and pessimistic attitude toward the future of education. As am I not a teacher, a lot of this was news to me, but is our education system headed on a downward spiral? Are we not properly preparing the youth for the future? He had a post of the importance of better catering the system to ensure that students in low income districts receive better resources to ensure a cycle of decline isn't continued in these communities; I thought that was a great point. Overall, his blog seemed to offer a lot of critique of the education system that gives both those on the inside and outside of the education system many great points worth considering. He also touches on fun topics such as photography. I really liked the broad range of topics this blog covered and the author's ability to express so many different feelings in a worthwhile manner.
J. Scott Hambrick's blog was my next stop. This blog was a little less complex than the Richardson's and Warlick's but I do not think that is a bad thing. It seems to be a reoccurring theme in these blogs to bring light to problems in the United States' education system and challenge readers to think about certain topics related to what, how, and if students are learning.
The fourth blog visited today was Eduholic by Emmet Rosenfeld. This blog was a lot less political than the other three, and seemed to mostly reflect on the day to day life of a teacher. I thought his posts were generally light-hearted and interesting, in one post he even talks about decorating his office. I thought this blog was great insight into the day-to-day life a teacher, and I think some of his blogging techniques can be used to open the world up to what those that work with wildlife experience daily.
The last two education/teacher-related blogs I explored today were Coleen McNeil's blogs, Saints Go Global and The Saints Life. These blogs focused more on specific students and topics related to their journey as students. I liked how much this blog involved current students and recent graduates. This blog is a good example of how to get students involved with blogging in an interesting and safe manner. The stories were very personal and I would have found many of the posts helpful as a high school student because they incorporate actual students' experiences. I also wish I was able to be a part of her class, that is awesome that at a such a young age these students are able to explore places like Italy and Romania on field trips across the globe.
To wrap it up, I will post my thoughts on one of my favorite blog's, Lebeau Le Blog: What the Hell Happened to...? (WTHH) This blog features actors that were once on the road to superstardom and suddenly disappeared or did not achieve the success many thought they would after their breakout roles. Some of my favorite WTHH posts are Val Kilmer, Ralph Macchio, and Jean-Claude Van Damme. This blog is purely for entertainment, but I find myself not able to stop reading posts even when it's about an actor I am not that familiar with. The author has a great sense of humor and keeps all of his posts interesting, which is difficult considering some of them span 10+ pages.
That's all I have for now!!!
Kyle
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