The Blog Blog

I find myself surprised when I think about the fact that Blogging is something that I enjoy. Although it could be considered a journal for some users I have found it very interesting to see how a class dynamic can grow through the use of blogs as a form of communication with the main topics being those discussed in class. Instead of giving face-to-face advice, feedback, criticism, and praise blogging can create a world that is much more comfortable to some students. By taking away the confrontational/intimidating factor that peer interaction may cause to some students blogging allows for such students, particularly introverts, to come alive through writing. After using blogs as communication in ENGL 1100 last semester I already have some experience realizing how articulate and intellectual my most quiet and reserved peers truly were. The thought of how blogging can be a tool to me as a teacher to reach out to students who may not display as much participation in classroom discussion, but eagerly share and grow with their peers on-line is very exciting to me. Also, blogging can be a place for students to grow as writers without the boundaries and criticisms that grammar may present. Through blogging students can write about how they feel and things that they've discovered without extra worries that they may have in an English class. This also is creating history. History is created mainly by written documents if you ask me and what a wonderful way for people, especially educators, to look back on today 20 years from now and see what a college English classroom was like. Maybe they'll be looking at this blog?

I Googled "blogging" and found Wikipedia's definition with history. It stated:

"A blog is a user-generated website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order. Blogs often provide commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries."

I found this to be accurate to my experience with blogs for the most part. Then when I read into the history I, at only 22 years old, felt like I was of the "old" generation. There werepeople that I referred to as "out of the loop" and "uncool" in high school and now high schoolers are probably doing the same to me. I've said it before and I'll say it again, technology changes everyday and unless you update your own knowledge daily it seems as though you'll become "old" when considering technology. The part of the history that really got to me was the date in 1999 where "blog" was first coined.

"The term "weblog" was coined by Jorn Barger on 17 December 1997. The short form, "blog," was coined by Peter Merholz, who jokingly broke the word weblog into the phrase we blog in the sidebar of his blog Peterme.com in April or May of 1999.[3][4][5] This was quickly adopted as both a noun and verb ("to blog," meaning "to edit one's weblog or to post to one's weblog")."

Almost a decade has gone bye since "blog" was first coined and I am just now experiencing it for the first time! I need to get with the program(s) and start updating myself in new technology. I want to keep up with my future students. In fact, I want to be one step ahead of them. I want to feel "young" when it comes to technology for a change. I need quite a bit of work yet, but I think that I'm on my way.

Being a "Techie"

Technology has always intimidated me. I've always been the last to sign up for any trend that includes technology. Email, Instant Messaging, on-line banking, Facebook, and web design I have put off learning as long as possible. However, after becoming acquainted with technology it has become a huge part of my lifestyle (although I still hate to admit it). By learning technology skills I have gained so much knowledge and now have a great deal of accessibility to any form of communication and/or information that I need. By the click of the mouse I can balance my check book, talk to a friend overseas, send photos to my grandmother, and much, much more! Although this is common sense to anyone who has grown up in my generation here, I still find these cell phone/iPod/computer/Internet devices (all in one) to be foreign. It blows my mind to see how fast technology has advanced. Just recently I was listening to my Pastor speak about how in the past SIX years technology has advanced three times as much as it had from the beginning of our earth to the year 2000!! That's crazy to think how fast computers and such are flying of the shelves to be replaced by a completely new model. I am curious to see what my students will have accessible to them in years to come. I also hope that through this class, and more confidence, as far as technology goes I will become much more educated about it and be able to utilize this in my classroom.