I'm not sure where I stand but I remember the day April 15th 2009, when I started this blog.
This blog hasn't been a place of regard on the internet, it hasn't changed education as a system. You know what it has done? It has given me a voice, given me a place to document my thoughts, cool tools and ideas.
What do leaders like Seth Godin and Tom Peters think about blogging, well:
Rob Berger's work from "The Ethics of Excellence" challenges us to find authentic audiences for our students' work.
So, why not Blog?
When I went to look up the common core standards for writing, here's what I found from 5th grade:
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2a Introduce a topic clearly, provide a general observation and focus, and group related information logically; include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2b Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2c Link ideas within and across categories of information using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., in contrast, especially).
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2d Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2e Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.3a Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.3b Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.3c Use a variety of transitional words, phrases, and clauses to manage the sequence of events.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.3d Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.3e Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.
How can this all NOT be accomplished through blogging? PLUS we get a chance to allow family and friends to subscribe, comment, and all the while teaching digital literacy. Hard to not pass it up.
Recently I listened to Michael Hyatt's podcast on "the resistance." It's that urge we all feel when we are going to try something new. The fear we have that creates all the doubt to try something new. He states that the first phase to overcoming that fear is to: Just Start.
After all, What's more REAL WORLD, than the actual REAL WORLD!
So, Start blogging today! More importantly, let your students blog.
