Let the blogging begin!
My first blog post. I keep telling myself to stop making it more than it is, but I can't help feeling overwhelmed by the blank page and the curser blinking in front of me. And yet, this writing anxiety is at the heart of what interests me about Blogs, a relatively new and definitely powerful form of publishing. So, I guess it isn't so ridiculous to sit here with that famous Gene Fowler quote thumping through my brain, "Writing is easy. All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until the drops of blood form on your forehead."
Blogs are proving to be a highly sought medium for kids and young adults, and I think I'm catching the bug, too. But do blogs have a place in schools? Annette Lamb and Larry Johnson's article titled "Blogs and Blogging, Part II", found in the May 2006 issue of School Library Media Activities Monthly, suggests that in order to make blogs effective learning tools, we should consider the purpose, audience, process, content, and intended learning outcomes of a blog before using it with students. In other words, just because we're typing into a blog doesn't mean that writing standards go out the window. Or does it? Doug Johnson, Director of Media and Technology and author of Blue Skunk Blog, seems to think (and I think most of us can agree) that blogs challenge the writing of traditional print media (see his entry "Blogorreah and blogs vs cellulous"). So, where does this leave us? Writing is difficult, blogs are challenging traditional writing conventions, and the youth of America are totally jazzed. How can anyone resist?
Now to introduce myself. My name is Sara, and, like Jill, I'm pursuing an MLIS degree at the University of Washington's Information School. Jill and I have chosen to present at the up-coming WLA conference on the use of blogs in school libraries, and decided to start - surprise! - this blog as a way to reach out to teachers and librarians as we reflect on our inquiry. So, here's my first confession (and only in the third paragraph - perhaps I'm a natural blogger after all?): I really don't know much about blogs.
The good news - teacher/librarians DO! And so, in my first post, I'd like to turn to all you amazing folks out there. How are you using blogs in your library and/or with your students? My hope is this post will serve as a forum for you to share your ideas and challenges with each other. So, without further ado, let the blogging begin!
tags: school library
Blogs are proving to be a highly sought medium for kids and young adults, and I think I'm catching the bug, too. But do blogs have a place in schools? Annette Lamb and Larry Johnson's article titled "Blogs and Blogging, Part II", found in the May 2006 issue of School Library Media Activities Monthly, suggests that in order to make blogs effective learning tools, we should consider the purpose, audience, process, content, and intended learning outcomes of a blog before using it with students. In other words, just because we're typing into a blog doesn't mean that writing standards go out the window. Or does it? Doug Johnson, Director of Media and Technology and author of Blue Skunk Blog, seems to think (and I think most of us can agree) that blogs challenge the writing of traditional print media (see his entry "Blogorreah and blogs vs cellulous"). So, where does this leave us? Writing is difficult, blogs are challenging traditional writing conventions, and the youth of America are totally jazzed. How can anyone resist?
Now to introduce myself. My name is Sara, and, like Jill, I'm pursuing an MLIS degree at the University of Washington's Information School. Jill and I have chosen to present at the up-coming WLA conference on the use of blogs in school libraries, and decided to start - surprise! - this blog as a way to reach out to teachers and librarians as we reflect on our inquiry. So, here's my first confession (and only in the third paragraph - perhaps I'm a natural blogger after all?): I really don't know much about blogs.
The good news - teacher/librarians DO! And so, in my first post, I'd like to turn to all you amazing folks out there. How are you using blogs in your library and/or with your students? My hope is this post will serve as a forum for you to share your ideas and challenges with each other. So, without further ado, let the blogging begin!
tags: school library
posted by Sara Seely at 9:43 PM
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