Initial Thoughts

Blogging has always been my favorite form of writing. I genuinely appreciate the freedom an author has within his or her own blog. I like the way you can customize it to reflect your own personality.  A blog is a virtual space where one is free to express creative ideas and meaningful thoughts. Through blogging I have been able to learn more about myself and be more comfortable expressing my feelings. As I began to develop my own unique voice, I learned to be more open minded, reflective and analytical in my writing. Writing posts have helped me practice my literary skills, and my ability to put my thoughts into words. Through blogging as an unmotivated youth, I have developed a love for writing. I want to introduce students to the wonders of blogging by integrating it into my classroom.

Within the walls of a traditional classroom, learning takes place between the hours of 8-3pm. A sufficient amount of student work is paper based, with the teacher as the main audience. This type of environment is referred to as a closed classroom, in which learning becomes confined and limited. I want to create an open classroom by integrating technology and introducing student blogging. Allowing for a global audience to interact with student writing will extend beyond my classroom’s walls. Blogging provides an opportunity for students to share ideas and receive feedback from a wider range of audiences other than the teacher. Introducing forms of social media including but not limited to interactive blogging have the potential to entirely transform a student's learning experience. Integrating blogging extends a student’s learning context so his or her learning can happen not only inside of school, but also at home and online.

By executing the procedure outlined within my blogging project, students will be able to practice reading and writing in and authentic way. They will also develop digital literacy by creating and navigating through blog posts, and obtain a sense of global awareness by making connections with other bloggers around the world. Blogging will also help prepare students to become academical and digitally literate citizens. By teaching students how to effectively communicate their ideas through blogging, he or she will obtain skills to prepares him or her for the modern world.

I want to create a blogger community where students can express themselves, receive feedback from others, find their own voices, and discover their interests. It is my goal to help students foster a love for writing through blogging just like I did at a young age.