A key learning this year has been about blogging. I had started a diary when I began my Master’s work, but was initially reluctant to share it with the world. This course – EC&I831 – required that we blog about our journey.
And as we have meandered into the edublogosphere with our writing, there has been cultural, technical, and organizational learning happening.
- Cultural
There is an etiquette afoot in this community. It’s not a hidden-rule community, just one of ethics and respect. Part of the respect is to comment on others’ writing with two purposes in mind. First to engage others in conversation. And second to extend your own and others’ thinking and understanding. - Technical
There have been several learnings on this front. Learning some basic html tagging has helped greatly in preparing posts. I turned off the visual editor (which created havoc in my postings if I switched between the two) and often write tags from scratch. My latest learning came via a Google Groups call to our class and Angie responded with a great link describing the difference between a tag and a category. FromThe Edublogger came:
Categories are like chapters of a book; they provide a general overview of the topics you blog about. Whereas tags are more like the index at the back of the book and explode the topic into a million bits.
You can choose one or the other or both.
- Organizational
Little did we know when we started entering the Edublogosphere that there would be so many great posts to read that would influence our thinking. Alec introduced us to feed readers at the first opportunity, and while I scoffed initially, thinking iGoogle was all the organization I needed, I have come to fully appreciate my feed reader. Whether it’s Google Reader, Bloglines, FeedDemon, or another of your choice, a reader is critical to your ability to manage the flow of great reading.
What a gift to be able to use technology to connect with others that may share the same passion but do not always agree. From dissonance comes understanding and growth. This is the gift of the edublogosphere.
March 16, 2008 at 7:09 pm
It’s interesting that you mention the iGoogle thing. I know a lot of people using iGoogle or something similar to read all of their feeds. With the # of feeds I take in daily, there is no doubt that that type of tool would not work for me. I guess you have found out as well.
I like the idea of iGoogle (or similar) as a place to start out, but for the avid reader, there is nothing like a full fledged reader tool.
I’m happy everyday to see how much you grown active in these virtual communities. I’d love to someday see it from the other side, to see if/where it has changed your work patterns or changed those around you in your f2f environment.
March 16, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Thanks Alec.
Consider the invitation open to visit my district!
Cindy
March 17, 2008 at 10:42 am
I had a bloglines account prior to the class but wasn’t really using it. Now I’ve added some interesting blogs and I’m regulary browsing through the feeds.
I’ve been more active in commenting to other posts and reading the other feedback.
The class has helped me grow as an educator interested in technology and create a network the will ensure that I’m always challenged to learn.
March 19, 2008 at 11:48 am
Thank you for the link on tags vs categories – I’ve had a real “aha” moment. As a “newbie” is has been something I’ve struggled with each time I post.
Blogging in the edublogosphere is quite different from other arenas. Blogs here truly are personal learning environments, whereas political blogs (which I’ve been exposed to longer) are more like boxing matches than conversations.
Edublogs can be intimidating for those of us who aren’t teachers or academics though. As webtools have allowed teachers to connect with each other and with students in new ways, hopefully they will entice parents into being a part of the 21C learning conversation too.