Reflections on Blogging

This was my first attempt at creating a blog, posting regularly, and following others' blogs.  My topic has been Web 2.0.  I found the whole experience very beneficial.  As this blogging activity was one of our main assignments for IDE 611, it really forced me to take time to research and reflect on my topic (Web 2.0) then develop a personalized written communication on the topic on a regular basis.  Without the specific requirement of being a class assignment, I would not have explored blogging to this extent.  I would not have even set up my own blog.  Blogging has allowed me to "try on" this specific Web 2.0 tool.   Because my topic was so broad, I had the luxury of researching and exploring additional Web 2.0 tools and technologies discussed in class.  Blogging allowed me to go more in-depth on various topics and also to present my opinions on those topics.  I really enjoyed how technology has enhanced what used to be journaling in a notebook....now it's on-line, interactive journaling with an opportunity to link to various resources and set up your own personalized blog site.    Which brings me to the interactive part.  It was fun to see various blog responses.  Most tended to be general agreement.  What would have been fun would be more responses that challenged my opinions or made me provide more rationale.  Also, I found "following" other blogs to be a good opportunity to quickly get into various topics and hear others' opinions.  By following others', I could grow my knowledge very quickly and also get a flavor of others' thoughts, interests, and styles.  I could also comment.  Prior to this experience, I had never taken the opportunity to comment on anything on the web, other than customer service surveys!

From my experience blogging, I think it would be a great opportunity for professional development and networking for many - pre-service teachers, educators, and in my world, various groups of employees at Syracuse University, such as the managers or even specific departments that share a common purpose (such as Residence Life, HR, etc.). I think it would be a great component to the K-12 curriculum.  I like the fact that it's fairly self-directed, even for younger children, and it allows for some creativity, innovation, and best of all, ownership as what you say and share gets posted as part of a personal blog for followers to see.  I also like the fact that you can blog at any time of day, allowing for flexibility in scheduling of the activity.  What I need to research more is how you find blogs....I assume there are tons out there...how do I search for those I may wish to follow?  And how would others (not in our class) find mine?  It appears I've given myself one last homework assignment related to blogging!