Thing 12

I think that I have a bit of a head start here as I have been reading and writing fan fiction for some time. Interestingly I really think that you could call fan fiction a type of blogging. The author is writing a story but that could be their blog post. They readers all comment. They ask questions, they discuss points in the story, they talk about things they like or dislike and why, they remark on historical issues (I am reading Pride and Prejudice fan fiction - so we do have historical issues), etc. I have read comments that were very encouraging and engaging and I have read comments that were down right hateful. I have see the outcome of both. I have also seen people encouraged with their writing to the point that they are now published writers.

One thing I also see is that as you read you (the writer) get better at your own craft of writing and expressing your thoughts. I am working on this with a friend and she continually remarks on how fast I write my posts. Part of that is because I have been posting for so long on fan fiction sites that I guess I have found my "voice". Ideas come to me as I read something. So I would also say, as you do it, you get better and better at it.

I am very excited about this arena opening up. I think that it will impact students as they will become better readers and writers through this process. It is a way to interact - but the skills to get a work out and you do learn and get better through practice. I can imagine a teacher setting up a class blog and then she and the kids blogging about what they are studying in class. It would make an awesome way to review all that they are doing and get into the heads of the kids and find out their thinking as well. It seems to me that this is a tool that is only just beginning to be discussed in educational terms. As kids have more and more access to the computers - and there are more computers avaliable so that there is not so much wait time to get to a computer - I think that blogging will become a type of discussion that will occur in classes. I think we might find that some of our students that are a bit reticent might find an ability to "write" their thoughts down and share. Some kids need time to think before they speak. Blogging allows for that. I hope that we truly look for ways to utilize this more and more in the school arena. I know - some people we say - when do we have time. But, I think that a blog can be written at the end of the day as a wrap up and then the kids can post back on it. I can imagine a time when it is part of the homework assignment to post to your teachers blog. Then kids can say - I had a hard time with this lesson today - or I really am excited about learning more about xxxx. This will be an awesome home to school connection for parents as well. If the teacher blogs a quick summary the parents will know exactly what went on in school that day. It is also a way for a teacher to remind parents of information that is vital - picture day, field trip, etc.