Blogs



 Blogs are a really easy way for people to write about their experiences, thoughts, and knowledge. There are so many blogs out there and it can be overwhelming navigating through the countless entries let alone think about putting your own thoughts out on the web. Luckily, many blogging sites make it incredibly easy to navigate and create blogs. They have created very user-friendly websites and the experience can actually, believe it or not, be enjoyable. When I first heard we had to do a blog for my technology class I was really nervous about putting my work out on a blog because I had never done it before and I thought it would be difficult for me to complete. Boy was I wrong!

My Experience With Blogs
 I used blogspot.com to create my own blog and it was a million times easier than I thought. The creation process was essentially as easy as having an email. All you have to do is sign up for an account and the rest is as easy as choosing a theme and navigating the settings, which was a really clear and painless process. I consider myself to be a very private person and so the idea of just throwing my ideas out there for all to see was a little daunting. But BlogSpot made it so easy to control who could see and access my blog. They have a lot of customizable options that can make your blog as open or private as you want. After getting used to the site a little I was actually excited to start writing and see what my other classmates would choose to write too. Blogging was a very positive experience and I’m glad that I can add it to my technology bag of tricks.

Using it in the Classroom
 I can see myself creating a class blog in the future. Perhaps a space that allows the kids to find additional information about the content in class, as well as access to class materials. I think this would be a good addition to a class because the students would be free to comment and discuss any clarifying questions they might have. I would definitely take advantage of the privacy settings in this case because I would want to protect the privacy of the students and I wouldn’t want to open the discussion to people outside of the class. I think a blog only accessible to the class would be a good contribution to a science classroom. The only issue that arises is if I were to have students who did not have access to a computer at home. For that reason I would only make the blog supplemental to the class and not a necessary component.

 My career choice as a teacher is a very public one and because of that I don’t think I’ll ever create a personal blog about my life. I think it can create a lot of unnecessary trouble for public professionals and I just don’t care to expose myself to issues that could arise from it. Like I said earlier I’m a very private person so I don’t really understand why someone would purposely put themselves out there like that but that’s just me. I’m glad there are actually people who want to blog because I think those kinds of people can really inspire and motivate others through their stories. So I think blogs definitely have a place in our world.