As technology has become more and more central to our lives over the past fifteen years, I haven't exactly been on the forefront of the movement to incorporate it into the classroom. I am by nature a skeptical person, and I was not--still am not, in fact--fully convinced that technology can or should replace good old-fashioned human interaction. The fact that I constantly read and hear about disasters large and small accompanying the headlong rush to include things like iPads in schools, I'm even more inclined to pick and choose much more carefully what works for me.
The world of blogging, then, is a bit of a more natural fit. Here's a world with which I am familiar. Words, ideas, pictures--these are things that are safe, familiar, and no less powerful for being produced and accessed online. Even the research says using technology specifically for writing tasks works.
I have been following a number of blogs faithfully for years now. I know it is an authentic and inviting format for finding and delivering information. And the one crucial part of the writing experience that is consistently missing in classroom writing--the audience (outside the instructor, of course)--is a sure thing when that writing is online.
All of this is true, but until now, I have not made the leap into blogging with any of my classes. Why?
The answer to that is easy: because of you. Until I had a group that I felt would benefit from this larger audience, would engage in my experiment, and would embrace the task, I resisted.
But the way you work together thrills me...
I can't wait to read what else you have to say.
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