My blogging experience

The first time I ever heard the word "blog" was a couple of years ago when my brother went on a European vacation. He and his girlfriend were going to be gone for a couple of weeks, so they set up a blog to let everyone know what they were doing. Every night they would write about what they had seen and done that day, and we all got sucked into reading the posts. At that time I had no idea what a blog was, and I didn't know that I was supposed to respond to what they had written. Only a few people ever commented on his blog, so I guess most of my family didn't know that you were supposed to write back either.

I went on a similar vacation a couple of weeks later, and I didn't blog. I actually joked with him about the fact that he did. Now it is a few years later and he has a documented journal of his trip. It is complete with pictures, links, comments, and responses. He will always have his blog to look back on, and it is better than a regular journal or diary because it is interactive. Back then I did not appreciate the value of blogging; I only thought it was some new kind of thing that I just wasn't into.

I blogged for the first time last semester, and then I was very shy and nervous about posting my questions, answers, and ideas. I spent a while reading other people’s posts before I had the courage to participate. Once I got the hang of it, and felt comfortable posting, I learned to blog regularly. Now I blog just as I speak, in very long-winded posts that seem to never end. I don’t even think about what people will think when they read this. I just write.

During this semester I tried to blog at least once a week, and I was usually able to do that. I decided that the way that I was going to keep us with the assignments was to do the work on Saturday mornings as if I was in class. That method kept me focused and allowed me to schedule other activities around what I considered to be “class time”.

One of my favorite parts of blogging has become reading the comments that people have made in response to my posts. There have been times when I check up on the blog just to see if there have been any responses, and when there are, I get extremely excited to read what has been written. I guess that’s one of the great things about a blog; the feedback that you get. Also, I have enjoyed posting to my partner’s blog. I like to read how she felt about an issue or how she interpreted an article. I enjoy leaning from her posts. From reading them I am able to think about the articles in different ways, and sometimes even get clarification on information that I might not have understood.

This semester I learned that blogging is pretty easy, and that there are so many different ways that you can use a blog for educational purposes. I think what I like the most is that it is interactive, and unlike instant messaging or chatting, you do not have to be on the computer at the same time as someone else to communicate with him/her. If I had it my way, I would set up a class blog primarily as a place for students to ask and answer each other’s questions, and of course I would participate with them.

From this blogging experience I have learned different ways to learn. I have also learned how to use other people’s thoughts and ideas as resources to enhance my learning. As far as literacy goes, I think that understanding how this works is one type of literacy, and because you have to post your writing on the Internet (for all to see) you must make sure others will be able to understand what you have written. This deals with very basic literacy. Now let’s add in the fact that you have to read and write to blog and the more you blog, the better you will read and write. It sounds to me like this method of teaching/learning works, and like everything in life, the more you practice, the better you will get.