Further Explanation and Examples

Today I was surprised to find how few students seemed to know what a blog is. I figured you would since your generation seems so tech-savy. Not all technology is considered equal, I suppose. Here are some blogs that typify what I would want you to do. David Warlick's blog is all about 21st Century learning and the state of education. He certainly gives his opinion on issues, but he backs it up with research (or begins with the research and shares his opinion on it). You might begin your first blog by finding an article online that you like, linking your blog to it, and providing a quick summary (retelling of main points) and evaluation (opinions on what works/doesn't work).

Think of a blogger's job as writing a reference guide for the "best of the internet" on your topic, linking us to the best stuff but giving us enough info about the sites that we don't HAVE to go there to get the gist, similar to Cool Mom Picks. Further, we need to hear your voice, to hear you, in what you say, so make your opinions clear! I think Will Richardson, the guru of blogging in schools, says it best in his recent post "Willing to be Disturbed." He links this post to an older post by him, a school website, another blog, a book for sale on Amazon, and an online book chapter. All of this is done via hyperlinks, but he doesn't just dump them. He DISCUSSES them, which is what I'd like you to do. Check out his blog. Read it. Seriously.