I am
thinking a lot about blogging lately. After finishing the Cyber PD book club, I
know I want to have my students keep a classroom blog, and possibly their own
on Kidblog as well. Today I thought I would just record my thoughts about blogs
– this might be a post I end up sharing with my students.
I started
reading blogs only about five or six years ago. I remember the first one I read
was a well known blog – can’t remember the name for the life of me now. I had
seen it mentioned in a magazine and wondered what it was all about. Once I went
to the site, I figured out this person blogged for a living. What? That was a
thing? I was floored that there was this whole sub-culture out there that I
knew nothing about.
My blog
reading has evolved. When I first started following blogs they were around
subjects like photography and parenting. I loved teaching, but it didn’t even
occur to me that there would be blogs on that. Then I moved on to blogs about
families and home décor. About three years ago I discovered the blogs I
currently read – mainly focusing on teaching and reading with a little of the
former types thrown in for good measure.
I read all of my blogs in Feedly. I used to use Google Reader, but that has gone the way of the dodo, and I had to find a new format. I subscribe to so many, it can be overwhelming, although I did whittle the list down to about 140 a few months ago.
I rarely comment, more often I retweet a link when I think others should see it. I try and comment back on my own blog, but sometimes I am overwhelmed and don’t get to that like I should.
Personally,
I think starting a blog is one of the best things I have done for myself.
Writing helps me think through what is important. I feel I have become part of
a greater community of bloggers and blog readers. And through blogging, I have
opened myself up. That can be scary, but it can also be liberating. I think
more friends – educators and friends in my area – know me in a way they likely
wouldn’t have if they weren’t reading my posts on a regular basis. Hearing from
readers who have read what I’ve written – and shared how it made them feel – is
amazing. It makes me want to continue to be brave and write.
If you
are inclined to comment – and no pressure to do so – would you share your
thoughts on blogs or blogging? It can be anything – how you read blogs, why you
read them, and/or if you do blog – what that has done for you? Trying to
assimilate my thoughts on this topic before sharing with my students in a few
weeks. Thanks!
