Thing 2: Blogging

WOW! I think I have a new obsession...blogging! It was not until I read the article, The 4 C's of Blogging by David Armano and the blog post, What Value- The Profession of Blogging by David Warlick that I realized the influence of a blog. I have never had the desire to create a blog because I have always been complacent expressing my thoughts in a journal. After perusing several blogs for this assignment, I realized that my journal is a good listener, but it will never respond with encouraging words or challenging points of view like the community of blogging can provide.
I explored numerous blogs and recognized that I do have a point of view about certain topics and would love to express my thoughts, as well as learn from others in the blogging community. I never realized how much blogs have changed the world of news. News is now chosen by the viewers at home. As I watch the news throughout the day, the journalists are always giving viewers the opportunity to try their hand at finding the next big story. It is neat that journalists realize that viewers at home have a voice and have something to say about the world or even their own lives. Blogging has allowed people to decide what news they find important or interesting. We are far from the time when only reporters chose the news stories that people could read. People all over the world are typing their latest news into a blog at this very moment!
 In order to set up an effective blog, I took the time to research some of the previous students' blogs. One student really inspired me with her use of the website Shabby Blogs, which is what I used for the design of my blog. I also explored the world of edublogs and other education blogs. These blogs gave me so many ideas about how to incorporate blogging into my future classroom! I think I am most excited about setting up a blog where my students can communicate on educational ideas with one another. Blogging has created such an amazing community of expressing ideas and has transformed the world of how we receive and think about news. I am so excited about the opportunity to be a Blogger, but I have one question. Are you ready to become a Blogger with me? Get ready to Investigate, Discover, and Report!