I am very fortunate to work with some amazing educators who inspire me in a number of ways. Most notability, how they have made the use of technology, specifically blogging, with their first grade students, a routine as opposed to an event. I have been thinking about blogging for quite awhile but I have been hesitant for a number of reasons. For instance, I wonder if blogging is a realistic possibility for me. Is there a way to use it effectively and efficiently that won’t cut into too much of my valuable time? Then there is that self-doubt that always creeps into my mind. Will I have anything to blog about that would be of interest or help to anyone? I think more importantly I question how can I incorporate it with my students in a meaningful way AND insure their safety? These are some of the big questions, some might say excuses, I have as to why I have not jumped on the blogging wagon. However, witnessing the first graders in my school blogging has lit a fire under me. They unknowingly have challenged me to abandon my comfort zone and explore a personal uncharted area of social media.
The fact that the students of today are comfortable with technology is not lost on me. Let's face it our students lives revolve around various forms of technology. One thing that comes to mind is when I saw a nine month old unlock his dad's touch screen phone and open an app that he wanted to play. Unlike my generation today’s generation has spent their entire lives surrounded by technology. So when I shared my amazement of a nine month old opening an app his four-year-old brother looked at me like I was crazy and with a shrug informed me that they do that all the time. No big deal. The whole idea of blogging, most likely, isn’t as big a deal to my students as it is to me. They aren’t going to be weighing the pros and cons like I do. Nope. They just do it.
I suppose I could continue on with my avoidance of blogging. I mean the world will still go on spinning if I choose not to blog with my kiddos, but is avoiding something that I am uncomfortable with depriving my students of something…more? What I absolutely LOVE about social media/blogging is the sharing of ideas; learning with new people and reading about their thoughts, their perspectives. The whole camaraderie that it can bring is something the world has never had so instantaneously before. By blogging I could open my students up to a whole world of experiences. Is that something I really want to keep from them?
All of this brings me to my current dilemma, to blog or not to blog. As you can clearly see, I have decided to make the leap. So, here I am attempting to create my very first blog. Whether or not anyone chooses to read it, or to respond to it, only time will tell. My intention is to use my experience with this blog, and any advice or helpful suggestions that I may receive from the more blog savvy members of society, to help me decide how I would safely use it with my students.
The fact that the students of today are comfortable with technology is not lost on me. Let's face it our students lives revolve around various forms of technology. One thing that comes to mind is when I saw a nine month old unlock his dad's touch screen phone and open an app that he wanted to play. Unlike my generation today’s generation has spent their entire lives surrounded by technology. So when I shared my amazement of a nine month old opening an app his four-year-old brother looked at me like I was crazy and with a shrug informed me that they do that all the time. No big deal. The whole idea of blogging, most likely, isn’t as big a deal to my students as it is to me. They aren’t going to be weighing the pros and cons like I do. Nope. They just do it.
I suppose I could continue on with my avoidance of blogging. I mean the world will still go on spinning if I choose not to blog with my kiddos, but is avoiding something that I am uncomfortable with depriving my students of something…more? What I absolutely LOVE about social media/blogging is the sharing of ideas; learning with new people and reading about their thoughts, their perspectives. The whole camaraderie that it can bring is something the world has never had so instantaneously before. By blogging I could open my students up to a whole world of experiences. Is that something I really want to keep from them?
All of this brings me to my current dilemma, to blog or not to blog. As you can clearly see, I have decided to make the leap. So, here I am attempting to create my very first blog. Whether or not anyone chooses to read it, or to respond to it, only time will tell. My intention is to use my experience with this blog, and any advice or helpful suggestions that I may receive from the more blog savvy members of society, to help me decide how I would safely use it with my students.
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