Blogging Exemplars

I’ve had some conversations over the last few days with some 486ers about what “counts” as a good blog. In the spirit of sharing and highlighting some good work, here are some examples of your awesome blogging situated in the expectations of the class rubric:

1. Integration of Voices – Alicia

• This post is a great example of Alicia struggling with both grant writing and inquiry and finding support in the community of learners. The post spurred additional comments, kept the dialogue going from multiple perspectives, and prompted tangential thoughts on other blogs. If you happen to frequent the world of EduBlogging, you’ll find some highly linked blogs and a rich community of teacher-learners out there on the interweb.

2. Investment Over Time – Andrea

• This blog is a good example of writing that is done frequently and thoughtfully. Our class does not seem to have a dearth of things to write and think about, and it’s really a strength of this community. It’s easy to post a lot, but to post frequent, thoughtful musings is another thing entirely. Keep up the great work in this area. It’s obvious that so many of you care so deeply about what we’re doing here.

3. Breadth of Issues Addressed – Kathryn

• Much thinking about a variety of topics: student engagement, teacher/student interactions, both personal and professional planning, higher education experiences as they relate to social justice, personal reflections, and professional development. Again, think back to the rope metaphor. Professional growth means critically looking at all aspects our identities as they change over time within different contexts.

4. Support for Claims and Opinions. – Suzanne

• Part of good reflection means situating learning within the larger constructs and relevant research. This post by Suzanne does that by relating (and critiquing) interpersonal experiences with the larger social norms that shape those relationships. By not separating things into their various parts, she is able to present an ecological perspective, and it’s much richer because of that.

5. Critical Considerations. – Lisa

• In this post Lisa begins to bring up the notion of what social justice looks like in an inquiry classroom and the interplay between theory and practice in learning. It’s a really great start to a larger conversation and should definitely be expanded on, especially in terms of how technology plays into different educational environments.

6. Capitalizing on Features of Blogs. – Chris

• The cool thing about setting up a unique blog format is that you can really let it be whatever works best for you and your readers. Chris has set up some interesting functions on his page (tag clouds, current readings, random science nerdiness, etc.) and it strengthens the other posts because it keeps it interesting for the readers and informs while still remaining professional.

Personally, I don’t always follow a strict format with blog posts. Usually I just write to get things out of my head and into a forum where those thoughts can be publicly challenged. And keep the rope in the back of your mind. It’s really the thoughtful wrestling with complexity that matters…

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