“Blogging to Learn”
It seems that as the world expands, the amount of characters we
are permitted to use to interact with one another grows smaller and smaller.
What used to take a sentence now takes a hashtag to say. (Interestingly
enough, hashtag enthusiasts claim that
"hashtags are the most literal manifestation of a broader tendency of our
highly connected, socially mediated environment toward greater
interactivity." That's funny, because I'm not sure anyone using the
hashtag"#iamtherealcookiemonster" is
going to use it to connect with anyone.)
However, there exists on the internet a sort of backlash against
the "principle of economy," the tendency of
a language's speakers to shorten their words to the form that takes the
"least effort." It seems that everyone, from Jenna Marbles to the
Food Network to my high school friend Stevie, has their own blog. Why? I truly
believe that we feel our expressivity is constrained by the 140-character rule.
We have more intelligent things to say, words to use, and ideas to share with
the world.
Why else are blogs becoming so popular? If you
ask me, it's because there is something aesthetic in the human soul that craves
to be released through language. Modern education continues to focus on more
standardized methods of instruction and assessment, and the love of writing
starts to be squashed by the bubble sheets and brief constructed responses, but
there is something inside us that wants to fight back against the limitation of
our expressive freedom. In this sense, the blog can be seen as a subversive act
of creative release.
You have a unique voice and a perspective on the world that no
one else will ever be able to match. Use your blog to explore that voice, to
examine the world, and to make it better. As Ghandi apparently didn't say, you have to "be
the change you wish to see in the world," but first you have to write
about it.
What a blog should be...
- A place to critically examine and evaluate society, the media, popular culture, literature, films, theater, music, etc.
- A space to explore the boundaries of your fiction and nonfiction writing using advanced literary techniques
- An opportunity for thoughtful reflection, making meaning, and finding connections
What a blog should not be...
- A place to air your emotional dirty laundry, complain, or rant
- An opportunity to write inconsequential, meaningless drivel
- An advertisement for your awesomeness, insecurity, or anything else that only serves YOU and no one else
Your blog is a reflection of you and should therefore be
well-thought-out, planned, revised, and always show the world the best version
of yourself. Now... go dream big dreams!
Great point that blogs are a way to express ourselves in more than 140 characters. Definitely something that students can relate to! It's true..sometimes we just need more words to get our point across. I really think that students feel that way, too. For example, I assigned a 500-700 word essay and way more students than I could imagine are coming to me asking for permission to write MORE than 700! Maybe it's the repression of this quick, short communication that encompasses us that inspires our desire to let it all out!
ReplyDeleteI loved the "what a blog should not be" part of your post. I think it's so important in the still seemingly wild, wild West of the internet to make sure that students are aware of the parameters of any project that takes them online. I see follow ups with students including . . . what facebook should not be, what instagram should not be, what your vine should not be, etc Thanks!
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