Do you ever just itch to write something down? Since I’ve developed this blogging habit, I find myself taking better notes and trying to get ideas down more often than before. I don’t know if my skills have improved, but I do know that my desire to write, and to remember the good stuff so that I can get it down, has improved in the last couple of months.
Partly, I think that’s because of the fact that there’s a small audience to this blog. I feel a responsibility to "do good work and keep in touch" as Garrison Keillor might say, because there are others at the end of this pipeline. That might be the biggest strength of a healthy professional community.
But that’s not all that it is. I like writing more. I’ve been stretching my writerly legs and I’ve enjoyed the intellectual exercise in a way that I haven’t in a long time ever.
The exercise metaphor seems like it fits really well here. Two weekends ago, I went skiing. I’ve only been skiing about four or five times, and I’m not real sure of myself, but this last trip was the first skiing trip that I took where I wasn’t scared to death. I had a good day on the mountain because I knew what I was doing and I’d practiced on previous trips. I developed my skiing legs.
Blogging, for me, is beginning to be like that. I’ve got some practice in and I’m ready to do more. Although, what happens as I get more comfortable? Will the quality of my words (perhaps already questionable) diminish? I hope not — but it’s something to watch out for.
Blog Legs
April 4th, 2005 · 6 Comments
Tags: Blogging · Teacher Blogging · Teaching Reflection
6 responses so far ↓
David Muir // Apr 5th 2005 at 6:12 am
Hello there
I know what you mean about keeping notes. I have only just re-strated blogging after a half-hearted attempt a few years ago but already I have been frustrated goodness knows how many times when I go to write about something and can’t find something that I know I’ve read and want to refer to. To use a good Scots word, “scunner”!
I am trying to be much more disciplined and use del.icio.us to store and tag websites that I might want to use of in the future. I’m hoping the tags will make it easier to find stuff as the bookmark list in my browser it a real dogs breakfast and is too large and unwieldy to be much use to anyone.
Thanks for an interesting set of posts.
David
Traci // Apr 5th 2005 at 6:43 am
I’ve had the same experience since I’ve started blogging. I find myself paying more attention to the day to day details that deserve (sometimes demand) more exploration via a blog post. I’ve also noticed that the more I blog, the more I edit/revise my posts before publishing them. I think that becomes more of a concern as we begin to realize we have an actual audience, however small it may be. All of these are good reasons to engage students in blogging–to turn them on to writing, to make them become more aware of audience, and to make revision feel worthwhile. I’d love to teach a course like yours, but it’s unlikely in my district, with budget cuts and class sizes ballooning out of control. However, I am introducing blogs, ever so sneakily, into my ultra conservative school and classroom. Thanks for sharing the details of your experience with the rest of us.
Scott D. Feldstein // Apr 5th 2005 at 9:02 am
I wouldn’t worry too much about the “quality of your words.” Blogging is about writing quickly and often poorly. Spelling and grammar are for brochures and textbooks. Blogs are about speaking in our own voices, typos and all. It’s the authentic voice people are after.
Bob // Apr 5th 2005 at 6:18 pm
I agree. Just keep on writing, keep on writing, keep on writing, … And we’ll read!
Eric Esteve // Apr 6th 2005 at 2:06 pm
I agree with Scott. Blogging can revolutionize interactive education. Don’t sweat the details of punctuation and grammar. I’m more interested in what you say as opposed to how well you said it.
Bud Hunt // Apr 7th 2005 at 9:22 am
I guess I wasn’t too worried about grammar when I was talking about the quality — I was more talking about the quality of the ideas. But there’s a conversation going here, so I guess the quality can’t be too bad, right?
Leave a Comment