Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Learning from a Master

One of the first blogs I added to my Google Reader site was Will Richarson's Weblogg-ed, an ongoing source of education/technology information. So, naturally, when I was informed of my new teaching assignment, I turned to the Master for guidance.

Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts... is intended to help educators take advantage of the "ways in which this new Internet can enhance their own practice and their students' learning" ("Blogs, Wikis...", p.5).

I've already started to change my blog to reflect some of Richardson's key characteristics of Weblogs:
  • frequent updates
  • hotlinks to sites mentioned in the blog
  • interaction with others (challenging to implement, with so many excellent blogs online - maybe send a link to my BOCES Listserv inviting other SLMS to respond to my posts? Also need to comment on other bloggers' postings that I read and enjoy)
  • inclusion of graphics, photos, video, and audio files (hopefully this will expand as my class gets underway next school year)
  • provision of professional credentials and experience to validate reliability and accuracy of postings (get to work on "About Me"!)
  • additional features, like a link list to favorite blogs, sites or web pages
Obviously, my Journeys have just begun.

2 comments:

Eric Vance said...

I am just starting down the same path after hearing Will speak at the FIEL conference. Good luck with your progress and learning. I plan on reading his book as well.

diane said...

Eric, I've learned so much since I started - one blogger commented that RSS feeds provide the best possible professional development. I agree wholeheartedly. The book is wonderful, but interacting with Will as a "colleague" in blog conversations is enlightening and empowering.