Blogging: For Whom?
In my experience conversation flows freely when paired with food. While I wish I could offer my webinar guests an actual snack, the company and conversation that is bound to occur will be rich and rewarding, I’m sure!
To prepare this session “What’s on the Menu? Bloggin Three Ways” I started by considering that the conversation surrounding the pedagogical implications of technology and that fact that because the medium itself is always evolving, so too is the way it impacts and informs education and our methods. I thought about how quickly devices are released and then replaced with a newer model. With such turnover, some of the great digital tools we first learned might not seem as sophisticated, relevant or functional. Rather than these changes being further cause to abandon technology that’s been around a while, I considered them to an opportunity to evaluate the audience and the purpose for which we are using them.
Throughout my career in the classroom, I have reflected on units and projects that resulted in phenomenal products and those that fell rather flat. In some cases, changing the focus or making minor adjustments was all it took for students to understand or for the work to become relevant — something in which they could really invest.
This same experience is true for my approach to blogging as related to my work as an educator. While my passion and purpose for professional, reflective blogging is renewed, the reality of striking that delicate balance between planning, preparing, reflecting and posting is one I’m still working to achieve.
I realized there may be other writers or educators who are also interested in sticking with a tried-and-true platform for their digital work, but also feeling the urge to find a new shift in purpose or audience. Like a warm cup of coffee on a cool autumn evening, the time we spend together is intended to feel both inviting and energizing. While I won’t be diving into the “how-to” of the medium, this is designed for both blogging beginners and seasoned veterans. Perhaps you’ll be inspired to start a new blog or request that password for the account you forgot you had!
Be sure to register for the final two Sundays of the the #4TDW Virtual Conference on Digital Writing – we’ll save you a seat at our table!
