Keeping it Balanced and Keeping it Connected

My previous post addressed the idea of what a blog is, what it can do for the people that partake, and what the responsibilities might be of someone that is developing a blog. The research that was used included the three articles that I used to gather a guiding idea of how to start my blog and this post will basically be expanding on those ideas. Essentially, now that I have a basic understanding of the process, I went out in search of information that will help me begin to flourish as a blogger.

One main idea that was consistently addressed in my resource, chapter 6 of The Connected Educator by Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, is the difference between a network and a community and how an understanding of this difference will help someone flourish in the blogging world. "Networks are about the individual" (Nussbaum-Beach) and communities are about all bloggers.

An efficient network refers to a group of blogs that one person has followed that does a good job of streamlining information for that one person's interest. Bloggers literally share information about anything you can think of but a good blogger will keep their relationships limited and mutually beneficial. Many times it is best that someone entering the world of blogging finds themselves a mentor that has "been around the block" once or twice. They won't necessarily need their mentor for every little action they take, but rather to help them set a basic list of rules. For instance, a blogger that has found a variety of posts and posters that meet their needs will do their best to keep it to just this: a relevant group. Someone that is starting a blog about marine life may enjoy sporadic information about travel but it is important that they stay focused and streamlined towards their goals. To avoid having irrelevant information overshadow the bloggers goals they can use RSS aggregators. They can filter out what they don't want to see and relevant information grows at a much faster rate. When bloggers have more information they can share more information and the other people in their network can benefit even greater. Networking is about having a good source of people from which you can learn, but bloggers need to be careful in their decisions if they want people to trust them enough to open up their information to them.

On the other hand, a community is a group of bloggers that follows a similar purpose and uses the information of each other to promote strong relationships. If you think of the term community outside of the online definition it literally means a group of cohabiting people that interact on a variety of different levels. A blogging community has the same idea. A bunch of people meet under an online interest and these people share information back and forth. However, bloggers in a community will also interact with people that want to join. Its more than just people sharing and reading information on one end. For instance, there should be a person that takes the job of welcoming people into their blogging community. Another person could have the job of filtering out irrelevant information. A network really only involves the decisions of one person to make the blog sink or swim while people in a network work together to develop a blog and help each other to grow as both learners and teachers.

A good blogger will build a strong network by being a productive member of a blogging community. How will I apply this to education? Simple.

I envision that a way my class will share information is through blogging. I can give them options of topics to research and they can blog about their findings. My students can develop as bloggers by making smart decisions in who to follow and who to let follow them. The people that want to research dinosaurs can do that while another group of people can research asteroids. By making smart informed decisions behind the guide of their mentor (myself), they can all find research that will mutually benefit each other and the unit can become more than a unit. It can become an online community of smart young networkers. "Technology is an amplifier that can accelerate students and teachers towards wider understanding and deeper learning. Technology is not an elixir. It is not a silver bullet... Learning Transforms us and our students, not the tools" (Nussbaum-Beach).

The students can provide information for themselves and work to understand the information on a much deeper level.

Just remember: As a blogger you are committing to being a perpetual learner.

Enjoy!

For those of you with a linked schoology account --> please address the original article!