Teddy Bears and Technology

I love the idea of blogging.  I think blogs are a very cool feature that could definitely be introduced into a classroom or beyond.  Blogs are the ultimate form of democracy.  Anyone can write about anything they want.  Blogs promote freedom of information and speech- for better or worse.  I personally read certain types of blogs in my spare time.  There are some news blogs, fashion blogs, and technology blogs that give me current information about a topic in which I am interested.  They can be informative and are typically written in an engaging style.  I even have a friend who writes her own blog about cleaning a house using environmentally friendly supplies and methods- it offers some cool ideas! 

Although I do like some blogs, others I strongly dislike.  Because blogs encourage anyone to say anything he or she wants, in whatever manner he or she wants, some people write very mean blogs that say very mean things about different people and topics.  Some blogs encourage cyber-bullying and negativity, which I do not like and avoid.  I also am not a huge fan of blogs that tell me about people's days.  Many tend to be a little boring and narcissistic, but what do I know?  I guess at the very least it gets people writing, right?

In my career, I set up a professional blog for my students to use.  I was going to incorporate wiki blogs and discussion posts into my classroom.  However, my school did not feel comfortable opening our district up to the legal liability that could come along with blogging and discussion posts.  However, with all of these new editing and moderating features out there (as discussed in the "Teddy Bears Go Blogging" article), maybe I can convince them to let me use them this year with my classes.  I love the visual and interactive opportunities that Sherry opened up to her students by creating the Teddy Bear blog.  I also love the idea of parents being involved as well.  Hopefully, I will be able to follow in her footsteps this year!