Just wondering . . .

As I think about blogs, journaling and writing, in general, I start wondering how and why? First, HOW will I ever have enough time to spill out my thoughts and ideas onto the digital page and HOW will/can this help me, let alone students, in the realm of academia? Second, WHY would I ever want to spill out my thoughts and ideas to the masses (no offense, established bloggers) and WHY would I encourage others to do so?

Actually, I have had some "ah-ha" moments with regard to blogging! By putting away the old black-and-white marble composition notebooks, students could use this digital medium to elicit responses from not only their teachers but also from their peers (who they tend to care more about and at times find more real). The reality of this would mean having one computer per student. Again with the how - How do teachers accomplish this easily?

Another "ah-ha" was when it dawned on me that blogs could be used as data diaries. Time may be an issue when it comes to lengthy, well-constructed, journal writing, but to quickly throw down some information - now that might work. There are things that happen that are worthy of noting that might be quick and easy in a blog - chronicling events, remembering quotes, logging the temperature, noting patterns in behavior.

Now that I think about it, there were, and still are times, that my own children will do or say something incredible. When I tell my mother about these things, she always says, "I hope you're writing this down somewhere." Unfortunately, I haven't. Life and lack of quick and easy documentation have gotten in the way. For all those times my children were doing and saying great things and my Mom reminded me I wouldn't want to forget - it would have been nice to have a blog.