So, it was nearly a year and a half ago that I "started" this blog with a whopping one line post. I have definitely not proven myself a blogger yet. There is something about blogging that still feels a bit odd to me. I write in my own little black leather bound journal to organize my thoughts or reflect on events to process their meaning. There is the humble possibility that perhaps a grandchild might find it in an old box some day and gain insight to ol' grams. But the blogosphere presents the frightening reality that exponentially more people may have access to my inner thoughts and quite immediately at that. But there is also the factor that in order to publish my thoughts on the web, I keep thinking that I have to have something profound to say. After several years of seeing the pointless drivel that clogs cyberspace, I feel myself in the self-affirming paradox of feeling like I have something at least more profound than 70% of what is out there, and the wish not to clutter the Internet with my pointless drivel.
Having been on Facebook now for six months or so, though, I'm feeling more comfortable in this transparent digital world. As a digital immigrant teaching a slew of digital natives, I'm in agreement when such techno-educators like Will Richardson who adamantly says that we must use all these tools and be a part of this environment in order to help our students navigate this new world. Like Robert Bly's description of the Sibling Society, so many young people are fearlessly utilizing the Internet, yet they lack the parenting to do so wisely. Richardson likened it to parents giving their kids keys to a car that the parents have no idea how to drive.
So--in order to be a better teacher, and adult, for that matter. I am publicly resolving today to practice what I preach. I'm going to write more regularly. And I'm doing it on a blog. So that when I teach my students how to be safe yet transparent, to be immediate yet well crafted, I'm going to know what I'm talking about.
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