Bad blog!

September 01, 2010

Some blogs are good blogs and some blogs, well, aren't. In the hopes of creating an effective, informative, and helpful blog, this first blog posting will investigate the charactersitics of quality blogs and describe some apsects of blogs that should typically be avoided. My fellow colleagues and I will share our findings with one another and utilize our knowledge in future blogs, thus creating a professional learning network in which we can learn and grow together as future educators.

Through my review of multiple blogs found on our mid-level literacy wiki page (https://sites.google.com/site/midlevelliteracyandpedagogy/assignments/personal-learning-network/ELA-blog-writing-assignments ), I was able to begin my discovery of what it is that makes a good blog good. Before describing the specific qualties found within those successful blogs, a simple definition of a good blog should be provided.

My personal definition of a good blog: a focused blog with a particular purpose for its presence that is written in such a way that the reader does not want to stop reading it.

The strengths involved in such a blog include proper grammar, spelling, and complete sentences; are an appropriate length for the subject matter; include diagrams and visuals along with a variety of sources, resources, and media; and are aesthetically pleasing to the reader. The blogs that I found myself most interested in were also the ones in which the voice of the author came forward, in which I felt the words were being spoken to me. In these cases, the blog was made more personal and relatable to the audience. Although not necessary, I also appreciated the thought-provoking questions or challenges posed at the end of some blogs. For example, on David Warlick's blog (http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/), he concluded his post with the question: "Will we admit it to our learners tomorrow that we made a mistake and use the mistake as a learning opportunity?" I found this an effective technique that leaves the reader with something substantial to ponder.

However, during my exploration of others' blogs, I discovered some weaknesses to avoid in my future blogs. The blogs that I disliked the most were the ones that seemed unprofessional and informal considering the subject matter being discussed. There was potential for these posts to have a lasting impact on the reader and teach the audience, but this potential became lost along with the introduction and flow of the writing. There was no explanations offered as to what the posts were about and began too abruptly for my liking. Also acronyms were being used frequently without being described, causing confusion and frustration.

This exploration of blog strengths and weaknesses has provided me with a significant beginning to the creation of a professional learning network with my peers in the fields of mid-level social sciences and english language arts. Throughout this process, I will do my best to post blogs that are focused, have a specific purpose, and make my readers want to continue reading them. Throughout this process, I will also continue to learn what a good blog is as my simple defintion evolves with my experiences.