Back from San Antonio
I've just returned from a conference in San Antonio for writing teachers. The River Walk is a good tourist spot. Lots of places to eat. Fairly good Mexican food. Great margaritas at the Original Mexican Restuarant. The shrine of Texas independence, The Alamo, was a sad sight, however. Hotels engulf it, and the grounds were covered with garish tents for 1600 guests who were there to celebrate the movie release of The Alamo. I simply don't think there's much to bring a visitor back.
The conference also had it's ups and downs. I went to a couple of sessions where the presenters had been depending upon technology but for one reason or another there were technological breakdowns. Rather than falling back on Plan B they expected the audience to understand shit at times happens even with technology. Sure it does; that's why you have a Plan B. Another let down was that I arrived late for the Friday night poetry reading. I got there and the room was empty.
Throughout the conference I went to several sessions on blogging. I'm not convinced, however, the presenters who claimed to be blogging are actually blogging. They're using blogging software, their students use blogging software, but I'm not convinced that using the software is the same as blogging. For example, does posting writing prompts for students constitute blogging? Are students blogging when they use blogging software to write to those prompts?
Friday night I went to a special interest group meeting, Academic Blogging, where I met someone who actually knew of 2River. That was exciting.
Richard, it was good to meet you at the conference and recognize your connection to the 2River journal. I've said a few words about your CCCC post today in my weblog:
http://www.mchron.net/site/edublog_comments.php?id=P2630_0_13_0
Richard-- if someone figures out what "really blogging" is, I hope they'll let everyone know :)
Seriously, weblogs are different things in different contexts. Are students in a K-12 classroom "really" blogging as I do it on my site? No. Neither are my college students who use weblogs integrated into the classroom. But the question is, does the aspect of an enabled mode for "publication" and peer-review provide a net-benefit for those students? I think so.
And since many "real" bloggers don't go much beyond "the Friday five" and "100 things about me" and other memes that are really just writing prompts, I don't know that even the differences we see in these populations are all that great... or important.
Well, your blog software ate my last long comment :)
If someone figures out what "real blogging" is, I hope they'll let us know!
Seriously... you are right, in one sense, that K-12 bloggers (or my college student bloggers) aren't blogging in the same way that-- say-- I am on my site. But the real question for me isn't whether they are really blogging or not, it is whether or not the easy means of "publication" into a truly public space, the act of reflection, the potential for peer review, and other assorted characteristics are a net benefit or not. I think they are.
And then there are many bloggers who never really move past the "Friday Five" and "100 things about me" memes, which are really writing prompts... so maybe a lot of real bloggers aren't really blogging the way we would like either. Weblogs morph to meet different contextual needs...
Well, your blog software ate my last long comment :)
If someone figures out what "real blogging" is, I hope they'll let us know!
Seriously... you are right, in one sense, that K-12 bloggers (or my college student bloggers) aren't blogging in the same way that-- say-- I am on my site. But the real question for me isn't whether they are really blogging or not, it is whether or not the easy means of "publication" into a truly public space, the act of reflection, the potential for peer review, and other assorted characteristics are a net benefit or not. I think they are.
And then there are many bloggers who never really move past the "Friday Five" and "100 things about me" memes, which are really writing prompts... so maybe a lot of real bloggers aren't really blogging the way we would like either. Weblogs morph to meet different contextual needs...