Carolyn Foote wrote this week about the new Pew study on the effects of technology on teen writing. An article about the study in eSchool News (free subscription - well worth it - required) pulls out a few details that for me, at least, suggest some weird thinking. The “news” that

[t]eens who communicate frequently with their friends, and those who own more technology tools such as computers or cell phones, do not write more often for school or for themselves than less communicative and less gadget-rich teens

seems hardly news at all, doesn’t it? Is it me, or does it imply that some people think that The Vast Percentage of Teens Who, Like the Vast Percentage of Adults, Do Not Enjoy Writing will suddenly, because somebody plops a laptop, tablet, or cellphone in their hands, have some Road to Damascus experience that magically converts them to the Cult of Writing?

That implication seems embedded in the “finding” above, and it’s about as silly as expecting people to all become economists when they’re given their first checkbook.

If you go into a 1:1 program with fantasies that all students are going to become writers because of it, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Nothing makes a writer but the self-compelled need to write. And that’s a limited commodity now as always.

The eSchool news article continues with this further bit of non-”news,” which this time, though still making me chuckle, also quickens my pulse and gets my dander up a bit:

Teen bloggers, however, write more frequently both online and offline, the study says.

–check that language out, that loopy logic: “Teen bloggers,” we’re told, are teens who write frequently “both online and offline.” I’m no expert, now, but why are we calling teens who write a lot, with and without blogs, “bloggers”?

Any of you adult bloggers out there, are you with me in wanting to correct people who call you a “blogger” - some person who “makes blogs,” apparently, like a designer makes designs and a reporter makes reports - by telling them: “Actually, I’m a freaking writer. I just publish my own writing online on a blog. I don’t buy those daily word-counts on my blog at Wal-Mart. I write them.” Such sloppy language!

(Note that I didn’t say “good writer.” Mediocre and bad writers fill the ranks of bloggers as much as they do of newpapers, magazines, and books.)

It’s been a pet peeve of mine for a long time, this word “blogging.” The label cheapens the practice. Writing bloggers are writers, photo-bloggers are photographers, podcast-bloggers are audio producers, vloggers are video artists, etc, in teenhood as it is in adulthood.

So let’s revise that last excerpt for clarity:

Teen writers, however, write more frequently both online and offline.

Talk about a report from Captain Obvious. Give any writer a journal and pen, s/he’ll scribble away. Give him or her a blog, s/he’ll type away. There’s no mystery here.

Things get weirder here:

Forty-seven percent of teen bloggers write outside of school for personal reasons several times a week or more, compared with 33 percent of teens without blogs.

What, exactly, does that unidentified fifty-three percent of “teen bloggers” who do not “write outside of school for personal reasons” actually write on their blogs, then? Wait — hold it – I think I’m getting a whiff of something. Do you smell it?

Bad air! Bad air! It’s a homework blog! Another moronic oxymoron brought to you by Schooliness, Inc. Let’s cross this 53% off the Book of Writing, and focus on that lovely, remaining 47% who blog write on blogs, not because schools make them, but because they’re writers. Breathe in the perfume, folks - we’re in the rose-garden now of flowering young writers.

They’re the ones I want to teach - because they’re the ones who probably want to be taught about ways to improve their writing.

There. I said it: I’m an elitist as an English teacher.

I’m not a democrat when it comes to teaching writing. Just as Thomas Jefferson believed that all people are born equal, but natural differences create a “natural aristocracy” - one having nothing to do with money and everything to do with spirit (and I mean that naturally) - I believe the same is true in the classroom. A rich kid can’t pay me to want to help him become a better writer if he doesn’t show me, through the evidence of steady, self-impelled production, he has a writer in him. A working-class kid who does have a writer in her - who can point to hundreds of blog posts or journal pages having nothing to do with homework - will find not only my door open during lunch and after school, but also my Skype and Twitter at home. As I said in a comment on Carolyn’s blog, it’s

the bloggers mentioned in the survey above . . . who interest me, . . those who have the will to write, the seed of a writer, in them.

Those “kids” aren’t mere students. They’re writers.

Let’s keep looking at that Pew Garden, and try to find the prize roses. I think I see them hidden in this statistic:

Sixty-five percent of teen bloggers believe that writing is essential to later success in life.

Pop Quiz: Who are the “teen bloggers” who are the true writers?

a. the 65% of “teen bloggers” who “believe writing is essential to later success in life”

b. the 35% of “teen bloggers” who do not believe this.

If you answered “a,” I give you a zero.

To me, the answer is “b.” Because it implies that these young writers are writing not, as most of the consumerism-drugged “school is for money” customers in our classrooms do (and as the students in answer “a” seem to do), “to get a better GPA, go to a better college, get a better job, so I can buy a better house, car, and handbag.” This 35% in “b” wins my vote. They’re the prize roses. They write for the pleasure in the present, not the payoff in the future. [Update: Freshman Arthus trumps me in his comment. He gets an A+, I get a B.]

They’re writers.

A Revised Position Statement on Classroom Blogging, Two Years into the Fray:

And this brings me to the latest position-statement in my evolving views, after two years of experimenting with it in the classroom, of the value and place of blogging to teach writing in schools:

It should only be required in an elective “advanced blogging” class. But we need a better word than that tuneless aural trainwreck of a word, “blah - geeng.”

“Advanced writing,” though I’ve restricted this article to writers because the Pew study does the same, is no better a title, because “blogging” invites the natural talkers and interviewers, singers and raconteurs through podcasting; the natural symbolic and visual communicators through photo and computer graphic, fine arts and video blogging. So “advanced digital communication,” then?

You tell me. But I think you see what I mean, don’t you? Simply a workshop of the thirsty, the hungry to improve - the natural aristocracy of self-expression and communication.

Over the door I would post a big sign:

ROSES ONLY. NO STUDENTS ALLOWED.

Then we’d set to working - making perfume.

Images:

• De Petale, by Christiane Michaud
• untitled, by rosemary*
• rose for you…, by Lyubov

Relevant posts:

• 21st Century Education: Thinking Creatively by Anthony Chivetta, Students 2.0
• Dialogue with a New Student Blogger on the Question of Classroom Blogging

61 Comments

• At May 1, 2008, Arthus Erea wrote:

  I guess I have to disagree with your point that "the 65% of “teen bloggers” who 'believe writing is essential to later success in life'" are the GPA watchers. I'll come out and say it: I think writing is essential to my later success in life.

  This doesn't mean that is *why* I write: I'm not writing to get into college, get a job, or anything like that. I'm writing because I enjoy writing.

  And well, it's the skill I have. I'm not going to make money as an actor. I'm also not going to make money as a photographer. I'll make money as a writer, whatever form that takes.

  Really, I think there should be even more distinction of groups:

  a) I think writing is essential to future success and that is why I write

  b) I think writing is essential to future success but that is not why I write

  c) I think writing is not essential to future success

  I'd definitely put myself in group b: without my writing, I wouldn't expect to be as successful, but it's not why I write.

  Arthus Ereas last blog post..The Why and How of Change

• At May 1, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  @ARTHUS: I like it. I get a B, you get an A. :)

• At May 1, 2008, diane wrote:

  I am the proud mother of a natural writer - who drew and wrote on socks if no paper was handy.

  While she danced her way through scores of notebooks and journals, her brother devoured sports stats and learned to produce clean, precise copy.

  Their father's medium is usually charcoal and oil paint, but he can express his thoughts eloquently when impulse or necessity requires.

  We all use words in our different ways, some to dream, some to describe.

  I sometimes encounter kindred spirits, of all grade levels, in our school district. I listen to their stories, encourage their parents to let them explore library resources, and hope that they will continue to play at wordcraft.

  These children are only mine to interact with for brief intervals, but there may be gardens I have helped to sow, all unaware.

  dianes last blog post..Fly on Your Heavy Feet

• At May 1, 2008, Arthus Erea wrote:

  @Clay: and I thought we'd moved beyond grades... :P

  Your sign is certainly rather... interesting. "ROSES ONLY. NO STUDENTS ALLOWED." Might get a few snickers about the kids who do go in... but I like it anyways.

  Arthus Ereas last blog post..The Why and How of Change

• At May 1, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  @Arthus,

  Aww, Arthus, I was just being English teachery, tossing petals of metaphor in pictures and words, because I liked it.

  I know students too well to try such a thing in skool. :P

• At May 1, 2008, Arthus Erea wrote:

  @Clay

  I know, man. :P Was just tossing your petals back at you with a sprinkling of spice.

  That being said, might be a great way to get rid of a class you don't like. :P

  Arthus Ereas last blog post..Language Transcending Ink

• At May 1, 2008, Jason Welker wrote:

  Nice article, hopefully this comment posts!

• At May 1, 2008, ggatin wrote:

  commenting with co-comment as per twitter request. I love this blog.

• At May 1, 2008, John Larkin wrote:

  I shall steer clear of deep analysis. Yet I do agree with you Clay regarding the term 'blog'. It does cheapen the activity that we cheerfully pursue.

  It is also a horrible sounding word. It sounds like bog. Blog. It just lies there, that word. It lies there like an old lump. It is a lump, an old lump. "Blogging" sounds like hard work. Blog is a horrible, unpleasant word. It even sounds rude. Blog. It does sound cheap. It sounds awful.

  "What do you do?"

  "I'm a blogger."

  "Oh, I am sorry to hear that. Are you taking medication for that? Are you receiving treatment? Must be terrible to be afflicted with a blog. Can it be removed?"

  Probably a little off task here, but I get a thrill commenting upon your writings Clay.

  Cheers, John.

  John Larkins last blog post..Lizard saliva dessert dish was a delight!

• At May 2, 2008, Gilbert Halcrow wrote:

  Scott McLeod post sent me here (that sounds a bit prophetic), but just to say you are spot on with your thinking. As a drama/media teacher I remember researching (books, back then and VHS tapes –with no director’s commentary) for my major paper about high culture value artefacts and low culture artefacts.

  Was an episode of Gilligan’s Island of greater cultural value than an episode of the BBC’s adaptation of Kenneth Clarke’s ‘Civilisation’? Is the Mona Lisa worth more (not fiscally) than a Monet, a Warhol? Is Beethoven’s 5th worth more culturally then ‘Oops I did it again’?

  The conclusion is values of art or media artefacts are always representative of prevailing powers within culture, place and time.

  That conclusion was based on the fact that those who create media artefacts (I include all art and literature) had gone through a highly competitive narrowing learning journey and had to rely on a highly selective distribution process to reach their audience. Now all that has changed.

  The excitement of the re-mix generation is that they can do what they want (the price of production and subsequently failure is cheap) and reach a real audience (who feedback like never before) and develop in response to an audience.

  They can evolve in response to an audience, rather than be taught that there is a right way that they must mimic in their writing. Why should I use capitals all the time when I’ve got 1500 RSS of my blog on ‘Manga I love’?

  See the old school argument as I posed in my dissertation ‘back in the day’ went ‘the lonely artist’s definitive work vs. the audience responsive commercial product’. The problem for those who worry about standards of writing is they are still framing their argument in those terms.

  They haven’t realised that I don’t need to be classically trained before I am consider worthy enough to rebel like James Joyce, Picasso or Einstein.

  Our job as teachers is to embrace the new potential of our students and teach them in this ‘audience driven culture’ – Teach resilience in the face of criticism, perspective in the face of praise. Teach them how to find new inspiration (through research) when they are without inspiration. Teach them how to work within and managed groups to maximise output.

  Most of all teach them versatility and flexibility – not a ‘right way’ to write – but an understanding that particular audiences have particular values and if you want to communicate with them then you must be flexible enough to write in a way they will respond to.

  Shakespeare never wrote to be taught in an English lesson in ’08. He wrote to make money, he wrote for an audience. The high art ascribe to his work is all post mortem!

  Bill would have blogged and given a chance most English teachers would have reprimanded him for his approach. Still Bill would have been motivated because he knew he had an audience to please.

  Gilbert Halcrows last blog post..Savage Learning. Hunting and Gathering an educational model.

• At May 2, 2008, Barry wrote:

  I posted a response on my blog about quasi-research study we are doing in my district about blogs. It isn't quite a "homework blog" (yes, your post made me reflect on that and I guess anytime you assign writing, be it blog, essay, or otherwise, you lose a huge dose of its organic creativity because you are being told to. (Although, wasn't Michelangelo "commissioned" to paint and then used his innate creativity to its extremes?)

  Where is the line between pushing students to do things they wouldn't do if left to their own devices (in hopes that they will discover they like it and want to do it more) and leaving students to "be"? (i.e. "Yes, lima beans are good for you, but don't eat them if you don't want to.)

  My blog post here: http://plethoratech.blogspot.com/2008/04/student-bloggers-and-pew-intern...

  My second thought: I get that roses are far easier (and more fun) to teach than the dandelion or weeds. What do we do with the weeds if they can't come to your class? In public school, very few get to hand pick who they teach.

  Great post for thought.

  Barry

  Barrys last blog post..Student Bloggers and the Pew Internet Paper

• At May 2, 2008, Vicki Davis wrote:

  Blogging should only be required in an "advanced blogging" class?

  Did I hear you correctly?

  Correct me if I'm wrong because I disagree with that statement entirely. We blog in keyboarding, we blog in computer fundamentals, we blog in computer science, we blog in accounting for goodness sakes.

  To be prescriptive in saying "blog in this case but not in that" is like saying "use paper in this class or not in that one.

  Blogging is a publication medium like paper and can be used well or poorly. Do the students have something to blog about? What is blogging for?

  To me, it is not about blogging per se. Who knows if it will be called that in the future. WAYYYY too much time is being taken talking about "blog this" or "wiki that" -- it is -- what is the proper tool for what needs to be accomplished.

  And expecting blogging to be some magic charm in the hands of a sorry teacher is wrong. There is no such thing for that. A sorry teacher is a sorry teacher with or sans blog. Period.

  I think the focus needs to be on what works and what we're trying to teach. I also thank that it is dangerous to make such blanket statements about where blogs should not be used as some people will take your statement and cut out blogging everywhere except for advanced writing. I think that is so wrong.

  Be aware that what you blog isn't just for you and people make decisions based upon what you say. I'm going to look at the pew report, as you've said there are some interesting if not questionable statements there.

  Vicki Daviss last blog post..Sites that Caught My Eye Today 04/30/2008

• At May 2, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  This is interesting.

  Thanks all for the comments (Vicki, more to you later, as I have to go to work right now).

  But here's a new Pop Quiz:

  Can you tell which comments were the result of a schooly assignment, and which were natural?

  They seem pretty obvious to me.

  And Vicki, in the same way, assigned blogs seem obviously different from real blogs.

  As I say in the post, you can smell homework a mile a way. Blindfolded.

  And Vicki, for somebody who openly supports the view that the Book of Genesis is a science book that competes, for validity, with fossil evidence, physics, geology, chemistry, and genetics, I find your scolding about responsible blogging ironic.

• At May 2, 2008, Jenny Luca wrote:

  Hi Clay,

  Can't say I agree with you entirely here - you're sounding a bit elitist (dare I say it) about student blogging (sorry, writing). If we discriminate, allowing only our 'good' writers the opportunity to write online, are we potentially denying our weaker students the rewarding experience writing online can be. Students may rise to the challenge and begin to improve their writing skills as a result of seeing their work published for a bigger audience than just their classroom teacher. Isn't that our job as teachers - to afford our students learning opportunities, encourage them with their efforts and guide them so that they refine their writing skills?

  There are blogs I read which are not the most eloquent, but that doesn't mean I don't value the efforts of the writer and their desire to share and make a difference.

  Jenny Lucas last blog post..Scrapblog - the things your students find!

• At May 2, 2008, diane wrote:

  Jenny,

  Maybe what Clay is saying is that writing for school, in journal entries, assigned essays, blogs, or any other format, is still done under compulsion and usually must conform to certain rules.

  Show students what a blog is, just as you introduce pens and notebooks, but don't expect enthusiasm and creativity if the activity itself doesn't engage them.

  Maybe his "self-expression class" should be a studio with art supplies, cameras, musical instruments, notebooks, pens, and yes, computers, available for use. No guidelines, no constraints, just the freedom to produce a product meaningful to the participant.

  Wouldn't that be grand!

  diane

  dianes last blog post.."This I Believe" Meme: The Search for Truth

• At May 2, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  Okay, a second quick one after that "wake up and read the Comment Challenge barrage" experience.

  To all future comment challenge folks coming in, please be sure that your rush from blog to blog doesn't make you rush in your reading of each blog (this is not a blanket accusation).

  That will shoulder each blogger with the burden of having to point out to each person who does read him or her sloppily their mis-readings.

  And since the Comment Challenge compounds this by saying, as I understand it, "Read as many blogs as you can, comment on as many as you can, and make those comments long," that can cause a Blogger's Burden.

  I can't help but say it - and I'm not trying to make enemies here, but to sincerely make an analytical point: The Comment Challenge seems misguided to me in exactly the same way that schooly "Read three of your classmates' blogs and leave a comment" assignments do.

  Pushed comments aren't real. They don't sound real or feel real. They're extrinsically motivated (grades, winning the "challenge").

  For the record, the only clarification I want to make here is that my focus was on blogging to teach _writing_.

  More later, probably.

• At May 2, 2008, Charlie A. Roy wrote:

  @Clay

  One issue I've had is the quality of student writing on blogs. I have students who can whip up the traditional paper in MLA or whatever format that is available but then when asked to post on a blog the writing reverts to a display of unimpressive grammar. We are working on some rubrics to help in the process but then again we don't want to make it to schooly

  Charlie A. Roys last blog post..Cell Phones in the Classroom?

• At May 2, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  @Gilbert,

  I like your summary of the evolution of what I'm wanting to call "performance expression," and its revolution in the Berners-Lee Age.

  I really like your treatment of the explosion of audiences and writing contexts the New Age brings.

  To me, it stills comes back to the basic need of the student to "perform an expression" of something authentic to them, a passion.

  If that passion pulls them into this vortex, then they want to learn how to improve their methods of reaching an audience. They've become authentic learners.

  If passion doesn't pull them in, then by and large we have a web-based equivalent of dashing off homework, teacher (and now, god help them, students assigned to "comment") covering it with digital red ink, and student not caring about it any more than they care about red ink on paper.

  I really like your comment when it states:

  Our job as teachers is to embrace the new potential of our students and teach them in this ‘audience driven culture’ – Teach resilience in the face of criticism, perspective in the face of praise. Teach them how to find new inspiration (through research) when they are without inspiration. Teach them how to work within and managed groups to maximise output.

  I've tried doing pretty much that for over two years now, and the result has been a few roses I'll continue "teaching" forever (as long as they keep wanting readers and comments and feedback), and a crowd of students who, conditioned so deeply to see anything assigned as a task to get off their back (my Korean context may be decisive here - the recent NYTimes article about Korean educational burn-out due to over-schooling is spot on).

  Again, though, I'm with you in the large view. I just more and more think the path to switching students on to "expressive performance" online is to start with the naturally expressive ones - the ones pulled to this medium.

  Their successes, I suspect, would pull far more students into wanting to enter this world than the pushing force of all the teachers in the world combined.

  Magnets, not rods. Seductions, not threats. Choice (including the "I don't want to blog" choice), not prescription. Free audiences, not captive ones led in on a chain-gang.

  Thanks for your comment. Now to check out your blog with my CommentLuv plugin link :)

• At May 2, 2008, Jenny Luca wrote:

  @dianne I see your point, and I think a class like this would be wonderful to see in our schools, but I would hate to see a situation arise where we as teachers make decisions about students as learners and predict their capablities. We should be opening up opportunities for all rather than weeding out those we view as not up to scratch.

  Jenny Lucas last blog post..Scrapblog - the things your students find!

• At May 2, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  Jenny,

  I said "to teach writing." Let students blog for homework, blog to demonstrate learning and content mastery, blog socially, whatever.

  But the ones who want, more than other students, to become Writers? (Again, notice, I explicitly said in my post, "blogging to teach writing".) The ones who will value teacher and reader input, and work to apply it to a better product next time?

  Why not be "elitist" (which I acknowledged in my post, so of course no offense taken) for those students, in the same way we are for "Advanced Writing" classes, "Creative Writing" classes, etc?

  I don't believe in giving feedback equally to students with unequal motivation to improve. That short-changes the meritocracy in the name of democracy.

  We have Gifted and Talented programs, and Advanced This and That programs. Students have to show they deserve a place to be allowed in.

  It's not based on money, it's not based on grades, it's not based on mastery (they need no teaching if they've already mastered an art): it's based on demonstrated engagement, passion, and productivity they bring with them.

  That's all I'm saying: To teach the Natural Aristocracy - more democratically, the Meritocracy - don't water their classes down with the fake blog writers and fake blog commenters. Take the attention from the students who don't want it, and in this class - this class, mind you - give it to those who Want More.

• At May 2, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  Vicki,

  You did hear me wrong. If you read more carefully, you'll see I wrote "to teach writing."

  Blogging for homework? Fine. But really, if blogging is really writing, and writing is really about writers, and writers write what they choose, and readers read it for their own voluntary and authentic pleasure, can we really call "Homework" of "Schoolwork" blogs authentic? Do visitors return to them to see how the keyboarding is coming along, or the accounting?

  As for the rest:

  A blog post, to me, is written for me, and for readers who want to think about what I write - if a reader "make[s] decisions based upon what [I] say," that's the reader's poor critical thinking to blame. I'm not the Pope, and I don't set myself up to be.

  I'm writing my journey. I believe in, and embody, Evolution. My post, read closely, even frames my "position statement" in terms of "latest," if you read it sensitively, which implies "evolving," "more later, surely."

  A diversity of views is good, for thinking people, and for the advancement of thought. I'm not adding an echo to the chamber, and I'm not being authoritarian.

  I'm reporting from the trenches of the English and history classroom in a Korean high school.

  And I'm reporting as a guy who thinks most students learn very little of present or lasting value from most exercises schools put them through.

  You're much more conservative than me, Vicki. It's no wonder we don't agree. In fact, I would say it's good :)

• At May 2, 2008, Paul C wrote:

  Hi Clay,

  Great post about the denigrating terms of blogging or bloggers. The terms "cheapen the practice." Rather than homework blogs let's call it 'students who write on blogs." Or let's use the term "advanced digital communication" for teaching students how to develop their writing skills.

  Good blogging is the celebration of great writing.

  In the four months I have blogged I must admit I have spent a lot of time refining my writing; that's after 30 years of teaching English. Writing is a process. Just think what an enriched learning experience it can be for students who face the similar challenges we edubloggers face every time we try to put out a quality post. Students writing for an audience, wanting to get their ideas expressed in just the right way.

  What a motivator for refining writing skills. What an opportunity to teach what great writing is all about. What a defining moment for teachers of English.

  Keep up the great posts. I am going to add you to my blog roll. I hope you can pay me a visit occasionally.

  Paul Cs last blog post..Ryan's Well: Clean Water for Africa

• At May 2, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  @Barry,

  Great questions. Here are some provisional (always) responses:

  wasn’t Michelangelo “commissioned” to paint and then used his innate creativity to its extremes?

  Yes, but he wanted to (I would say needed to) paint, sculpt, etc. It was in him.

  Where is the line between pushing students to do things they wouldn’t do if left to their own devices (in hopes that they will discover they like it and want to do it more) and leaving students to “be”? (i.e. “Yes, lima beans are good for you, but don’t eat them if you don’t want to.)

  I'm trying to say that teaching writing doesn't require student blogging. Pencil and paper work well enough for that. Allowing students to opt in to blogging because they really want to express well seems an interesting compromise here - or making blogging an extra credit or something.

  I agree with your point about the role of process leading to discovery. It's just that I hear so often that students "game" blogging, with no seriousness, that I feel it short-changes those who really are serious.

  "Quick, give me something to write about! My blog post is due when class starts in ten minutes!" is a common report I hear from students about the behind-the-scenes student attitude toward classroom blogging, and that's what makes me want to create a separate class for those who are different, and have decided they want to put their best into it.

  I get that roses are far easier (and more fun) to teach than the dandelion or weeds. What do we do with the weeds if they can’t come to your class? In public school, very few get to hand pick who they teach.

  I've touched on this here and there, and even in this post, when I said I would "teach" students writing at home via Skype, Twitter, etc, 24/7, if they had a writer in them wanting to improve.

  I meant it. I do it often. It's not a job, and it's not graded, but it's teaching and learning. And I think that's the future of learning. David Eggers' TED talks (search my blog for Eggers and you'll find my post about it) points to the same thing. So does all the talk of networked learning, PLNs, etc.

  Good questions and thoughts, Barry, and I know my replies didn't put them to rest. It's all about "food for thought," as you say. And constantly digesting it.

• At May 2, 2008, Peter Rock wrote:

  Hmm. I've always been rubbed a little the wrong way by the label "blogger" and never could pinpoint why. But you make a strong point. I wouldn't call a writer who writes on paper a "paperer".

  This is a habit I will make a genuine effort to change. I make the mistake all the time of saying "blogger". Maybe this is why my frustration with the term "edublogger" is even worse. It's wrong on multiple-levels!

  And you know some will accuse you of being overly anal for criticizing the term but I agree that it cheapens the worth of the writer and is simply inaccurate...the term should be used for those who actually make blogs...like, actually *code* the structure that writers can then use to contain their words. So a "blogger" would then be a certain type of web programmer.

  Damn insightful and yet so obvious. Thanks Clay.

  Peter Rocks last blog post..Vicki Davis on Science and Intelligent Design

• At May 2, 2008, M. Walker wrote:

  Clay,

  I appreciated your comments about 1:1 and writing. As our district explores a 1:1 program, I need to stop fantasizing and stay grounded in reality.

  As for the rest, I think Barry and Vicki have it right.

  Isn't your goal as an English teacher to try to get all of your students to become good writers, not just the 35%?

  If so, isn't it possible, that by introducing students to writing via a blog as part of a homework assignment, whether it's in "Advanced Writing" or a Science or Social Studies course, we may motivate them to become better writers in the process?

  To me, what makes blogging a more authentic tool for communication is it's ability to go beyond the classroom walls.

  This year a high school language arts class here was studying a poet. Students posted about some of the authors poems, and low and behold, the author commented on the student posts!

  This dialog could not have happened, had the students submitted their comments on paper to the teacher.

  In fact, were I to actually be a "Writing" teacher, one of my assignments would be to blog/comment about your post! Too "Schooly"?

  I agree that the term "blogger" whether teen or adult should be writer, but I would take it a step further, and refer to it as communicator.

• At May 3, 2008, Linda Bilak’ Blog » This I believe… wrote:

  [...] writing. It is what I believe. It had poured out of me in a moment of expression without the schooliness of being assigned writing. Clay-I hear you, and say amen! Posted on May 2, 2008 in Uncategorized by Linda [...]

• At May 3, 2008, Corrie Bergeron wrote:

  *applause*

  I'm going to send this to my son the writer and to the English teacher he adores.

• At May 3, 2008, Scott McLeod wrote:

  I'm going to try this again. Hope it works!

• At May 3, 2008, Soojin wrote:

  "It’s been a pet peeve of mine for a long time, this word “blogging.” The label cheapens the practice. Writing bloggers are writers, photo-bloggers are photographers, podcast-bloggers are audio producers, vloggers are video artists, etc, in teenhood as it is in adulthood."

  my favorite quote from the post. Bloggers often have a connotation of a computer geek, especially in our school! Writer labels those people better, for those who write beyond paper (thus saving trees)

  I am very looking forward for your new class next year!

• At May 3, 2008, Gilbert Halcrow wrote:

  Hey Clay thanks for the good words.

  I like the concept of ‘performance expression’ and that it occurs when the learning resonates or has authenticity for the student. Following this idea through the comments here I start to think this debate is less about ‘blogging’ and about how to motivating students into deeper learning.

  I was involved in the introduction of a traditional literacy program; broadening the responsibility for literacy across the school, not just the English department. One of the most contentious issues was that of audience for the variety of texts produced by students.

  Many staff had never considered framing written task (notionally always for the teacher) for a particular audience – engagement with this strategy immediately motivated students writing to be more considered and improved. The wake up and ‘smell the homework’ happens when these written task (paper, blog, fuzzy felt) put content (curriculum regurgitation) over, form (lets do a poster, lets do a blog) and not even consider audience.

  This strategy is perhaps old news for many of you - but it amazes me how many post-16 students get to me in Media without an explicit understanding of the interplay between form, content and audience in the creation of effective text. Even more amazing is how quickly they start to apply it in deconstruction and construction of Media texts once I introduce it.

  Your approach is spot on because good writing (good communication) is about synthesis. Taking what you want to say and make choices about how you are going to say it based on what will attract and maintain a specific audience. This type of ‘meta’ learning is occurring more around the world, but within an ‘Asian’ education context the journey is just starting and I think your approach is not elitists it is just smart differentiation - ‘Leave no child behind’ never stipulated that had to all leave at the same time.

  What really worries is not that you are not focussing on your whole class with this approach – it is that those teachers in the other subjects who run blogs are not engaging with basic literature skills and many blogging task are discontented from any sense of audience and very little understanding of form (particularly how our students consume the medium).

  What upsets me is that far too often writing in schools is functional and not engaging.

• At May 3, 2008, Peter Rock wrote:

  M. Walker says:

  "Isn’t your goal as an English teacher to try to get all of your students to become good writers"

  I would think it is a goal to help all students get better relative to where they are at, but trying to get them "all" to "become good writers" is a useless and unrealistic goal.

  Peter Rocks last blog post..Vicki Davis on Science and Intelligent Design

• At May 4, 2008, Joon wrote:

  I think blogs are a fun way to write because what we write are actually getting attention. A short classroom writings just get recycled after the teacher grades them. Thats so stupid!

  But blogs not only get "published" for people to see all over the world for free, but it also saves paper!

  Check out my blog! http://joonplee.kiswrites.org/

• At May 4, 2008, The Well of Inspiration at Students 2.0 wrote:

  [...] For the Roses: My Latest Position on Classroom Blogging | Beyond School on the post 21st Century Education: Thinking Creatively [...]

• At May 4, 2008, Adrienne wrote:

  I am late to reply to this (as usual -- where does the time go?!) but wanted to share what I think are two key points: 1) blogging is just another way of writing and therefore another way of communicating. If this means we use it in classrooms as a "must-do" at times, then so be it. Perhaps some will take to it, and some won't. Same goes for all kinds of writing, really. 2) Your post, Clay, reminds me of this article which I saw a few months ago over at the National Writing Project. (While the research is primarily concerned with concrete tools, a blog is listed in this research as being a "creative application" of writing.)

• At May 5, 2008, coComment - Group wrote:

  [...] view blog [...]

• At May 5, 2008, M. Walker wrote:

  @peterrock

  I am corrected. "all students becoming good writers" would imply that I embraced NCLB, which is unrealistic. Students becoming better at any skill, relative to where they are at, is more realistic.

  I am reminded however of a parent conference I had years ago when our district instituted the University of Chicago math series. A parent lamented that her son, an average student, was only getting a C. I suggested that he use a highlighter in the notes he was able to use for his tests, to label vocabulary terms and key examples. She replied, "That is something a good student would do."

  As I said to her, "my goal is to try to make your son a better student."

  M. Walkers last blog post..Scratch Workshop

• At May 5, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  Just for the record, everyone, before this post fades into oblivion:

  My title says "Latest Position on Classroom Blogging," but the post itself is clearer about the qualifier, "to Teach Writing."

  A week or so since writing it, I just want to add that the positive idea of this post (one I still stand by) is that what we might call "talented and gifted" communicators deserve a class in which they're not competing with Those Who Treat This Stuff as Homework for the teacher's attention. At my 1:1 high school, in which every student is required to maintain a blog as part of their English class, I've heard too many reports from the Few Who Do Care that the Majority Who Don't put no thought or care into their production. Blogs are homework to be dashed off.

  That being the case, these students are parasites sucking the teacher's energy away from the students who Do Care.

  Give those students an elective class. Make it by interview - selective. Require applicants to demonstrate that they were born to express productively.

  As for blogs for homework and classes and all of that? Sure. I've used them to good effect for schooly stuff in the past, and of course they serve their purposes.

  But schoolwork isn't something that satisfies students who want to express their own world. They were my focus here.

  Clay Burells last blog post..A Sunday Science Sermon

• At May 6, 2008, Your page is now on StumbleUpon! wrote:

  [...] Your page is on StumbleUpon [...]

• At May 7, 2008, Chris Watson wrote:

  Hey Clay, (Yes, I'm still online) As you know, we move in parallel when it comes to blogging in the classroom. I'm to the point now where I don't have my class blogging (I only have one class of freshman; blogging is reserved for students I work with individually, like Lindsey and my senior independent project student). Instead, we use a lot of wikis and other collaborative, connective tools. Next year though, I'm trying to wrap my head around how (and why) I can push sophomore blogging initiative because I think it's a tool that can help the non-writing students explore different ways of being empowered as communicators, whether it's the writing, the speaking, etc. You know that feeling of seeing red dots grow on your Clustrmap. Seems to me that every student has something to say and wants to be heard (just watched a re-run of Raising Cain by Michael Thompson). I guess it's the public school/community college in me. The easy part is teaching the motivated writers. What about the others?

  Chris Watsons last blog post..My Wife Wrote The Post I'd Been Working On. And I Had A Blogger Format Blowout

• At May 7, 2008, diane wrote:

  Chris,

  Speaking of Lindsea...perhaps you should consider making your student blogging part of a cross curricular program and let students follow her lead in combining images, text, audio & video in their posts.

  In creativity, as in the changing (!) room, one size does not fit all.

  diane

  dianes last blog post..Happy Birthday to Me!

• At May 7, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  @Chris - You tell me. The hard part is giving as much attention to those whose hearts aren't into it to those whose hearts are.

  Maybe make it optional or extra credit, as I say somewhere in this comment thread.

  But as things stand now, I hesitate to shoulder teachers with the burden of dealing with most digital content of any non-schooly nature (that requires "genius," in the Greek sense of some special quality and drive). It's just more of the grading game for them to wrestle with, and more of the homework game for so many students to sham through.

  That's why I can't let go of this conviction that an elective course is the way to go.

  Otherwise, individual blogging as a student requirement? I'm just really conflicted about it right now.

  This could be very, very contingent on my local context. My almost all-Korean student body is obviously different from that of most of my readers.

  I don't want to ask a teacher to spend time treating half-assed student work with the dignity and investment equal to that of the student who seeks the teacher out saying, "I want to make my writing better. I wrote this piece and really like it, but how can I make it better?" (Substitute your non-textual communication mode for writing in that last sentence, btw.)

  Here, most students game the grading system. Blogs are nothing but another thing to figure out how to do most quickly for the grade. (I'm talking high school.)

  BUT: You're right. Some might catch fire, though only after doinking around in this world for a long time. So the push you're tempted by will serve them.

  I just suspect they're a slim minority.

  So how compromise? "Everybody blogs, but grading and assessing is very, very minimal. Only students wanting and seeking feedback get it. The rest? Nope. Just an extra credit grade at the end of each unit/quarter/whatever."

  Is that a fix? I don't know.

  Good luck. Good to hear from you.

• At May 7, 2008, Adrienne wrote:

  Clay,

  You said, "The hard part is giving as much attention to those whose hearts aren’t into it to those whose hearts are."

  Isn't this true of *anything* we teach? There will always be those who love it and those who hate it... those who need it, those who don't... those who understand it, those who don't. Such is the nature of teaching. And such is the reason why we differentiate. Maybe for some kids, blogs are the answer. Maybe for others, they aren't. Regardless, you'll have both in your classroom and I don't think an elective is the solution (what about the middle schoolers?). Give the attention to those whose hearts are in it, and give *different* attention to those whose hearts aren't. They need a different medium -- maybe they can do a podcast instead? As teachers we should just be using what works to do the job, period.

  "the burden of dealing with most digital content of any non-schooly nature"

  Why is it a burden? Oh wait. In the next sentence, you said it: "more of the grading game". Dangit, those silly grades! Let's just get rid of 'em! Hmm. Methinx this is a solution for the blogging conundrum. To grade, or not to grade?

  I say NOT. Why would anyone grade a blog, seriously? I honestly cannot think of one real, authentic reason. Let's examine the down-to-earth simple purposes of a blog: reflective, seeking feedback, communicative, connective. Hmm, to me all those just have to do with the learning process, period. Sure, one (or more) could be developed into something bigger and more cohesive, and maybe that is the task you give to the kid who will live and die a writer. But for the rest? Why can't it simply be an unassessed reflective medium for learning?

  The compromise you suggest at the end of your comment sounds reasonable to me EXCEPT with the "extra credit" idea. I am generally opposed to the extra credit philosphy because it encourages students do things for all the wrong reasons (ie., the grades). My solution (which I think I will implement next year, on a trial basis): everyone has to keep a blog. No, it's not assessed (ever).* It is a tool for you to keep track of, reflect on, and seek feedback on your learning -- of anything. Consider it a completion check, and nothing more -- are you doing it? Yes, check. No? Let's chat about why not and see what comes of that conversation...

  Incidentally, I will always, always "spend time treating half-assed student work with the dignity and investment equal to that of the student who seeks the teacher out" because that is part of my job. Sometimes, those kids doing the half-assed work are the ones that need my attention the most. And sometimes, through that half-assed work (and my feedback) they realize, "Hey, maybe I want to try this differently next time."

  ... am I being too critical, or perhaps idealistic?

  *Ok, I will assess something that comes out of it that you (the student) chooses for me to assess, but only if you have developed something cool that shows your ability to write in this medium. And that's a big "if". But I promise I will.

  Adriennes last blog post..Commenting Self-Audit

• At May 7, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  @Adrienne, Good feedback. By the numbers:

  Maybe for some kids, blogs are the answer. Maybe for others, they aren’t. Regardless, you’ll have both in your classroom and I don’t think an elective is the solution (what about the middle schoolers?). Give the attention to those whose hearts are in it, and give *different* attention to those whose hearts aren’t. They need a different medium — maybe they can do a podcast instead? As teachers we should just be using what works to do the job, period.

  We seem to be saying the same thing, to a degree. Blogs shouldn't be required of all. I still don't see why you say you "don't think an elective is the solution," when it would invite only those for whom it is an authentic, self-motivated learning opportunity. Your point about middle school is well-taken - and your suggestion of differentiation (including "those who don't want to don't have to" seems a riff on the elective idea in a sense, since it still invites only the willing and eager.

  So I'm not sure we disagree here. I do value your highlighting of the range of differentiation strategies between all or nothing for any given student. Maybe a group blog, for example, instead of an individual one. Or maybe some students are only comfortable with (or ready for) a role as commenters. On and on.

  My solution (which I think I will implement next year, on a trial basis): everyone has to keep a blog. No, it’s not assessed (ever).* It is a tool for you to keep track of, reflect on, and seek feedback on your learning — of anything. Consider it a completion check, and nothing more — are you doing it? Yes, check. No? Let’s chat about why not and see what comes of that conversation…

  How is "check/no check" different than grading? What does a check mean in your system, and the lack of one? Does it affect the grade?

  Otherwise, I love the idea. It's even better than the extra credit idea, though that check still whiffs of the same infernal carrot and stick.

  I will always, always “spend time treating half-assed student work with the dignity and investment equal to that of the student who seeks the teacher out” because that is part of my job. Sometimes, those kids doing the half-assed work are the ones that need my attention the most. And sometimes, through that half-assed work (and my feedback) they realize, “Hey, maybe I want to try this differently next time.”

  This is the one I have the hardest time with. Conversations about half-hearted student work, I have no problem with. I agree they're good. "Let's sit for a spell and talk about your performance here." I do that often, and on a metacognitive level see lights come on when I ask, after a skim, "How many examples of nice, short sentences do you see in this piece?" (This for the kid who writes sentences the average length of the human intestine.) "Show me your favorite metaphor/simile/exaggeration out of all the ones you've used." (This for the kid who writes literal, denotative sentences only.) "Which paragraph has the nicest rhythm?" (For the student who has yet to discover the wonders of the comma and its music.)

  But I'm going to be picky and say I don't want to go as far as investing energy into the student who shows no attempts to apply previous lessons and feedback advice to his/her latest work on an "equal" level with the students who clearly have put orders of magnitude more work into their own performances. I want to give them much more time, simply because they're not lazy, and are thirsty.

  It's the law of the harvest: you don't tend to your crops like a good farmer, you're not going to get as much come harvest time. (I guess I just hemmed myself into somehow being a fruit with this metaphor.)

  I'm being picky about the word "equal," I think. But it seems important to me. Again, in an elective class, only the conscientious farmers caring about their crop would be there. They'd get equal care from me.

  What am I missing?

  Thanks for the push, and the ideas. I enjoy your comments so much.

• At May 7, 2008, Adrienne wrote:

  @Clay

  You bring up some great points in this last response. I especially concur with you about the "blog participation" differentiation idea (yes, we agree). It brings me to my next point for clarification: Differentiation is different from an elective because in a regular classroom, the idea of the blog is "mandatory" on some level. Every student must participate in a blog environment in some way, shape, or form. Leaving it to an elective shuts out those who might not have discovered the "blog medium" otherwise. (Quick somewhat-related diversion to illustrate point: I think of my own experience when I had to choose between music and art in high school; having had no exposure to art in any class since 1st grade, I chose music. Something like 15 years later, when I'm living in London and visit the Tate, I see art that can be nothing like what I thought "art" was in school, and I think, "Hey, maybe I could have done that if I had had the opportunity. That's pretty cool.")

  I realize not all teachers believe in this kind of inclusion, but I do, and I think every student should have the opportunity to "try it out." I daresay it, Clay, but to me the idea of an elective vs. a "regular" class in this context seems almost... schooly, and that's because it sounds a little like streaming. Keep in mind that I teach mostly MS, and I'm often feeling like they get 'left out' of things or lumped together, unjustifiably, with the HS kids.

  "How is “check/no check” different than grading? What does a check mean in your system, and the lack of one? Does it affect the grade?"

  It doesn't translate to a number, for starters. It's a non-negotiable, but it does not factor into the grade. A type of formative assessment, if you will. It doesn't have to be check / no check; it could be my written or oral feedback, or maybe some peer feedback. But it has to be done, kind of like an exit ticket. (In MYP lingo, these things are sometimes called an Approach to Learning, but I used assessments like this long before I came upon MYP.) Keeping it open and un-assessed keeps it accessible and a playground for risk-taking. I don't want my students to feel like *everything* is about the grades, so this is one of those things where I just don't need to grade it. (Unless for the special occasion I mentioned in my previous post.) An old-fashioned schooly version would be a journal ... something I still use now, because my MS-ers are not on a 1-to1 programme, and access to technology at our school is dismal at present (though set to improve very soon, so things are looking up).

  "I don’t want to go as far as investing energy into the student who shows no attempts to apply previous lessons and feedback advice to his/her latest work on an “equal” level with the students who clearly have put orders of magnitude more work into their own performances."

  Maybe I should have clarified. I wasn't implying that I should spend heaps of time worrying about the ones who aren't putting in the effort. Absolutely not. Some time, yes. But after a certain point (and it's different for each student), you gotta just let it be. So I agree with you here. What I meant was the kid who was doing the half-assed job still deserves *some* feedback. I am perhaps foolishly optimistic in thinking that one day he'll figure it out (even if that "one day" is 10 years later). And the thirsty ones? They'll come to you begging for more feedback, and of course they deserve it. I'm not sure about the word "equal." I do think that I presently give equal time to both the half-assed and the thirsty ones, and perhaps I shouldn't. Maybe I am wasting my energy. Then again, maybe one day that energy will result in that student realizing he just maybe is capable of writing well because Ms M keeps pushing him to do so... ? I really don't know the answer to this one.

  I am laughing at your harvest / crop / fruit metaphor. :) And definitely learning from the dialogue.

  Adriennes last blog post..Commenting Self-Audit

• At May 7, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  @Adrienne,

  And I am so learning from our conversations too. I'm so thankful we somehow connected.

  I have nothing but *nods head* and *hmmm...I see* as reactions to your last comment.

  C.

• At May 9, 2008, C. Tschofen wrote:

  Christopher Sessums recently posted a

  video of teachers/instructors commenting on their blogging experiences with their students. What struck me most (admittedly after only one viewing) was the underlying assumptions these teachers were bringing to their requirements and future plans for student blogging: that they could "strengthen the ties" between their students by requiring them to blog; that every student was going to be sincere in their required blogging; that requiring students to comment on each other's blogs would enhance the process next time. Interestingly, one teacher comments at the end of the video that perhaps blogging should come with a "health warning," which I think begins to get at some overlapping issues that pop up directly and indirectly in this discussion: concerns about student privacy, authenticity, future repercussions, the role of intrinsic motivation, and even the potential freedom to NOT share one's thoughts in a tell-all world... Would that everyone had teachers who thought about this at the level reflected in the posts here!

• At May 9, 2008, Hannah wrote:

  I feel the need to comment, even though I don't quite know if what I'm saying is relevant. Anyway...

  I've seen "homework blogs." They're horrible. If the purpose of switching from pen and paper to a blog format is to open up the classroom to the world and international thoughts, then homework blogs fail miserably. No-one (okay, maybe some do, but NOT MANY) wants to read an analysis of a quote from A Midsummer Night's Dream. A reader wants to feel that the writer believes what they're typing (or I do, at least). Typing up homework assignments will not draw an audience.

  As for the label, "blogger," I'm not too picky. Call me what you will, I still know for myself what I am :)

• At May 9, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  @C. Tschofen: Great comment. I went through all of those stages in my classroom over the past two years, and decided to communicate what I was seeing, instead of what I'd hoped to see. I still haven't given up on it, but I'm very skeptical about the uses many teachers put it to. (But that's just me, Vicki.)

  I'd add we need to add "cyber-addiction" to the "health" agenda you mentioned. One student at my school told me he's "addicted" to Twitter. I'm not sure that's a bad thing, when almost all students (and adults) are addicted to TV and other lazier things. But still.

  @Hannah: Amen, sister. But labels do matter in the public perception they create. Words have color and music. Ugly words evoke ugly impressions.

  Hitler's family had a weird history that almost resulted in him being named not Hitler, but Schicklgruber (or something like that). A respected historian speculated that, had the coin dropped on the second name instead of the first, Adolf Schicklegruber's name would have destined him to a much humbler history. In that case, too bad. But you get my point.

• At May 9, 2008, Hannah wrote:

  Godwin's Law :D

  Names are different than labels. Your name [i]is[/i] you. A label is someone else's opinion of you.

  However, I do agree that writer is a more appropriate term. As someone wrote earlier, writing pen on paper does not make you a 'paperer.' You are what you do, not what you have. So yes, a programmer who specializes in blogs would be a blogger!

  Hannahs last blog post..Space

• At May 9, 2008, Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Where Oh Where has Cool Cat Teacher Gone? wrote:

  [...] of mindstuffed shirts wouldn't make it a day in my class, I find.Debates swirl about this and that,what will work and what's old hat.While others debate teachers have jobs to do,until the final bell rings, we're [...]

• At May 9, 2008, Gilbert Halcrow wrote:

  Names are names and labels are what you others think of you, but what others think of you is what you think about yourself.

  What about Johnny Cash’s seminal work on the conditioning effect due to the social interpretation of a person’s name – ‘A boy called Sue’?

  Gilbert Halcrows last blog post..False belief 1 - If I redesign my school's Structure then we're Future Proof

• At May 12, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  @Vicki, That trackback poem you wrote to this post implies a couple of strange things. Let me see if I read them correctly:

  1. "Mind-stuffed shirts wouldn't make it a day in [your] class." So you're saying I'm a stuffed shirt? And you'd fail me for that? (This brings up a danger of things like "Comment Challenges": people doing that sort of extrinsic blog-touring - a commendable enough thing, done carefully - can drop into a blog they've never commented on before, read one post, and think they're qualified to characterize both the blog and the writer of that blog by virtue of that one hasty Pac-Man point-grab.)

  I read a lot and think a lot, and have done so a long time now. Humanities teachers tend to be that way. But if you were a regular visitor instead of a one-visit affair, I think you'd see that my style is a pretty good indication I'm not "stuffy" (I like to call it "constipated," when I describe writing tone to my students, and I call it "schooly" here). Another "Challenge" for you: search this blog for the word "however". I bet you won't find it in more than a dozen posts out of the 500 plus I've written here.

  I've always considered "however" instead of good ol' "but," and "utilize" instead of the good old "use," two marks of a stuffiness.

  I give students who argue with me with good logic extra credit. I love that mental pants-stuffing, or whatever your metaphor was.

  2. As for the rest: Teachers "debat[ing] what works and what's old hat" is, to me, the essential value of this medium. (Though with the right interlocutors, it's less debate than shared inquiry.) So dis that as you will, but I can't see much validity to that judgment.

  Finally, you seem to insinuate that "good" teachers can't be good if they're "debating," because those "good" teachers will be spending every waking hour grading homework or something.

  That's silly. Some teachers come home and watch TV. I don't (less than five hours watching the tube in the last 18 months). I spend that time at home doing stuff like this.

  Anyway, this in not a very cool cat-fight. Something about the tone in your comment above - I believe the first you've ever left here - was sharp, and I didn't find the reasoning compelling either. So you got some sharp back.

  But to question the professionalism of people who "swirl in debates" about different approaches to teaching on this or any blog? That's terribly ironic, coming from an educational blogger like yourself.

  If I got you wrong, please clarify and I'll be the first to apologize. But it's hard to interpret that ditty on your trackback post in any other way, as far as I can see.

  You say you're taking a break or something. We all need them sometimes - I think I wrote like 9 posts one month out of that need. I hope yours serves its purpose and you come back rested. (But I suspect you won't be able to stay away from your blog very long ;-) )

• At May 12, 2008, I can see it growing: Blogging and Writing | connect. create. question. wrote:

  [...] been reading a few things about writing. And I’ve been reading a few things about both blogging and writing, and I’m starting to think I’m missing something. Or need clarification, at the very [...]

• At May 12, 2008, hendron’s digest » Blog Archive » Teen Blogging wrote:

  [...] Clay wrote earlier this month about the state of teen blogging, taking apart some recently published statistics. To boil it down, he only recommends blogging in a [English] course that’s advanced: for kids who really like to write. The reason? Blogging, computers, and the technology don’t instantly make writers out of kids. If they didn’t want to write with paper and pencil, why is the technology going to change that? [...]

• At May 13, 2008, Sarah wrote:

  For the record--I'm "doing" the Comment Challenge and unapologetically too. I'm glad others are too, because by reading this entire thread, I've actually changed my mind twice about student blogging. I don't change my mind nearly as often as someone who considers herself "open-minded" should. Also, I've visited Clay's blog many times, but I haven't commented before the challenge because, well, before then I almost never commented. I also didn't tend to spend nearly as much time sifting through information that made me question anything I'm going in the classroom.

  I'm a big fan of Bill Farren's, and I think his blog is one of the few I commented on before the challenge.

  My students are *required* to journal via a modified blog about their thoughts on the books they read for independent reading and to comment to each other's blogs. They are also 10, 11 and 12 years old, and our blogs are limited to the 72 students in the grade, the teachers in the grade and our school librarian for legal reasons. I grade them in the sense that they have to do it, and if they don't, I sit them down and they write under duress. I don't like doing that, and I don't have to do it often, but it has happened 2 or 3 times this year.

  I'm not going to get far into how reading this post and series of comments has changed my mind, because I'm not done thinking it through yet. However, I am now engaged in being reflective and metacognative about my methods of getting students to read, write and communicate about reading. I really like what has happened this year with this activity, but that doesn't mean I'll just repeat it next year.

  If you haven't taught this age group, it's an awful lot of fun, but it can be wild. Some are still at the point where they don't bathe/brush their teeth except under duress. Others are in full-blown puberty by the end of the year. I think Clay's points about selecting which students get the most attention apply to older students more than younger ones.

  So--no nice synthesis here to wrap it up; however, I'm going to do some more thinking about whether coerced writing can be authentic. Yep, I'm tagging this post too.

• At May 13, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  @Sarah, This has to be real quick because I have to head off to school (you're my morning read), so:

  a) I hear you about the importance of context and agree. I think I've said more than once in this thread that our contexts - age group of students, educational culture, socio-economic background, etc - are important to recognize, and that I suspect the high school students at my school are a different breed than that of most others here.

  b) I hope to write about this, but the summary: I visited a class of 10-year-olds to read a story to them during literacy week - I read the last Winnie the Pooh story from the second of the two books - and their receptiveness and eagerness to hear blew me away. It confirmed what you say about middle years students. I was talking here about my normal context.

  c) Re: the comment challenge, like all things, it depends on the individual participating. A lot of people are skeptical about it for a lot of reasons, and a lot aren't. I think it's a temperamental thing. When it works for all around, then it's great. When not, there's room for criticism.

  That's all I have time for now. Off to work.

  I lied: Bill Farren's blog is one of the most vital things out there. I'm glad you mention http://ed4wb.org . His latest video makes me wonder where he'll be in a year. Amazing developments over there.

• At May 13, 2008, diane wrote:

  Clay,

  I was fascinated by Bill Farren's "I'm Afraid Not"

  and showed it to my high school Current Events students.

  Their interpretation of the video was very different from mine.

  http://tinyurl.com/568n5h

  diane

  dianes last blog post..She Never Existed Before: Mother's Day 2008

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