A Response to Diane Penrod's Using Blogs to Enhance Literacy

As someone who had a blog for many years, I was always very careful about what I would "send" out into the world. If I was making a statement about something, I would research to be sure I wasn't sending out false information. I didn't want to mislead people, but more importantly, I didn't want the public humiliation of people commenting and pointing out how horrifically wrong I had been. So, I could understand and relate to Ms. Penrod's discussion of blogging and how it could build literacy in the classroom. She made the point that students who blog are very aware of their audience and are more likely to do research and spend more time on their writing if they know that this writing will be shared with a larger audience. Ms. Penrod makes a very compelling argument for using blogs as a literacy tool. I can see blogs as a very useful tool in the classroom. In addition, as a mom of a 9-year-old who is currently writing a book, I am considering allowing my children to give blogging a chance. There are many examples of youth blogs. I found Lyssie's Life. This blog belongs to an 8-year-old girl who uses her blog to highlight her writings, writings of others, and videos of herself reading. While this is not a classroom blog, it is a blog that is promoting literacy learning for it's author and it's readers.

Laughter IS the Best Medicine

When I applied for this program I knew I was signing up for an intensive program that would require a lot of sacrifices on behalf of both myself and my family. I also knew I was going to be extremely stressed. It is what it is. Yet, while being stressed beyond my imagination, I am having fun. I am so grateful that I can come to class on Tuesday and laugh about this crazy insanity with my cohorts. And most importantly, I am not alone in this process. Somehow, I know I will make it through. It won't be pretty, but I will make it.