I recently had a great experience in reading a blog post and the related comments and I think it's a great example of how blogs can be used for greater conversation. 


First of all, I read the following post: http://www.walkingpaper.org/2917 and thought, WOW, what a great idea. As I continued to read the comments however, I started rethinking my initial reaction, as others brought up good counter points. 


This is something that happens often when I'm ready any number of blogs. I've heard some people argue lately that there is a reason people go to journalism school and that not everyone should be able to write whatever they want, but I disagree. I think this is the perfect example of the greater conversations that happen through blogs that aren't really possible by reading a newspaper. Sure you can write to the editor, but it's not the same as having that instant feedback and conversation connected to the original writing.  Letting only the journalists write, even if it's on a blog, limits the number of conversation that can go on.  Sure there are some bad writers out there, so we all just need to learn to ignore them, OR even better create conversation about the piece whether it's to improve the writing or the ideas in the post. 


So for this blog post I'm suppose to be writing about something I learned via a blog. What I'm saying here is that yes I've learned from this particular blog. I've gotten an idea that I could potential use  but more importantly I'm learning from more than one person. I'm getting more than one side of the story and then I can decide for myself what I think in regards to this particular topic. I will continue to learn from many blogs and the many conversations that happen in relation to them also. 


Part of that earlier conversation about who should be able to write and who shouldn't was around our kids and whether they know what is good and what is not. I see the point here but I guess I think it's important that we adapt to changing times and spend a bit more time teaching kids about reliability. Yes, that may take away time because it's an extra thing we didn't necessarily have to teach before, but the problem isn't going away, so we have to face it head on. 

During the first week of our K12 learning course, the instructors gave us the 7 1/2 Habits of Effective Lifelong Learners. Those 7 1/2 things are as follows:

1.     Begin with the end in mind
2.     Accept responsibility for your own learning
3.     View problems as challenges
4.     Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner
5.     create your own learning toolbox
6.     Use technology to your advantage
7.     Teach/mentor others
7.5.   Play

As I mentioned in the Voicethread, I think one of the biggest challenges for me is the teaching and mentoring bit. As I've recently begun my own teaching career, it's not really the young students I worry about in this regard however, it's mentoring and teaching colleagues or older adults. Or more specifically anyone who have a fear of technology.

I just recently had a conversation about this very topic with my parents.  While my dad is very tech savvy and willing to jump into new things, my mom is a bit more weary. As we talked about it, she mentioned that although she doesn't avoid it completely, learning new technology is often a slower process for her.

I think this is important to keep in mind as I work with colleagues and other adults. While I feel a part the digital native generation, I have to remember that there are a number of things that may come more naturally to me, but that doesn't mean others can't learn just as much as I can. Like learning anything, people learn a different paces and what is important is that they are learning.

If you try to push people to fast, then they might get frustrated and give up. That of course, would have a detrimental effect on a persons ability and desire to be a lifelong learner.