Moving on…so I’m new and the reason I’m new is that blogging is a class requirement. I taught school for sixteen years and though I did communicate with students using IM and before that email, I don’t know if I would have thought of blogging.

However, I no longer teach. A life altering event (three years ago Sunday) forced me to leave the classroom for one year and at the end of that year, I chose to reinvent myself which took me back to school. Here’s my point. Over the last three years, I have had opportunities to second guess myself, separated from friends and colleagues, but recently I found myself on the web…I, too, am clickable and in that is a sense of validation, evidently holding true for more than just me.

Teachers don’t use blogging with students for two reasons: one, they don’t know how, but more importantly, they don’t understand why. They are already found and comfortable in their environment. They are safe and among colleagues with similar interests, educations, incomes, and the like.

On the other hand, many of our students feel uncomfortable in the school setting. They are unsettled–because of the nature of adolescence, or because of violence or bullying, or because they experience repeated failures, or come from home environments that compromise school achievement.

Most teachers simply do not need nor do they understand the voice, the presence, the empowerment and responsibility that blogging, podcasting, etc. offers to kids who otherwise go unheard.

I know where you’re at though. I’ve been nip and tuck with a few famous Stephens over the years. You may have heard of them: King and Hawking.

Just this past year I passed Stephen Hawking on google.com and first place overall on google.ca (with personalized search turned off).

I commented when I saw that (I checked again today): Stephen King, what’s he done lately?

The internet is a cruel master.

I’ve been reading your blog for a few weeks now, since reading your book…but I haven’t taken the plunge and posted anything until now. I’m just getting started with the whole blogging idea, but I am totally convinced that giving our students a real audience is one of its biggest selling points. Knowing that someone out there is reading their ideas and taking the time to think about them and even reply has to be more motivating than just handing in a paper that will never see anything but the inside of their classroom.

I’m going to be at the DEN preconference workshop at PETE&C in Hershey on February 11th and am looking forward to meeting you. Keep up the great work!

I’m looking forward to this new group of students. We’re using, uh, your book, of course. KS

AJ…thanks for the link…I love the “I’ll just wait three minutes” line.