Learning is Fun

Blogs for publication?

otter2 — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:16:46 +0000

I think one thing that holds me back from posting as much as I might on my blog(s) is the concept that once on a blog, writing has effectively been “published.” I want to save my “great” thoughts and ideas for some “real” writing project somewhere, sometime!

How do others balance writing for a blog with other writing (for publication)?

more tips for beginning bloggers

otter2 — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 23:00:42 +0000

On Problogger today I read some helpful articles about blogging. Here they are, with links (I hope the links work) from the bibliography/resource page of my current work-in-process. If you want to poke around and read other articles, here’s the general link.

www.problogger.net

Rowse. D. (2006, February 18). Writing Good Content. [Web post]. Retrieved July 10, 2008, from http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/02/18/writing-good-content/

Rowse, D. (2006, October 12). 10 Techniques to Get More Comments on Your Blog. [Web post]. Retrieved July 11, 2008, from http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/10/12/10-techniques-to-get-more-comments-on-your-blog/

Rowse, D. (2006, February 210. More on Writing Content for Your Blog. [Web post]. Retrieved July 11, 2008, from http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/02/21/more-on-writing-content-for-your-blog/

Rowse, D. (2004, September 23). Set Boundaries. [Web post] Retrieved July 11, 2008, from http://www.problogger.net/archives/2004/09/23/set-boundaries/?jal_no_js=true&poll_id=12

Great blog information

otter2 — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:03:10 +0000

Yesterday in my research I stumbled on this page that has links and links to everything anyone might ever want to know about blogs.

http://www.terrylinks.com/BBT

It will take me a long time to sift through all this.

Here’s another site that looked helpful, too.

http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/02/14/blogging-for-beginners-2/

I haven’t even started reading through the information on this site. I think I need hiking boots, lots of water, and definitely trail mix as I start up “blog mountain!”

Blogging – again

otter2 — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:02:15 +0000

What I like about Blogger is how easy it is to use. I like the ability to add page elements and move them around within a theme. I like the stats tracking on WordPress, and I’m learning to navigate around the new dashboard. WordPress also offers more themes, that will do different things depending on what I want. When I read other blogs out there, these two programs seem to be the main hosts for blogs –anyone have other insight or experience to share?

Balancing writing and reality

otter2 — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:45:53 +0000

How on earth can I do what I’m doing — writing curriculum, educational research, and related writing projects — and find time / ways to stay in touch at a classroom level? I haven’t figured it out yet. Anyone out there have any thoughts?

Creative teaching and writing

otter2 — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:00:48 +0000

Does anyone else ever feel like they need a clone? In teaching I always found there were so many creative ideas to try, the actual teaching to plan and execute, the discipline, paperwork, and other daily tasks, and never enough time for it all! I’m facing the same dilemma writing curriculum — too many ideas, not enough time to work on them all, research to be done. I feel I need a twin or a clone, someone who thinks like I do, who can help with mountains of research and somehow graft it all into my brain. How do people ever “move up” the educational ladder, or get involved in all these extra-curricular projects and balance that with “real life?”

Blogs (again)

otter2 — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 19:34:43 +0000

I’m trying to develop some consistent blog habits, to see what comes of it. Writing on my blogs each day, reading a few selected blogs on a regular basis, investigating new blogs as I have time… all as part of learning more about the community of people who use blogs. I’d like to use them more to get feedback from a wide variety of people, like a survey, but it seems hard to generate enough traffic–back to people reading rather than commenting–to really make it work. I’ve tried one of the online survey programs, but I think I would have to pay to get the survey to go very far. Has anyone else tried online surveys, are there any out there I can use for free?

In the meantime, I’ll post my survey question here:

What content knowledge do students need to know to function in today’s society?

What skills do students need to have to enter the work force?

I’m especially interested in students’ answers to these questions, all ages.

Keeping learning fun

otter2 — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:09:54 +0000

Sometimes in the process of learning about something new, learning how it works, I get bogged down in the details, trying to understand, trying to make it work. It’s good to take a step back and enjoy what I’ve learned, for example, reading and commenting on other people’s blogs. Anyone else have ideas for not getting too bogged down in the format and making blogs work, and just enjoying the process?

Writing about what I know – blogs?

otter2 — Sun, 18 May 2008 23:52:47 +0000

I’ve heard that so many times on my writing journey. Yet, now I find myself in the middle of a project which I feel I don’t know very much about–blogging! The more I read the more I realize I don’t know, and the more I read about teachers who are using this great technology in their classrooms, the more I realize it will be difficult to write about something I can’t actually “test” live. Therefore, I will have to get creative and place myself in the situation, which writers also often have to do. I enjoy reading the tips and posts of teachers who blog with their students. It feels like a catch-22, having enough time to write, and finding time to gain experience in the topics about which I write. I ask God every day to lead me in this unconventional endeavor…

Blogs – a good thing?

otter2 — Sat, 17 May 2008 22:56:40 +0000

A member of an online writer’s group in which I participate (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FCW/) recently posted this question: What do you like about blogging? It’s a good question to consider, especially in regards to educational blogging and this book I’m writing for classroom teachers. What do you like about blogging? I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts!