Author's Blog

I must admit that I am quite skeptical of the technological overhaul many would like to employ in the modern classroom. This mostly steams from a desire to prompt genuine human connection in the classroom without relying on so many external influences. I also fear that technology can lend itself to the disempowerment of academic professionals. Admittedly, I do acknowledge the fact that many teachers these days are ineffective and uninspiring but I do not believe replacing teachers with technology is the answer. Technology should supplement quality teaching. So I suppose I am not completely opposed to technology as long as educators aren’t using technology as a means to replace a meaningful learning experience that should fall on the teacher.

Denise Johnson’s article, “Teaching Authors’ Blogs: Connections, Collaboration, Creativity,” began to change my mind about teaching and the world of Blog. I was never really into the blogging world and mostly saw it as an endless void where people could say something to the world that nobody close by wanted to listen to. But Johnson’s article created a shift in thinking for me as she stated, “Rather than remaining at a distance, many of these authors desire to create a stronger connection with their readers, which blogging allows them to do.”

I like to write myself and one of biggest fears is that I ever get published there will be people who don’t understand what I am trying to communicate therefore creating unnecessary controversy. Johnson proposes that through blogs authors are able to keep the pages turning and connecting with their readers like never before. Blogs can be outlets for authors to expand on ideas, inform their readers how the creative process works and how they are influenced by life. One of my concerns about this is that I wonder if students can be led to confusion by being led into a ongoing, abstract conversation that doesn’t give students the ability to draw any logical and unbiased conclusions.

Johnson writes, “once students understand the powerful connection to literature that comes from recognizing how an author’s experiences and perspectives are reflected in his or her writing, then students begin to internalize the desire to continually make these connections and to use the information for critical reading and thinking.”

Ultimately, I think blogs can be a wonderful supplementary tool to use in the classroom. Students are given the opportunity to better understand the joys and struggles of writing from their favorite authors. A final interesting thought is I wonder if this approach to teaching will one day replace conventional texts used for classroom instruction. As we know, these texts can prove to be extremely expensive and often become outdated within a few years. If there is a stronger urge for professionals to share thoughts and ideas through blogs there may be enough supplemental content to replace conventional classroom textbooks altogether.