Blog Post #8: A Blog Survivor's Tale
We have made it to the end of our blogging journey together. Wasn't it fun? Well, if not fun, at least educational? I didn't come into this experience with super-set expectations aside from, quite honestly, hoping it would be more engaging and fulfilling than writing a Canvas discussion post, which we have become very accustomed to as online students. I'm glad to say that my hopes were fulfilled (sorry, Canvas!), and I have assembled some of my posts to prove that professional blogging has a variety of unique, engaging features that I believe we as 21st-century educators should continue putting to practice!
Most Professional: Blog Post #4: The Magic of Multimodalism
I chose this blog because I think that I kept a very clear, educator-centered focus while writing about multimodal literacy and how some of the new forms of digital media can be of value in today's classrooms. While I still insert opinions and anecdotes that keep my post personal, I felt I was very descriptive and intentional in the way I discussed the different digital genres. I think that this is one of the most informational posts that I have created for current and future ELA educators interested in multimodal/digital literacy.
Best Design: Blog Post #3: My *sometimes chaotic* Writing Process
While I didn't include any graphics/features other than images and links, I still think that this post is, overall, cohesive and pleasing to the eye. I was very satisfied with the images that I was able to find and feature in my post, as they directly align with my line of thinking/writing about what writing looks and feels like. I also like how the images are "balanced" between the paragraphs and correspond with the words I am writing alongside them. I definitely think I could have focused on design more in my posts in general, but I am nonetheless satisfied with the results of this layout (and most of the others).
Most Creative: Blog Post #7: I Made a Book Trailer for "Everywhere Blue!"
This was one of my favorite blog posts to create because of the required multimodal project we had to conduct around our eco-narrative. While the writing portion of this post was fairly "typical" and didn't require an immense amount of creativity, the book trailer (aka the star of the show) definitely did! I had a lot of fun experimenting with the book trailer genre since it required me to think of the various modes in which I could represent my reading experience. I mentioned in both my book talk and blog post that the visuals on the cover of Everywhere Blue were very inspiring and intriguing to me, so finding images, colors, and sounds that I thought reflected the cover/book as a whole required me to think creatively and be intentional with my design choices.
Highlights Civic Engagement: Blog Post #1: What Technology Means to Me and Learning
I (surprisingly?) chose my first post for this category because, despite not having all of the knowledge that I now do about civic engagement, I feel as though I successfully addressed how the internet can be a way to stay involved in one's community and make a difference. I discussed how social media and the use of features like hashtags can be used to enact social change and make sure that we as individuals feel like our voices are being heard, and specifically advocated for the use of technology in the classroom to give students the tools to be engaged, lifelong learners/participants in society. I still stand by these ideas, and even more so now see the value of explicitly teaching digital literacy skills in ELA classrooms.
My vote for "The People's Choice" blog is... Brooke's Literacy in English Education!
While I wasn't in the same blogging group as Brooke, I still found myself checking out her blog throughout the semester and being very impressed and engaged with her posts. I especially loved her continuous use of "The Wizard of Oz" as a visual and metaphorical explanation of her thinking and am definitely jealous that I didn't think of using a theme/motif for my posts! It was such a "simple" yet effective touch. I think that Brooke also mastered the balance between professionalism and creativity/humility in her writing, making the posts that much more enriching and relatable for us as members of this ELA blogging community. You should be proud of your work this semester, Brooke! :)
Hey Kelly!
ReplyDeleteI liked that you mentioned the difference between blogging and writing a discussion post on Canvas, it made me laugh. I think the fact that we had so much freedom with creating our blogs helped make this experience of online writing so much more enjoyable than writing on Canvas. The use of color, images, and links help make it more cheerful in a sense instead of seeing the same white background every discussion post may have. I really enjoyed coming back to your blog every week and seeing what you had to say in comparison to what I had to say to the prompt!
-Drew