I have read many different opinions on blogging, so I have decided to write a post based on my own idea of blogging. I have answered the questions that Mrs McLeay set for us to answer, but I have also compared my answer with what other people think.
What have you learned through blogging?
Fran: Through blogging I have learnt about what different people think and what issues people like to address. It has helped me come to understand what different girls in my class and around the world write and think about the same issues and the way they respond to these. Blogging is all about sharing thoughts and feelings with other people.
Myself: Blogging allows you to say what you think about different things from your heart, without people interrupting you. Of course, there are guidelines to blogging. Although there are many people just like us who are students, teachers or just bloggers, we have to be aware that not everyone is trustworthy and genuine on the internet. Anyone can access our blogs, as it is open for anyone who finds it to come and read what we have written. There can be some dangerous people who use the internet as bait, so therefore we cannot give out any personal information such as the town that we live in, our address, our surname or any other information that can be used by these people who are up to no good. This is one thing I have learnt through blogging; about the importance of internet safety.
Like Fran said, by reading someone’s blog, you actually get to know them more. You learn about other people’s opinions from other countries, and you also learn what other people in your class think about different issues. As well as reading what other people think, you also get to voice your own opinion. Blogging allows you to share your thoughts with other people over the internet, and you can actually devalop an online friendship with someone.
What would you say to other Year 8’s about the possibility of blogging in English next year?
Sarah: I would say why. I don’t really get the point of it.
Myself: I believe that what you put into blogging is what you get out of it. I really enjoyed the opportunity to have a blog, write posts and communicate with other bloggers this year, but not everyone has the same opinion as me. As Sarah said above, she didn’t understand what they point was of blogging. However, I look at blogging as a different way of learning, instead of sitting there in class with a book open, reading about how to write and how to blog. I’m the kind of person who actually has to get in a try something instead of read about it. I really think that you have to give blogging a chance, and by doing this, I have got a lot out of it. Although blogging may not be the style of learning that everyone likes, I have found it a really great experience. I remember reading a comment that someone left which said something like, “Your blog is great, but why do you write so much?” Well, the simple answer is that I have such a strong passion for writing, it is natural for me to write such long posts. Not many people are like this, but and actually do the opposite. They can’t think of anything to say and their posts are usually quite short according to me.
At the beginning of the year, I didn’t really understand blogs that much. I had never come in contact with one before, and I didn’t understand why we were doing blogs in English. I assumed that English was just learning about grammar and spelling, but as I looked into it more I began to realise that English revolves around us everyday. Communicating with people, understanding how other people live and basically “exploring the language we speak” is how I describe English. I have continued to write new posts throughout the year, and every new post has improved my writing skills. I have put the most into blogging, and have really got the most out of it. When I look back at my very first post, the length of the post was tiny compared to what my posts are like now. I can now look back and read all my previous posts, watching my writing grow, improve and become more passionate along the way. Blogging is truly a great thing to be doing, as long as you put a lot of effort into it.
People say that blogging is just a different way of learning. What do you say about the possibility of using blogs to learn?
Everyone has their own style of learning that helps them learn. Whether it’s reading from a book, listening to someone explain how to do something, following a picture or a diagram, listening to the instructions being sung out with music or building something that will help them understand the topic, everyone has at least one style that they know helps them learn well. Just like all these styles I have listed above, blogging is yet another type of learning style that some people prefer. I know that I’m definitely one of these people that’s learnt so much from blogging, but other people may not like this style as much as, just say, listening someone explain how to do something. It all depends on your personal preference to how much you learn out of blogging. As well as this, you must also give blogging a chance. If you don’t, you may miss the opportunity of discovering a great learning idea for yourself.