My first blog reflection…

“Blogging is like a puzzle, where we as students need to continue to put the pieces together as we learn how to successfully create our own.”  L. Hertz 

As I created this site, I enjoyed researching sites to gain knowledge and ideas to help form my blog.  There are several sites and helpful pages that educate on the topic writing for the web.  Blogging is like a puzzle, where we as students need to continue to put the pieces together as we learn how to successfully create our own.  As I read and learn about compelling web and blog design, I began jotting down ideas of my own on effective and engaging use of technology in the elementary classroom.   This platform is extremely interesting to me and I would love to research and post further about in the future.  I even worked on a template blog for this as I think educators at the elementary level would be very interested in learning more about different technologies that are appropriate for the elementary level as well as being able to collaborate with fellow educators to create a blog with ideas, apps, and information to utilize.  For now, I am very excited to continue to refine and develop my blogging style as I research how to be engaging and develop meaningful content for my audience.

Blogging Tips For Future Bloggers

According to Writing for the web by Linda Felder, giving your “content spark, making sure you know your audience, and your content matters” is essential to creating a successful blog that will engage and entertain your readers.

Designing your writing for the web reading (L. Felder) has enlightened me on creating a successful blog.  I was an Elementary/English major in college and writing papers for your school professors and writing for the web are very different.  “Using precise terms, keeping your verbs active”, along with advising you to “keep your paragraphs short and unlearn what I learned” about successful writing in the past is key to creating a successful blog.  Writing for the web is a whole new adventure for me and I’m excited to learn about the possibilities for my future.

As a new blogger, I am also excited for others to read my thoughts, along with responding to and critiquing my ideas.  This will allow for growth and further development of my writing skills to begin a successful blog page in the future.

Two blogs that I found very interesting are:

• How to Find Your Blogging Voice
• Implementing New Technology in the Elementary Classroom

How to Find Your Blogging Voice quickly caught my attention through its catchy phrases that immediately draw your attention to want to read further such as the catch phrase “let your writing suck”.  This is exactly the captivating writing that draws you in to want you to read more and find out what the blogger is trying to say.

Check out the link below to find 8 Tips for Bloggers! Definitely worth your time! 

Let your writing suck. This is a tough one; when I look back on my web articles from 2006, when I first started writing for Suite101, I want to flee to the nearest biggest blackest cave I can find. I’m embarrassed by my past writing. In fact, sometimes I’m embarrassed by what I wrote last week! But, as Hamburg suggested, bloggers need to let go of the need to be perfect, and embrace the freedom of letting their blogging voices shine forth.” How to Find Your Blogging Voice – 8 Tips for Bloggers

This next blog focuses on appropriately utilizing elementary technology.  Implementing New Technology in the Elementary Classroom highlights finding the right balance of technology in the classroom which is a controversial topic that peaks my interest.

The link below provides you with ways to strive for balance in the classroom which is a passion of mine in incorporating technology appropriately into our elementary classrooms and creating future ready digital citizens.

“Strive for balance. Sometimes, using technology in the classroom will mean a device in every student’s hand, and sometimes, it will mean every student holding an old-fashioned No. 2 pencil while you present with a smartboard. The key is to find the right balance in your unique classroom…” Implementing New Technology in the Elementary Classroom

I encourage you to check out my next blog as we continue to put the puzzle together on blogging successfully! 

Cheers! Laura