Blogging

I was getting ready for bed when I remembered that I was supposed to write a second blog for this week. Blogging is not something that I am naturally drawn too. I'm not sure why. I would consider myself to be a pretty techy person. I've been aware of blogs since their inception. Yet I've probably spent more time reading blogs in the last two weeks than all of the time prior. I know several people who regularly blog, including my sister. I have their blogs saved in my favorites, yet I never find the time or the motivation to read them unless specifically asked to. I even set up my own blog about two years ago...on which I made one very short entry. I have always found journaling difficult, both to do and to read, and to me, blogging is just another form of journaling.

I was thinking about this in the context of learning and applying new technologies to education. While I'm sure I need to put more effort into learning and using this technology, I also see another lesson. As we begin to use new technologies in our classes, we need to be sensitive to the fact that not all learners are going to be comfortable with or motivated by everything we try to do. We dare not get stuck using one particular technology (no matter how great it is) and expect everybody to get it. Not everybody will. We need to be willing and able to adapt our teaching to the needs of different students. Even students who may not like our favorite way of doing things. Something that I've heard several times since beginning my Master's program: it is the teacher's responsibility to make learning accessible to the students. Technology is great, but only to the point that it helps with the learning process.