The Applications of Blogging

There is no question that a blog has numerus potential applications. It can be used as an outlet for people to vent, for information to be disseminated, to connect people across the world quickly and easily, for creating community, the list goes on and on. But what will I use a blog for?? Now that is a good question. I can use it right now to document my experiences and things I have come across that might be useful to me in the future, but how do I know what will be useful in the future? At this point I am thinking that I could most likely see myself using a blog to communicate information about my class and other things I find interesting and relevant to students, parents, guardians etc. when they are not at school. However, I think as I continue this journey and process my views of blogs and their use could definitely change.

For example, I might post something like these podcasts on a blog that I would encourage my students to look into...

Schools 2 Prisons: A Series Exploring the Link Between Increased School Discipline and the Opportunity Gap

We could then follow up on this post by having students comment back to me on the blog itself or simply give students access to the information through the blog so that we can then discuss this information in class.

I am most definitely open to exploring more uses for blogs in the classroom and look forward to learning more throughout this year.

A Blurb About Me

My name is Alexandria Charlotte Watilo, but most people just call me Alex. I have two younger sisters that mean the world to me and two parents that are my role models, friends, and inspiration. I would be lost without my boyfriend and good friends who provide me with an endless amount of good times and love. I play softball at Willamette University and don't know what I would do without sports in my life. Some random tidbits; I love to read, go camping, be by the water whether it be a pond or an ocean, ride quads, dirtbikes, and snowmobiles, scrapbook when I can find the time, travel, I am allergic to shrimp and can't stand peanut butter, I like the idea of eating healthy but love junkfood, I have a tortoise named Daphne... If there's more you want to know, ask. I'm an open book.

But let's get down to what this blog is really all about. It's supposed to be about education, schools, technology, what my role as an educator is going to be, teaching, learning, growing. So at this point in my journey I hope to become a High School History/Social Studies teacher. I may also teach Middle School and if so I hope its math because my knowledge of ancient Mesopotamia and other Middle School Social Studies topics leave much to be desired. This blog will follow me through my journey of "becoming an educator" and hopefully be something I can continue, and look back, on as my experiences take me beyond the realm of a Master's program.