My first impression of creating a blog is that it is fun and entirely simple. It is an extremely useful way to stay informed and keep others informed about anything you wish, whether it be educational resources, political happenings, or simply personal information. Our society is structured in such a way due to technology that regular people can make huge impacts on the world around us.
Currently, there is the Kobe Bryant drama of whether or not he will be traded. Meaningful or not, the issue has created waves of headlines in the sport world. Now, a group of friends known as the "Kobe Video Guys" have a short video filmed on a digital camera of Kobe himself dissing the Laker organization outside of a California deli. They are attempting to sell the clip to the highest bidder. The potential release of this video filmed by a couple of guys with a digital camera has created a huge stir all across the sports world!
Or, what about George Allen (R), was running for the re-election in the Virginia Senate in 2006? His democratic opponent, Jim Webb, had a young man, S.R. Sidarth, film every one of Allen's speeches in hopes of a slip-up by the republican. Sure enough, Allen called the young man a "macaca" during a speech, an ethnic slur for an Indian American, Sidarth's descent. The clip was a YouTube phenomenon and Allen subsequently lost the election, which proved to be a crucial blow at the time to a possible Republican Senate (as we know, the Democrats won a Senate majority). Once again, we see normal people using technological resources to make large impacts in the world.
Blogs operate in much the same fashion, where regular people can get scoops before any of the major news outlets! These types of examples aside, blogs can be quite useful in the education world, as well. Sharing resources, ideas, facts and opinions becomes a snap. Imagine an entire group of colleagues having blogs to collaborate - how easy it is to be on the same page with cross-curriculum teaching, or simply to point people in the right direction for any type of information. When these blogs become more well-known and shared (such as on the CTER website), then they can continue to build steam and in a way "force" the person to keep updating the blog by way of high demand.
Personally, blogs can be a tremendous tool to keep in-touch with others. Journals are a great insight into a person's life, and I am convinced the person writing the blog learns as much as the person reading it. Thinking about issues or the events of your day truly open up your mind to thoughts you did not know you have. They also can improve you reading and writing skills - hence, blogs may be a useful took in a classroom for students to journal and connect with other students in a format I'm sure they would deem to be pretty cool.
I would like to keep my blog updated for the above reasons, professionally and personally. Hopefully, I can turn a few of my colleagues and friends onto blogs as well!
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
My Arch Nemesis
It's been a while since I have had an arch nemesis, but a new contender has emerged from the wings (that was a bad pun, you'll see). My arch nemesis is this feathered friend right here:
I was out jogging recently by the pond in our subdivision, when I felt something that felt like two talons nail me directly in the back of the head. I stopped, looked around, and saw no one, nor any sticks, rocks, or tree branches anywhere in the vicinity. It felt like a bird, and my suspicions would soon be warranted.
This morning, my cousin's fiancé was jogging in the same spot when the same thing happened to her, only twice. She looked up, and hovering above her was the dreaded red-winged blackbird. I did a little legwork, and found this bird to be quite common in my area. Also on the website was this useful nugget of information:
"The male Red-winged Blackbird fiercely defends his territory during the breeding season. He may spend more than a quarter of all the daylight hours in territory defense. He vigorously keeps all other males out of the territory and defends the nests from predators. He will attack much larger animals, including horses and people."
Moral of the story: If you are a person jogging near my pond, wear a helmet. If you are looking to build an equestrian center near my pond, try a different location.
I was out jogging recently by the pond in our subdivision, when I felt something that felt like two talons nail me directly in the back of the head. I stopped, looked around, and saw no one, nor any sticks, rocks, or tree branches anywhere in the vicinity. It felt like a bird, and my suspicions would soon be warranted.
This morning, my cousin's fiancé was jogging in the same spot when the same thing happened to her, only twice. She looked up, and hovering above her was the dreaded red-winged blackbird. I did a little legwork, and found this bird to be quite common in my area. Also on the website was this useful nugget of information:
"The male Red-winged Blackbird fiercely defends his territory during the breeding season. He may spend more than a quarter of all the daylight hours in territory defense. He vigorously keeps all other males out of the territory and defends the nests from predators. He will attack much larger animals, including horses and people."
Moral of the story: If you are a person jogging near my pond, wear a helmet. If you are looking to build an equestrian center near my pond, try a different location.
I'd like a Number One...
Well, it is kind of exciting to have my own blog. I feel more "plugged in," if you will, and finally feel like I am living up to my title of Time Magazine's 2006 Person of the Year. Seriously, I won, check it out:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2732069
Anyway, this is actually my second blog of all-time. I kept up a running blog of the Chicago Cubs during the first half of the 2005 season. It was fun - I had a few of my buddies regularly read it, as well as some people that would stumble across my tiny little nook of the gigantic cyberspace. For one reason or another, I kind of let the blog die. I think I got busy - it was hard to watch every single Cubs game! (Note: The Cubs often lose more than they win, so, watching every single Cub game is hard enough as it is, blogging about the team notwithstanding).
Once again, it is fun to have a blog, and hopefully I will keep this one updated more frequently. Journaling really does help me organize my thoughts and assist me in coming to further realizations about myself. I'm positive this will help my teaching, as well.
Blog on!
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2732069
Anyway, this is actually my second blog of all-time. I kept up a running blog of the Chicago Cubs during the first half of the 2005 season. It was fun - I had a few of my buddies regularly read it, as well as some people that would stumble across my tiny little nook of the gigantic cyberspace. For one reason or another, I kind of let the blog die. I think I got busy - it was hard to watch every single Cubs game! (Note: The Cubs often lose more than they win, so, watching every single Cub game is hard enough as it is, blogging about the team notwithstanding).
Once again, it is fun to have a blog, and hopefully I will keep this one updated more frequently. Journaling really does help me organize my thoughts and assist me in coming to further realizations about myself. I'm positive this will help my teaching, as well.
Blog on!
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