First, let me just say that the recent discussion here regarding the types of writing we do in blogs just reminds me of how potentially powerful this tool can be. It’s one of the big reasons that I do this: I learn from it. When people are moved enough by an idea to compose the types of responses reflected in that thread, it’s pretty inspiring, and I get my own thinking pushed and stretched. Even in cases where people pretty much tell me I’m out to lunch.
And so, for instance, when Doug Johnson returns to a discussion that’s “been haunting me a bit,” I take it pretty seriously. And I think harder about my thinking. He says:
Will, you stated: “Blogging is read, think, write (and link) and read some more.” and later expanded this to say “I would add, also, that while it’s implied, I should probably have been more clear that it all starts with reading. We’re writing about what we’ve read, and that’s a crucial difference.”
Where does blogging about practice, experimentation, or real-life observation come into this equation? To be a true Blogger must the intital impetus for writing begin with the written word? My experience is that today’s kids get very excited about what old librarians might call “primary source” information – artifacts, surveys, experiments, interviews…
If we can allow that true bloggers can use personal experiences as the genesis of their writings, it seems to me that kids who write about personal experiences may well be blogging – just about their own lives rather than things of what we might call “academic interest.”
He brings up other great points about the types of personal writing that occurs on blogs, writing that I do here as well. It’s a great articulation of why my own stubborn definition of blogging doesn’t hold water. That, coupled with the other posts in the thread, and heated conversations I’ve had with a colleague at work and with Alan November (who I have the good fortune of teaching at Seton Hall with this weekend) have moved me to rethink my approach to this.
In all of this, my attempt has not been to disparage the many genres of writing that occur in blogs or to disparage the kids (and specifically girls) who use them. I love the fact that kids are using blogs to write, period. The fact that so many kids have been moved to practice the act of putting words together to communicate is a good thing. That many feel empowered to write about meaningful and sometimes troubling issues in their lives is a good thing, as long as they do it safely and with respect to others. The fact that teens find community in the use of these tools is a great thing, regardless of the form of their writing.
What I have been trying to celebrate, however, is what I see as an opportunity for a new type of writing that blogs allow, one that forces those who do it to read carefully and critically, one that demands clarity and cogency in its construction, one that is done for wide audience, and one that links to the sources of the ideas expressed. For all those reasons, it’s also one that I think we should add to our curricula. Clearly, I have been wrong in attempting to call that blogging, which I realize now is a much, much more inclusive term. So I’ve been trying to come up with another name for it. Not easy.
But since this is an outgrowth of George Seimens’ thinking about Connectivism, and since a search of the term didn’t bring back anything that seemed to indicate the term has a defined space already, I’m going to start calling it “Connective Writing.” I’ll spend some time clarifying what my definition of it would be, but I want to stress (and ask for more push back if it’s out there) that I’m talking about something uniquely suited to blogs. I’m talking about this post, about our ability to connect ideas in ways that we could not do with paper, to distribute them in ways we could not do with the restrictiveness of html, and to engage in conversations and community in ways we could not do with newsgroups or other online communities before.
Once again, this all goes back to my experience, to what happens most often when I use this space to write and reflect. It’s been a powerful experience for me, and I want my students to be exposed to its potential.
Circle back to the beginning of this post and Doug’s comments about reading. In addition to “connective writing”, our RSS agregators provide us with “connective reading”.
This is exciting. Showing teachers both the reading and the writing parts of this environment are pretty simple and understandable. Explaining the way that all of this stuff (reading and writing and linking) ties together is really difficult. “Connective writing” and “connective reading” are two great ways to boil things down to the important part, the “connective”.
I’m really looking forward to seeing more of your thinking! Thanks Will.
I am deeply disturbed by the tenor of your posts on this theme. I see an underlying sexist theme that so often permeates the discourse of “proper writing” playing out here.
Celebrate the masculine and while there may be no outward disapproval of feminine communication styles there is no reward either. Don’t worry, girls are used to that…they deal with it every day and if they can conform then they find approval but they lose something too.
What I would like to see come out of the growth of teen blogging around the world, particularly those written by girls, is an understanding that multiple communication styles can be appropriate. That the code switching required of girls as they move between masculine and feminine cultures is a form of multilingualism and should be viewed and rewarded as such. Finally I would like for teachers to see that there is value in female communication styles in and of themselves.
You say that blog writing should demand “clarity and cogency in…construction.” Define both terms and give examples? These are very gendered terms and have a long history of misuse against young women. Female construction style is not be definition what most males would consider clear and concise and cogent…it is lyrical and indirect, the history of storytelling is at its core a feminine act.
You also say that “blogging” should be “done for wide audience.” Recent research on teen blogging, as well as pre-blogging research on teen writing, shows that, as a group, young women have no desire to be widely read. In fact, one study found that several young women had removed their blogs when they became uncomfortable with the popularity of their writing. Their goal was an intimate audience not a global one. Think of the last time you saw a group of girls at the mall than think of a similar encounter with a group of boys. The girls were probably in a huddle all talking at once and giggling, oblivious to the world around them while the boys were spread out in a line looking straight ahead and only rarely is anyone speaking. These are gendered responses, and are appropriate for both groups. It’s only when the norms of one are overlaid on the other that intolerance is bred and that group is set-up for failure.
Set the grammar books aside for a while and read teen blogs. No evaluation, and if you start to do such stop until you can clear your mind. I think if you can take yourself out of the picture you will find there is a whole lot going on in the blogosphere that can allow both groups to learn and write and be themselves. But this can only happen when we as educators realign ourselves so that more is possible rather than just that more is expected of our young writiers. None of this is easy but it is far better for our students.
Will
I think the key item that has changed about the point that Glen was making about a Literati that would know any reference in a written work is not the fact that the amount of knowledge has increased (We can just increase the infamous 6’ Harvard bookshelf to 12’). The aspect that blogs address is the ability to accommodate the increasing speed of change into the discussion. Information changes so fast that if you read your bookshelf yesterday you would still be out of date today. NOTE: This laptop I am using is only four years old, and yet today I had to add the word blogs to my MS Word dictionary to get rid of the annoying red underlines.
Lois…Maybe I’m missing something, but I can’t see where I’m celbrating the masculine, nor can I see where I’m arguing that multiple communications styles aren’t appropriate. And I’m confused when you say that the words clarity and cogency are gendered terms with a long history of misuse against young women. Really? Can’t we teach all of our students to write clearly and precisely for those audiences that might demand that?
My eight year old daughter has a blog, and I hope she uses it for all sorts of writing as she grows up. And I also hope that she’ll be empowered by it, and that she’ll learn communicate effectively by using it. Is that wrong to ask?
And I do read teen blogs. I have no problem with the way kids, boys or girls are writing in those spaces and for those audiences, as long as they are keeping themselves safe. All I’m saying is that we have an opportunity with blogs to add something to their skill set. Why is that a bad thing? I don’t see how that can be construed as sexist or demeaning to girls.
Will,
I have enjoyed reading your posting as you work through this new genre of writing that you call Connective Writing. I will say that in your earlier posting about what is and isn’t blogging I was agreeing and disagreeing with you on some points. I do believe now that you have moved on from blogging to a new writing style. The blog is just what we use to convey our writing. It could be reflecting, informational, persuasive, or a number or any other writing styles. The blog is just the tool/software we use to convey our thought in whatever form of writing. What you are describing is a new genre of writing. Connective writing as I see it would feed off of George Siemens’ Connectivism theory in “connecting nodes and information sources”. I am intrigued by this notion of new writing and look forward to stretching my own thinking as you start to define this new genre of writing.
Will,
Your visit to Pensacola in August blew me away. As a media specialist in Escambia County I have been talking for the last few years about the need for a bulletin board that would take us beyond email for communication. It was aha! BLOG!!!! Our blog is A+ Media Specialist. It is intranet. The choice given to me was to be inside the filter and be able to read and post at work or be outside the filter and only be able to post away from work. I chose inside.
My desire is to create a community, share collegial interests, raise questions, epectations, and stretch all of us. I refer to myself as the chief bloggett (That might be a Southern term)
Blogging has changed how I look at almost everything. My daily activities and responsibilities are viewed with an added dimension. My audience is part of each experience. I think you know what I am talking about. One question I ask myself is “What am I doing right now that matters, that is worth sharing.” If it is not worth sharing, probably I am not doing my best. If this is not my best, how can I do better? At least that is part of it.
Thanks for the push, Will. I will let you know when we are beyond the filter and you can look at the blog. It is a wonderful experience to be writing almost every day. Hopefully there will be another opportunity for me to come to one of your workshops; something all day!
Valerie S. Hauser
Library Media Specialist
President Escambia County Media Specialist Association
vhauser@escambia.k12.fl.us