I think blogging really forces you to pause and reflect on what it is you're writing about. Unlike a regular writing assignment that only gets read by a professor, blogging each week on our course's topics requires me to be a little more honest. This may sound horrible, I know, but the fact that anyone online may be reading this forces me to not just regurgitate what I believe the professor wants to hear. I have to take better stock of my own thoughts and perceptions. I can honestly say that blogging makes me take a whole new approach to how I communicate what I'm learning.
Also, since I am required to blog, I have developed a need to study the craft of blogging. Before beginning this course, I would simply read blogs that kept me informed on topics of interest to me. Now, I am observing the bloggers' tactics. Does the blogger tell stories? Do they write with passion? Are there many related links embedded into the content? Also, are there comments present from other readers and does the blogger respond to those comments? These are all elements of a blog that went unnoticed to me before. Just by now being aware and able to critically study them, I know that I am already learning a lot from this course.
Image from: http://jennyartichoke.wordpress.com/category/sixties/
Agreed! Blogging is a lot different than just posting on the discussion board in Angel. Even though it is very likely that my posts are read only by our professor and classmates, I want it to be something that an employer can look at, gage my knowledge of things, and come out knowing a little bit more about who I am, what I know, and that I'm a good hire :)
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