Chapter 3 - Weblogs: Get Started!

So my initial response to the title is, "Good, I'll learn how to best use blogs". Well, not quite. It is a good beginning though. I did notice some recurring themes in the chapters, start small and model for students. I think as teachers, we focus on these two things with more traditional assignments, but sometimes neglect to do them with technology. So now the important question, why? Is it because we feel students already now how to do something, or we don't know how to do something so we leave the trial and error up to the students? I think maybe a little of both. At any rate, Richardson makes a good point with starting small, especially his practical plan for first time users. I also noticed another topic that has now made it into the first three chapters; safety. I beginning to think that of all the technological tools out there, blogs may pose the greatest risk to the students. Why is this? What's the difference between this and discussion boards, chat rooms, or other used tools? Just thinking here, maybe it's the fact that blogs are used for a more personal nature. Your thoughts? So just how personal should school affiliated blogs be? Should parents be involved in the discussions? Would that shut down the kids? Apparently, I have more questions than answers after reading this chapter.