Comments on: The 3 best things I’ve learned in the challenge http://bgilgoff.edublogs.org/2008/05/06/the-3-best-things-ive-learned-in-the-challenge/ My space for reflections and comments on life Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:18:48 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: Ms Bruce http://bgilgoff.edublogs.org/2008/05/06/the-3-best-things-ive-learned-in-the-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-54 Ms Bruce Wed, 12 Nov 2008 00:16:56 +0000 http://bgilgoff.edublogs.org/2008/05/06/the-3-best-things-ive-learned-in-the-challenge/#comment-54 I think people who regularly use blogs - read and write them - are people looking for a community to which they feel they belong. It used to be people joined a church, a cult, a club - real life options. Nowadays people join facebook, myspace, blogs, etc. In the "olden" days, we participated in those various activities once a week, or once a month. In the virtual world, we expect contact much more frequently, it seems. Many people are online every day. Personally, I don't have the time to go online to read blogs, and I can't imagine writing one for the fun of it. I have no purpose to do so, other than to explore these ideas right now. I think people who regularly use blogs – read and write them – are people looking for a community to which they feel they belong. It used to be people joined a church, a cult, a club – real life options. Nowadays people join facebook, myspace, blogs, etc. In the “olden” days, we participated in those various activities once a week, or once a month. In the virtual world, we expect contact much more frequently, it seems. Many people are online every day. Personally, I don’t have the time to go online to read blogs, and I can’t imagine writing one for the fun of it. I have no purpose to do so, other than to explore these ideas right now.

]]> By: dogtrax http://bgilgoff.edublogs.org/2008/05/06/the-3-best-things-ive-learned-in-the-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-41 dogtrax Sat, 17 May 2008 22:08:22 +0000 http://bgilgoff.edublogs.org/2008/05/06/the-3-best-things-ive-learned-in-the-challenge/#comment-41 Yes, Kim: Islands. Nice metaphor. But hopefully, islands that connected by some warm ocean currents, right? Kevin Yes, Kim: Islands.
Nice metaphor.
But hopefully, islands that connected by some warm ocean currents, right?
Kevin

]]> By: mscofino http://bgilgoff.edublogs.org/2008/05/06/the-3-best-things-ive-learned-in-the-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-36 mscofino Tue, 13 May 2008 01:28:32 +0000 http://bgilgoff.edublogs.org/2008/05/06/the-3-best-things-ive-learned-in-the-challenge/#comment-36 Great reflection! I especially like this statement: <i>To really be a blogger I can’t just write my own blog. I have to be an active member of the blogging community and so I have to get out there and read and comment on other people’s blogs. That is equally as important because it is the participation and active membership that makes blogging such an incredibly powerful change agent. But like any good conversation I learn from both listening to others (reading blogs) and exercising my voice (writing my blog).</i> I love the idea of being an active member of the blogging community - and just being an active blogger isn't enough. Participating in conversations is what gets the thinking going, and even though posting is a great conversation starter for what you're thinking about, there are tons of other great conversation starters out there that you might never have thought of. That's the powerful part of commenting for me, anyway! @Kevin: I think the fact that blogs are so much less connected than a social network makes them harder to feel like a community. It's more like islands of conversation spread out across great distances than a group of people learning together. It's kind of strange dynamic because I think we all know that we're welcome to be part of any of the conversations that strike us, it's just sometimes hard to find them. At least that's my feeling about the whole thing... Great reflection! I especially like this statement:

To really be a blogger I can’t just write my own blog. I have to be an active member of the blogging community and so I have to get out there and read and comment on other people’s blogs. That is equally as important because it is the participation and active membership that makes blogging such an incredibly powerful change agent. But like any good conversation I learn from both listening to others (reading blogs) and exercising my voice (writing my blog).

I love the idea of being an active member of the blogging community – and just being an active blogger isn’t enough. Participating in conversations is what gets the thinking going, and even though posting is a great conversation starter for what you’re thinking about, there are tons of other great conversation starters out there that you might never have thought of. That’s the powerful part of commenting for me, anyway!

@Kevin: I think the fact that blogs are so much less connected than a social network makes them harder to feel like a community. It’s more like islands of conversation spread out across great distances than a group of people learning together. It’s kind of strange dynamic because I think we all know that we’re welcome to be part of any of the conversations that strike us, it’s just sometimes hard to find them. At least that’s my feeling about the whole thing…

]]> By: bgilgoff http://bgilgoff.edublogs.org/2008/05/06/the-3-best-things-ive-learned-in-the-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-19 bgilgoff Thu, 08 May 2008 05:35:31 +0000 http://bgilgoff.edublogs.org/2008/05/06/the-3-best-things-ive-learned-in-the-challenge/#comment-19 Hmmm, I'm not sure I blog to satisfy my needing to feel necessary and valuable. I have three children, a husband and a network of friends in my physical world that seldom let me forget how necessary and valuable I am. I guess I'm lucky in that regard. Here is more for my craving to understand and make sense of my thinking. I believe I strive more for shared understandings of abstract things and ideas. Thus perhaps my reference to "stealing time" in an earlier post; while life is so full with trying to be ever present in the physical world, this internet world becomes almost a vacation place I go away to for time with my thinking. And now I'm finding that I'm able to meet people in this thinking space, people who are helping to raise questions and offer solutions. I'm thoroughly enjoying that. Hmmm, I’m not sure I blog to satisfy my needing to feel necessary and valuable. I have three children, a husband and a network of friends in my physical world that seldom let me forget how necessary and valuable I am. I guess I’m lucky in that regard. Here is more for my craving to understand and make sense of my thinking. I believe I strive more for shared understandings of abstract things and ideas. Thus perhaps my reference to “stealing time” in an earlier post; while life is so full with trying to be ever present in the physical world, this internet world becomes almost a vacation place I go away to for time with my thinking. And now I’m finding that I’m able to meet people in this thinking space, people who are helping to raise questions and offer solutions. I’m thoroughly enjoying that.

]]> By: norristeacher http://bgilgoff.edublogs.org/2008/05/06/the-3-best-things-ive-learned-in-the-challenge/comment-page-1/#comment-16 norristeacher Wed, 07 May 2008 16:51:24 +0000 http://bgilgoff.edublogs.org/2008/05/06/the-3-best-things-ive-learned-in-the-challenge/#comment-16 This is Kevin (as teacher blogger) I like your response that "we’re talking about reasons to connect." And the reason, I think, is that we all crave some sense of belonging to something bigger than us, right? We want to feel necessary and valuable and would like to be part of "the conversations." Interesting that you use Delicious as a place for comment. I have not really utilized the social networking aspects of Delicious -- only to bookmark sites and follow the bookmarking of others in my network (I am dogtrax there, too). I wonder if the next wave of web-based technology will find some answers to our questions about platforms. (I suppose the Flock browser moves us in that direction, right, Sue?) Kevin This is Kevin (as teacher blogger)
I like your response that “we’re talking about reasons to connect.”
And the reason, I think, is that we all crave some sense of belonging to something bigger than us, right? We want to feel necessary and valuable and would like to be part of “the conversations.”

Interesting that you use Delicious as a place for comment. I have not really utilized the social networking aspects of Delicious — only to bookmark sites and follow the bookmarking of others in my network (I am dogtrax there, too).

I wonder if the next wave of web-based technology will find some answers to our questions about platforms. (I suppose the Flock browser moves us in that direction, right, Sue?)

Kevin

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