Ok, maybe that's a hyperbole. Maybe, just maybe, a few people on this planet won't actually see my latest blog entry. But the excitement-- and the vulnerability--is just as real no matter the size of my audience. The fact is that the whole world COULD see and apparently that's enough to dictate my posts!
I was surprised tonight when editing my list of entries...Apparently I have four pieces which I developed and saved but never published. Not to mention all the pieces that I began and deleted because they weren't actually worth working on!
This made me realize: blogging gives the writer such ownership! It's all my choice as to what makes it through to "publication" and this seems a more powerful motivating force than the "due dates" we have to impose on student papers. Obviously, to maintain order and proper sequencing of skills, classrooms need a calendar with formal due dates, but I wish more students could experience the ownership that comes from writing and posting something that they personally deem worthy of publication!
I imagine many students would be surprised at how much more inspired and refined their writing could become if they knew that all the world could see what they were creating! Actually, I imagine my nights of grading their papers would be a little more interesting too.
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