Why Blog?

I plan to write more on the benefits of student blogging in the near future. Here is an appetizer.

Jon Udell, writing at Info World, is mulling plans to write a book on the professional blog. Not blogging as a profession, but blogging that goes beyond a diary, "as a literary form that grows out of, and extends, two traditional forms: the resume and the autobiography." These blogs would be "narrating the course of a career, articulating its public agenda, writing its permanent record."

This is what I see in many blogs in the ed-tech region of the blogosphere. Bloggers share their experience, evolution of thought, post their papers and lectures, invite input from readers. Udell wants to extend this practice to those who may not see their work as blog material. For instance:

The public works engineer. A former corporate engineer, he's responsible for the town's aging water system. Frequent repairs create a need for both immediate and long-range information flows. His blog would include up-to-date information about outages, repairs, and regular maintenance. (The basic facts would be syndicated elsewhere -- the newspaper, the town's website -- with more details available on the blog.) The blog would also educate the public about the water system, assess its status, and provide context for the inevitable discussion about its overhaul.

Udell says he finds few of these and wonders if it is even a good idea to pursue them given the potential problems of employers not appreciating such transparency or bloggers not wanting a public record of their thoughts and decisions for fear of having them used against them. Legitimate concerns. But consider the benefits to customers and the public. They will be better informed and have a personal relationship with government or business. And face it, as the Cluetrain Manifesto declares, people will be networked, talking about, and laughing at you anyhow so you might as well be part of the discussion. And consider the benefits to the professional of documenting one's professional life. The metacognition involved with examining ones own thought process is a powerful learning exercise and can only produce a more purposeful and proficient career.

If Udell wants to realize his vision of blogging "professionals" he would do well to direct his book to educators. Students can benefit from the metacognitive process of blogging. In the process, they build a portfolio of their intellectual growth and a discipline that will serve their lifelong education.
Technorati Tags: Cluetrain, Blogging, Classroom Blogging