A Relfection on Blogging

It is hard to believe that I am writing my final blog reflection.  I feel like I stalled at the beginning of this project and have finally picked up the speed needed to make it something amazing.  Now that we are drawing to a close, I am finally realizing what this blog could truly become. 

I have been slowly adding more information since we last met in class.  Your suggestions have shown me that I can add more than useless widgets that are just advertising for websites.  I loved that I could add links to all of the authors that I have been reading over the semester.  My plan is to continue to add to my blog in order to make it a great resource for my fellow teachers.  Once you showed me that I could add different links and labels, I decided that this blog could me more than just my thoughts about books, it could be a great place to showcase the work that I do with my students, and the lessons that I have used and created on my own.  Tonight, I was excited to share my Thematic Unit Plan on the blog, but eventually would like to create my own website to display my plan. 

When this project was first assigned, I entered it with much trepidation.  I had never created a blog before and was not sure if I could create something that met my high standards.  I am a perfectionist, and I am still trying to set up my blog to be aesthetically pleasing and user friendly. 

I think that the hardest part of this blog was knowing what was appropriate to post.  At first, I thought that I should only post full summaries, then I thought that it would be ok to just post my opinions on books as long as they were rich and full of great information, but after seeing so many blogs tonight, I find that many people have varied their post from long and rich to short opinions that they share about their books.  I want to create the best blog possible, but I do not want it to seem contrived and boring.  Since we only have a few more weeks left, I am hoping to take some time to vary the types of blog posts that I share.  I want them to all be lengthy and full of important information, but sometimes I just want to add short thoughts that I have when I am in the middle of reading my books. 

While doing this project, I also discovered that I could post on my blog from the Blogger App on my cell phone.  If I would have known that I did not always have to share extensive posts, I would have posted more often and whenever the ideas struck me.  I tend to have great ideas for my blog while I am at work, but unfortunately we are unable to access them during the day.  It is difficult to type out huge posts on a phone, so being able to share my thoughts or moments that happen during a lesson would be a great addition to my blog. 

I guess that the general thesis of my reflection is that I have been searching for the perfect way to improve my blog and make it great.  I am not sure if I will ever reach that perfect place, but I think that I have grown immensely in my ability to control, create, and change my blog.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will be enjoyed by all and that it will become something useful that I can share with my co-workers and teaching friends, and that eventually strangers will access it as well in order to find information to improve their teaching as well!