Jackie's really long blog about blogging

When I first found out that I had the opportunity to blog in English class, all I could think of was "are you for real?" Doing something I already enjoy doing and getting a grade for it has to be one of the biggest scams around. I, personally, think that this is a brilliant idea for one main reason: everybody today KNOWS how to blog. Whether they have a Myspace, type emails, or even know how to type, kids all around the world seem to have been genetically altered to know how to blog, which is really convenient for the modern teacher, instead of the old passe of writing a paper. Blogging is something the modern student can connect themselves to on a more personal level because it allows the student to really feel like they understand what they're typing and really feel that they have full control of what they are saying and how they are saying it instead of having to follow an outline. With that in mind, when I get the sudden urge to tell the whole world my opinion on a book I just finished reading, I gravitate more towards writing about it in my blog than my thesis paper.

Blogging is also easier than one of the things students dread doing most: public speaking. Just the idea of speaking in front of a group of peers sends people off to change their pants, so giving them the opportunity to accomplish the same basic goal, to a much broader audience, without the physical audience, is a chance most students will never pass up. I know that I am much too shy to even introduce myself to people and face-to-face contact is incredibly more intimidating than face-to-screen contact. Having 1,000 people read your blog is an easier pill to swallow than having 1,000 people staring at you while you're speaking and staring right back at them. Becoming more confident in front of a bunch of faceless names sometimes helps in preparing for the dreadful day when a blogger emerges from under their rock into the real world because they're so used to typing their mind out that when they go to speak up in person on issues, they can gather their thoughts and speak like an educated person. However, more often than not, blogging hinders a person's social skills and can actually hold them back when trying to develop confidence and vocalize their opinions. Lesson for today: just because it's easier doesn't necessarily mean that it's better.

To sum everything up: blogging is easier to do than breathing; it's fun, informal with a educational edge, and really helpful- sometimes. Blogging in place of structured papers is helpful; blogging in place of public speaking is a hindrance. All of this is just preparing us for what is to come: an age where eerything is so easily accessible that the foundation of knowledge will change more than anybody can comprehend.