After perusing the articles provided about blogging and academia, my reason for blogging started becoming clear. As a child I had trouble keeping a diary, and as a graduate student I have trouble keeping a daily planner. I typically embark on each of these tasks with the best of intentions. I promise that I will write in my diary every day or plan my semester with my new 2012-2013 calendar. Clearly these things are not for me. I was never able to fit into the dear diary box. But the idea of using the format of a journal or diary as a platform for inspiring social action and affecting social justice seemed like a more promising venture to me. You just have to be willing to throw caution to the wind, expressing and defending your ideas, expecting that at some point you or the ideology that you have published will inevitably undergo a trial by fire from someone who thinks you are wrong.
Liana Silva (2012) reminds us that blogging is a medium through which those wishing to affect social change in the world find a voice. It gives academics an opportunity to bring attention to global or local issues that would otherwise be hidden away in the prestige of academic journals. For those of us who wish to become career academics (or serial students as the case may be, tenured or not) the blog is our way of educating those who are most affected by our research. Moreover, blogging allows us to draw attention to ourselves and the issues; it can be used as a form of protest and perhaps light a fire under those in power who pretend not to notice the societal issues that plague their communities.
Shawn Graham suggested that blogging helps to develop connections within the academic community, providing knowledge and clarity to the world. We can definitely see how the blog can be a useful professional development tool in the field of education. In the world of Blackboard, Facebook, and Skype blogging seems to be the foundation of a universal and diverse learning community, connecting students and teachers around the world. The Blog provides a public domain through which ideas can be expressed and analyzed worldwide. Members of the field of education (including teachers, students, administrators, and the elusive academic) can connect and collaborate on varying levels to facilitate personal growth, professional development, and academic enrichment.
The Blog seems to be an idealistic learning tool; however, at this point its uses and benefits have not been explored enough to demonstrate its pedagogical effectiveness. Meloni (2009) and Sample (2009) provide guidelines for integrating blogging into the classroom for students, but why stop there? As a member of the generation whose academic career is now dependent on technology (and by technology I mean Microsoft Word and PowerPoint) the world of blogging is new to me. Of course, having been exposed to it, I am hooked. Simply by utilizing a tool provided by Google free of charge, I have access to a myriad of perspectives and insights. Why not utilize this public platform? Sure, its ease of use subjects us
to whining and the occasional facetious post, but like anything else in this world with worthwhile intention, proper direction, and an innovative mind, the possibilities with blogging are endless!
Anala,
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with your ideas about the potential of blogging (in both this entry and in my comments section) both within and outside of the classroom. In particular, you mentioned the contrast between a blog and a peer-review academic journal. I think this distinction is very valuable when analyzing the utility of a blog. A blog is a chance to reach out to the academic/professional community without the restraints of proper MLA, annotated bibliographies, CV concerns, publication deadlines, etc.
I can't speak for other GTAs, but I have experienced feelings of frustration over the current system of publication within English departments. The 'publish or perish' mentality prevalent in universities leads to a dependence upon publishers, journals, and conferences. This situation is especially difficult for those in academia who want to do research and produce some tangible product for our field, yet who aren't familiar with the system or don't work well within the system's conditions. For these scholars, blogs provide a unique opportunity.
The freeform, fluid nature of the blog means that the author can receive the feedback available through publication without knowing the nuances of navigating the publishing world. However, there is always the caveat of operating outside of the endorsed system, which brings with it less reputability and less prestige. Yet, as English departments progress towards a greater usage of technology, the blog may gain some of this reputability and prestige within a system that utilizes blogs as a medium for publishing. The possibilites are vast, and hopefully I won't be left behind the blog train (now that I finally have a blog).
Megan,
ReplyDeleteI could not agree with you more.
While I am concerned that my ideas will not be met with the wholehearted acceptance and approval of the academic community due to the informal medium I have chosen to express them I am grateful for the opportunity to do so in some type of a public forum. With the prestige of publishing also comes the risk of our ideas not being able to reach the people whose lives we hope to impact. Trapped by the rule of ‘publish or perish’ we sit idly by waiting for our work to be peer-reviewed, edited, and published while the issues about which we’ve written either become stale or worsen. Moreover, I think those of us who would like to be taken seriously as we utilize this medium to establish a place for ourselves (and our ideas/theories) in the world of academia will naturally cling to the structures of MLA and APA that add reputability to our work (i.e., citing sources). Perhaps it is up to socially conscious individuals to transform society’s perceptions of the blog into a more academic and professional medium of expression.
With the development of each new smartphone, tablet, or laptop computer society becomes more and more dependent on technology. At times it seems as though we are oblivious of the extent to which technology is ingrained in the daily functioning of our lives (i.e., cell phones have replaced our little black books and telephone directories). Therefore, as we move toward the development of a more technologically savvy academic environment and society the realization should occur to more people that technology is becoming linked to our (functional) literacy/literacy skills. As such the value and impact of an informal forum, such as the blog, in making sustainable societal changes should also become more apparent, especially to those who track societal and academic trends/developments.
The more I use my blog the more I recognize its potential to educate members of society. Even if it goes unrecognized after this class I will continue to use this blog to brainstorm ideas, draft potential articles, and express myself. It will help me grow as an academic as I attempt to organize and articulate my thoughts until I can present them in a forum where they will impact society in the ways in which I have intended.