The State Of The Blogosphere According To Me
So I'm headed down to this newfangled bloggers summit thing in DC and pondering the state of the blogosphere, by which I mean the education blogs that I know about and/or read.
Mostly, I think that things are going well. There are more education blogs out there all the time (DISD Blog, Will Okun for example), which makes things like doing a daily roundup fun and easy and means I'm learning and hearing new things all the time. And there are more "grownups" blogging now (Sherman and Debbie and Diane and Roy Romer and others), which makes me feel less than I used to like I'm an overgrown 10th grader. More folks to beat up on the annoying and/or ridiculous, too.
Of course, it's great getting paid (not that much) to blog after years of doing it for fun (thanks, Scholastic and Catalyst!). It's a nice bit of recognition. I still haven't launched that third blog I keep talking about, the beginnings of my blogging empire, but it will happen someday soon, I still think.
I'm incredibly grateful that it's gotten a ton easier to blog than it used to be, what with RSS feeds and web-based blogging software and all the rest. (Easier for readers, too -- you can get daily or weekly emails of this blog now, or get it on your cell phone.) My latest toy is a wireless broadband card for my laptop, which means I don't have to search for open WiFi all the time anymore. If only there was a gizmo that would make me smarter, or nicer.
Most of all, I'd say that blogging has created a nice sense of collegiality for me even though I'm not in DC anymore (and even though sometimes the collegiality comes in the form of being called an asshole by one or another of the Klonsky brothers). I've gotten to know a bunch of new people who care about education like I do, and have shared my ideas and read lots of interesting responses over the years.
Things I wish for from my own blogs and others': More real news and investigative journalism from education blogs -- even if it's just a copy of a juicy letter the superintendent sent to her board. Let's give the papers a real run for their (advertisers') money. More candor and vividness, discussing first-hand experiences and doubts and changes of mind. Talk about your own educational experiences, or late-night wonderings about vouchers, or whatever. I'll try and do the same.




When I was a kid, I remember when Cooley High the movie came out and probably went and saw it.
(It was a comedy about a large Chicago high school located in Cabrini Green.)











