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I have never blogged before but do follow a few. Mostly I have found them from searching the internet for some kind of information.   Some are educational and some are just people that I can relate too. I did find Andrew Sullivan’s article Why I Blog to be very lengthy and hard to follow at times.  It did mention some good points though, a blog is like writing a diary that everyone will read.  It can be very raw and that can be so many people follow or relate to the author.  Sullivan also mentioned the immediate reaction that you get from posting a blog.  There is no editting, the blogger is writing what they are feeling at that time and once it is posted it can be shared with millions of people to have their own options.

I have never used padlet in my classroom.  I am a Title I reading teacher  and do see how this could work in my room for book discussions.

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When blogging, you become personal, quick, spontaneous, open.  You say tI hings that you might not normally say if in person or given the chance to really think about it.  When reading Andrew Sullivan's post, I realized that blogging is probably the most honest form or communication.  I understand more of what blogging actually is.  It is not just a self absorbed way of telling the world about what you had for lunch.  Blogging is the 21st Century way of opening your mind to the world around you.
We blog in my classroom on a website called SeeSaw.  We keep it simple and I introduce them to the world of blogging by posting questions and adding requirements that my students must answer and do before they can submit their blog for their class, only, to see.  In turn, my students may read and comment on a post, read it, and constructively comment on the initial post.  This form of assessment is not only teaching my students to write (I teach 5th grade Science), but is teaching them how to think critically about the topic at hand.
I like Sullivan's simple comment "Writers can be sensitive, vain souls requiring gentle nudging from the editors and oddly susceptible to the blows delivered by the readers."  This holds true for even the youngest of bloggers.  When my 5th graders write, they want to hear that their essay is a masterpiece when in all reality I am lucky to find two complete sentences, and I rejoice if I do.
I have tried to start a blog but never thought that what I have to say would be that interesting, until I read other blogs and realize it might not be so bad.
Blogging is a fantastic way to guide young students into the world of writing and encourage their creativity.  I love blogging and will continue to encourage my students to continue to do so.
This is the first time I have ever used Padlet. It's pretty interesting. I could definitely see myself adding this to my list of websites I use in class. It's pretty simple to navigate and my students would love it.

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I have never personally blogged before but I have read some educational blogs. I find that the blogs I read just seemed to be pointless talking. I am sure that I was not reading the correct types of blogs. I have read a couple of blogs from friends that have told their life story and I enjoyed those. I learned something from them. I think blogging is a good thing if done correctly. I believe that I wouldn't be very good at blogging. I don't feel like I am open enough to be a blogger. Andrew Sullivan talked about blogging being like keeping a journal or diary. I feel like that would be revealing so much of a person. I definitely have way more respect for people who do blog because they do have to be vulnerable and put themselves out there for acceptance or criticism.

I have used Padlet for another one of my college classes. I like it. I think that it could be very useful in a school setting as long as students had access to a computer or tablet. I don't think I could use it in my first grade class by any means but I think that it could be an awesome tool to use with my coworkers

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When I finally got to the end of Andrew Sullivan's lengthy analysis of blogging, I laughed a little inside at the mention of his reflection on the topic before composing a post about a form of writing that is immediate, on the spot, casual and personality infused. In my opinion, his explanation was exceptionally wordy and, at times, difficult to follow.  Though I did find parts of it insightful.  I have never been much of a follower of blogs and have even less interest in blogging myself.  Perhaps it is because, as Andrew suggests, that it requires a considerable amount of time to maintain an interested following.  I have never really thought about the thought process of these authors compared to other forms of writing, but the translucent way of writing is possibly what makes is so engaging for the many readers/followers.  There are few blogs that my usual internet searches always take me back to.  I admire the wittiness of their posts and the care-free attitude and life style that their writing seems to allude to.  My experiences with blogging definitely correlate with what Mr. Sullivan discusses in his article.  It is a public diary, a snip-it of someone's experience that day, or an insight into their thought process or belief system.  Sullivan also discussed that bloggers are held accountable for what they write. This comes in the form of comments and e-mails about errors and corrections, as well as feed-back on alternative perspectives, additional insight and links to related content. In this form, blogging in the education world could be beneficial. Teachers and parents alike manage similar situation and personalities of students on a daily basis. In college, we were encourage to keep a literal tool kit with lists and resources to refer to when we got stuck in a scenario we were out of ideas for. The web world and blogging opens up the tool kit to stay up to date and even be able to respond in real time.  When one teacher blogs about her day, other teacher: learn new strategies, are reaffirmed about their reactions, can provide additional options, or can even validate their own teaching. In a field where everyone is encouraged to keep their doors locked for the safety of our children, it's nice to be able to pop our head into someone else's classroom to check to see if our teaching is on the right track.

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After reading Why I Blog, I learned a lot more about the concept of blogging and it really opened my eyes to the benefits of it. I love that through blogging readers can interact back with the author. Personally, I have enjoyed reading blogs that I randomly stumble upon but have never really gone out of my way to follow specific bloggers, or interact with and read blogs religiously. As teachers, I feel like blogs can be so beneficial. It really stood out to me when Sullivan said "A blogger will notice this almost immediately upon starting. Some e-mailers, unsurprisingly, know more about a subject than the blogger does. They will send links, stories, and facts, challenging the blogger’s view of the world, sometimes outright refuting it, but more frequently adding context and nuance and complexity to an idea."  I feel like this is a great concept for teachers as it will act as an outlet to share ideas on certain concepts, and provide more resources from readers who may know more about the topic.

I have never used Padlet before, but I really like how you can see other's responses and join in on conversations together. This could be beneficial to communicate with staff as well as using it in the classroom if you teach upper level grades.

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After reading the article Why I Blog by Andrew Sullivan, my views about blogging have definitely changed. I have read blog entries but never personally responded to them. As Sullivan states, “It is the spontaneous expression of instant thought” challenges me to use this form of writing in my 8th-grade classroom. Eighth graders want to express themselves in a non-threatening atmosphere and I think this would be a great option for them. I believe my students could really relate to this statement by Sullivan when he is comparing how a reporter has to wait until his sources are confirmed, but for a blogger, “the deadline is always now. Blogging is therefore to writing what extreme sports are to athletics: more free-form, more accident-prone, less formal, more alive. It is, in many ways, writing out loud.” I found this statement to be true because the blogger creates their own atmosphere through their personality which in turn, opens the doors for their readers to get to know them personally. According to the article by Sullivan, he describes this relationship as a “friendship” which makes sense since people are connecting to the technology world much more than face to face interactions.

I have never used Padlet, but I can see the benefit and look forward to trying Padlet in my 8th grade LA classroom. Students will be able to see their classmates responses as well. I can see using it as a writing warm-up followed by a class discussion.

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I have personally blogged for fun and for previous educational courses, as well as used other educator's blogs for resources and information to implement in my own classroom. Most of the information Sullivan communicated aligned with what I had previously learned about blogging and the importance of how it allows the writer to have a different relationship with the readers. However, stating that the relationship could be labeled as "friendship" is an interesting point of view; from a writer's perspective I view it more as a "following" than a "friendship." Blogging can be brutal, but it is also rewarding as you see how far your little post can reach around the world in a matter of minutes. As a middle school educator, I view blogging as a great way for my students to identify who they are as writers, what issues they are passionate about, and where they stand and how they react to those issues. Sullivan mentions, "But blogging requires an embrace of such hazards, a willingness to fall off the trapeze rather than fail to make the leap." Falling and growing because of that is something I want my students to feel and achieve, but isn't always possible through print writing. Blogging will allow a new level of writing and editing to come alive, through topics that they are invested in. I believe the world of blogging will continue to grow and become and even bigger tool used in school as technology continues to make a bigger presence in schools.

As far as Padlet goes, I have used this a few times in my classroom. The last instance I used it for was as a KWL chart that my students filled out for our earth science unit. I posted a questions under what would be considered the "K" portion and they answered the questions in groups. As a middle school ELA teacher now, I will use it as a platform for sharing brainstorming ideas for different writing units or for sharing their ideas about the readings we encounter during the class.

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Many years ago I read several blogs and found them to be rambling and not the best source of information. Since then I have not looked for any. I enjoyed the history in this article  - the ships log and how diaries have evolved. After reading Andrew Sullivan's article, Why I Blog, I can see why blogging is valuable and interesting to some people. For writers who want to reach an audience, it's a perfect avenue. For readers looking for information, wanting to contribute or a place to debate, it's a good forum. After reading this article, I understand that blogging has a place in our technical world. It is a social medium for people to share ideas  and have discussion about a given topic. It provides give and take between the blogger and the readers. Mr. Sullivan refers to this bond between writer and reader as a friendship. I'm having a tough time wrapping my head around that.
Addendum: After reading Why the Cove Loves Livebinders, I'm going to give reading educational blogs another try!
I was also that person that said, "Who needs data on their phone?"!
Technology is changing faster than I can process.

I really like the idea of padlet! As a 6th grade math teacher, I can see it being used for extension activities and getting students writing in math!

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Blogging has always been something that has caught my interest, and when my children were younger I often thought about using a blog to document all the wonderful things that occur while raising children. But as Sullivan (2008) describes, bloggers cannot be shielded from their readers. There work is immediately critiqued and they receive immediate response for any errors and disagreements. That was my brick wall. The fear of being rejected by the readers. I love how he compared blogging to a diary, except this diary is open for everyone to read. I think this type of transparency is what attracts people to bloggers. Many of us wish we could write our every day thoughts, but the fear of those thoughts being rejected often out weighs the joy of writing. I loved how Sullivan compared a blog to a ship's log, because with out the log memories are often lost.  This is what often hooks the readers, because they realize they are getting to look into someones past even though they already know the present.  I often regret never jumping in to the blogging world, but I know that with everything in life there is a time and season.  Maybe my season is the retirement years!!!

Since I am a Physical Education teacher, technology is not a main focus in my classroom, but I do see how Padlet could be helpful during my health lessons.  I think it would be a great note and resource sharing tool for my students.

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I found the article Why I Blog by Andrew Sullivan to be very interesting. The quote that stood out the most to me was, “The blogosphere has added a whole new idiom to the act of writing and has introduced an entirely new generation to nonfiction. It has enabled writers to write out loud in ways never seen or understood before.” As I read this it made me think of my current caseload of students. This is the first year where many of them will see me for writing. Over the past few days I have already realized how much they dislike the traditional form of writing; getting them to express their ideas or feelings on paper is like pulling teeth and many flat out refuse to write. I think bringing in the blogging aspect of writing may alleviate some of those problems and hopefully bring a love of writing to students who have a general dislike for the subject.

- I have never used padlet in my classroom. I think with some teaching around the use of it that it could be beneficial in my classroom. I like that you are able to see everyone’s response to the subject matter. I also think it would be very beneficial to use as a do now or exit slip in the classroom.

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After reading "Why I Blog", by Andrew Sullivan, my thought process went directly to wanting to carve out more time to explore this avenue of writing. I enjoyed reading the article, because he understands the importance of humans wanting to express themselves. In his mind, blogging is a wonderful way for a person, of any age, background, or personal beliefs to do so. It is a way to connect. A release.

I also found it interesting to learning that in the blogging realm, having your link passed around is something to take pride in. Having your blog be seen, read, and for others to value the blog is goal, which to me is neat.

This article impacting my thinking because as humans we are constantly wanting to get feedback and gain knowledge. His article gave me a different perspective of people learning and being able to open themselves up to others for thoughts. I then thought about this from the bloggers point of view. Bloggers are wanting to give people something to value. Something to benefit them in life. I find this type of connection to be profound.

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"Every writer since the printing press has longed for a means to publish himself and reach—instantly—any reader on Earth." I found this simple quote from the author to be revolutionary. Not only in the blog world, but in almost every aspect of our every-changing world. With technology, everything has the opportunity to be instantaneous. I think about jobs, communication, art...all at my fingertips in an instant.

I do not blog, but I can definitely see the appeal and I enjoy reading blogs. Last year, my third graders started a blog and used it as a communication tool to write about books they were reading and recommend books to their peers. They loved it! The blog was a way for my students to connect, share their thoughts, and be heard in a new way. I didn't know it could make such an impact as Sullivan describes.

I have used Padlet on several occasions. One of the most recent was at a PD at my school. Teachers shared their definition of STEM. It opened the door for great discussion and response, much like this.

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"To blog is therefore to let go of your writing in a way, to hold it at arm’s length, open it to scrutiny, allow it to float in the ether for a while, and to let others, as Montaigne did, pivot you toward relative truth." I find his quote to be wonderful perspective on the purpose and usefulness of the blog. If you have followers who are focused on your blog, it can become a conversation with the world.

By allowing your writing and thoughts on a subject to be viewed openly and scrutinized, then you are moving towards not just sharing out to the world, but are being given the chance to learn something. You are inviting information in and hopefully the community you are participating in will help you discover new and beneficial information.

As someone who does not blog, I can see the benefits to it and not to just to the reader but to the writer as well. Barring any trolls from storming one's writing, it could be very beneficial way to learn new strategies and get input.

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I have never really thought about blogging before.  My only experience with blogging is what I have read about in the newspaper.  Yes, I said read the newspaper.  I cannot say that my initial reaction to blogging is very positive.  So when I read this article by Andrew Sullivan, I already came with some preconceived ideas or baggage. One of my ideas about blogging was that it was used by people, who otherwise would never in a face to face conversation say such things, say things that were so outlandish or inflammatory.  After reading the article, I see that there are many positive uses for blogging.  Just like most anything, there are good and not so good uses.
I did find interesting the history of the word blog. I have always wondered where it came from. Makes sense now.
"We bloggers have scant opportunity to collect our thoughts, to wait until events have settled and a clear pattern emerges."(2008) I have to say that this thought concerns me and probably is another reason I am not a fan. When I respond to something, I try to gather my thoughts first. I do not go off "half-cocked". With blogging, that seems to be encouraged, at least by this author.
On the positive side, by blogging, their seems to be a lot of spontaneity to the writing. Almost like a stream of consciousness. I suppose that this opens up the dialogue to a lot of different opinions and thoughts. Definitely not a bad thing.
Finally, I  really like this quote: "And yet it has exposed a hunger and need for traditional writing that, in the age of television’s dominance, had seemed on the wane.

Words, of all sorts, have never seemed so now. " (2008) It makes me think what did the author mean by this? Especially the last sentence.  "Words, of all sorts, have never seemed so now."  Did he mean that, with all the other media available, words are even more important than they ever were before?  Why is this?  When he ends with the word "now", does he mean NOW, as in timely? What do you think?
One other question. This article was written a little shy of 10 years ago. I wonder what Mr. Sullivan would say about blogging now?

I could see myself using Padlet in conjunction with 5th grade literature. After the students read a selection, they always have a written response as part of their assignment. I could see Padlet taking the place of some of these written assignments. One of the benefits would be the students being able to see what others are writing and respond accordingly. I will sometimes copy a good written response and share it with the 5th grade, so perhaps with Padlet, that may not be necessary. That is if I am understanding how Padlet works. And that is a big IF.

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When I go read blogs, they are related to reading about food, mom stuff, and fitness. After reading the article “Why I Blog.” it impacted my thinking because of the comparison of a blog to a story that is being pieced together as new pieces of news comes to the writer (2008). I like how blogging is a "free form" of writing and information doesn’t need to be proven or confirmed (2008). It is just people telling about something they are passionate about. Blogging is more about the personal connection piece that people want. There is so much more to blogging than fitness, mom stuff, and food as I have found out after reading this article. Publishing posts on a blog is also about deeper connections between people and experiences.

When using Padlet it my classroom, I could see it being useful to gather students thoughts on a topic. It could also be used as a brainstorming option or displaying text evidence students pull about a topic they’re given.

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The article written by Andrew Sullivan was honestly one of the first times that I was enlightened on the benefits of how I could incorporate blogs into my professional career. I know his article was not directed towards the education field specifically, but many of his points connected to how we could use blogging in our field.  Sullivan states that a blog is “a knowledge base that exceeds the research department of any newspaper” (2008). This immediately made me think of how it could be used as an extension to our PLC’s. Meeting with our team is great because you are able to assess data with multiple people, as well as bounce off ideas with each other about how to present the curriculum. It made me think of how much greater the creativity could be if it was not only just a few people coming up with activities for curriculum, yet an entire web base of people. The article also made me question my original opinion of blogs always being surface level opinions. Sullivan mentions how the original post at first may seem surface level, but it goes so much deeper than that (2008). Bloggers get sources from all over and are able to constantly add new findings on the web. Unlike written work, that needs to be published, the writing is able to evolve instantaneously as new information is directed their way.

I have never heard of padlet before this assignment, but I could see myself using it in the future with my elementary classes. It could be beneficial to incorporate it while trying out the flipped classroom because I could assign some sort of link for a video or article the night before class and they could create their response on there. They are able to see each other’s responses right away that way the next day in class we could dive right into group discussions. They can come in with questions that they have for other students that would facilitate their academic conversations with each other.

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I learned a lot from reading Andrew Sullivan's article regarding blogging.  I have never used, nor read a blog prior to reading this article.  I never would have thought that blogs could be considered a professional form of writing.  However, Sullivan points out that blogging can be the most accurate of writings.  Blogs are read by thousands and critiqued by thousands.  Links are shared within blogs, allowing the readers to examine the accuracy of the blogger’s writing.  The links shared within a blog also create wider avenues for learning as the reader is led to research more about the blogger’s written topic.  I had never considered reading a blog when I researched a question or topic, but I may now purposely seek out a blog when I have a question, and let that blog lead me to a deeper and broader learning.

I will most likely never use Padlet with my students, as I teach early childhood special education, although I believe that Padlet could be a useful technology among the early childhood staff.  Just one example where I think Padlet would be useful is sharing thoughts and insights about our new curriculum.  This year we are implementing a newly re-written curriculum.  As with anything new, many questions arose.  We started the process of dissecting the curriculum in our first professional development day, but there was not enough time to examine all areas of the curriculum.  Padlet could be a tool that we could use to share on-going thoughts and questions as we independently explore the curriculum.  Without using valuable professional development time, we would still be able to explore the curriculum together by using Padlet.

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I enjoyed reading about Andrew Sullivan’s point of view on blogging. I found it to be very eye opening, for now I have a new respect for people who do blog. I hadn’t realized just how vulnerable you must be to write your own blog. As Sullivan states, “blogging requires an embrace of such hazards, a willingness to fall off the trapeze rather than fail to make the leap” (2008). As a blogger you are letting the world “in” on your opinions, beliefs, and feelings. Although this is very freeing for most writers, I can imagine it also being terrifying. Terrifying in the sense that people “hide” behind their computers and are able to critique your writings just by pressing the word send. When people are hiding behind a computer screen they tend to say more than they would face-to-face.  Sullivan touches on this in his article by saying, “they were more brutal than any editor, more persnickety than any copy editor, and more emotionally unstable than any colleague” (2008).  I think it takes thick skin, to continue to blog, knowing that everyone might not perceive what you’re writing. I furthermore gained an understanding for why people blog in the first place. I never quite understood, prior to this article, how blogging could almost be therapeutic for some writers to get out their own thoughts and feelings. After reading this article, I have a newfound appreciation for blogging and bloggers.

I have never used Padlet prior to this course. I think it’s a great way for kids to use technology and to discuss with one another in the classroom. I could see this really working in the classroom setting if you wanted to try an implement a discussion based aspect. I also like the layout of it because you can see everyone’s response at one time.

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I found the article Why I Blog by Andrew Sullivan (2008) insightful.  I truly enjoyed reading about how the traditional diary has evolved into an electronic journal that is more commonly known as blogging.  Sullivan (2008) references the history of the “ship’s log” and how it was used for recording a ship’s journeys.  The ship’s logs were also a source of accountability, according to Sullivan (2008), proving an account of the ship's journeys.  Much like the blogs today, writers record their journeys through life, where they have been and where they plan to go.  Blogs, or online journalism as Sullivan (2008) claims, invokes a sense of “spontaneity and instant thought within the writing”.  I have never had much interest in reading online blogs.  After reading this article I am intrigued with the aspect of using online journaling in the classroom and have begun to investigate the uses of blogs in the classroom.  There are several educational blogging sites that teachers can use to engage students in the writing process.

I am also new to Padlet and am looking forward to learning how this tool can be used to take classroom discussions to a new level.

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I found Andrew Sullivan’s article on blogging very interesting.  I have never been into blogging myself but I have followed a few in my day that have been of interest to me.  I love that he described a blog as “writing out loud”, I thought that it was a perfect description.  I think that getting students in elementary grades into blogging might help get them more interested in writing and provide them with a place where they can write about something that interests them as well as follow blogs of classmates.  When I was reading the article I thought that my son, who is a third grader and not at all into writing, might really go for this.  I might set him up with one and see how it goes, I’m sure he has a lot to say about legos and baseball.

I have not used Padlet yet but I can see how it can be helpful in the classroom setting.  I work in early childhood special education but I think that I could use Padlet with parents to share ideas or thoughts.  When a class book is made and sent home for each family to read, Padlet could be used for each family to share their thought/excitement about the book for everyone to read and add to.  I love that everyone can add to Padlet as they go.

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This article was very interesting.  My experience with blogs has been mainly what I find from searching the internet for ideas or advice, mostly in the form of links to pinterest. I never thought that deeply about blogging, how it has evolved, and it's place in our ever changing society. I love that Sullivan mentioned that blogs must not take over all writing forms, yet be a supplement to making other print sources and more professional sources more effective. It is amazing that anyone can blog about literally anything they want for everyone to see. The blog becomes popular though when there is engagement! I think this is a great benefit of blogs as virtual communities and relationships are increasing. It helps increase a person's ability to express their thoughts and opinions, collaborate with others, gain new insights, and improve their writing abilities for the future to become a better writer. That is exactly what I am teaching my students right now. The idea of the growth mindset and learning from mistakes.

*I have never used padlet before but I like that it can be an ongoing collaborative note taking tool, and no papers can get lost! In 2nd grade I could see us using padlet (if we were 1 to 1) as an exit ticket, opinion on a topic, or response to a book. This could also be a great way to document or take notes on things we are learning (or a long project or science experiment that needs tracked). I use classroom notebooks right now for work on writing, and students take turns writing in them. This could also be a great way to open up several notebooks to allow students to journal their ideas and work on their typing!

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I appreciated the fact that Sullivan does admit that some blogs can be superficial; however, there is nothing wrong with that! Blogs can be a great avenue for students to express their writing without the pressure of crafting an essay or getting a grade for the format of their paper. A blog post would be a great way to assess a student's ideas and thought processes because they would be able to openly communicate and add a narrative piece as the backbone of their writing.

I have used padlet in my classroom when I wanted my students to be able to view each other's ideas. My 11th grade students wrote a pop culture research paper in which they analyzed a piece of pop culture and how it reflects some aspect of society. Before they started writing, they typed their ideas on padlet and all of my juniors were able to see what their classmates were going to research.

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Click on the wallpaper and a box will appear; add your comments on the article by Sullivan, which will appear in the order they are received. Make sure your name is in the title.

How do/might you use padlet in the classroom?