One of my goals this year was to dive
into web 2.0 tools and begin to deal with my techie fears. The seeds of that
goal were planted in March 2011. I am certain that starting my blog for the
purpose of participating in the TWT challenge last year helped to grow my
confidence and open my thinking to the instructional possibilities of all
kinds of tech tools. But when I started my blog, I had so many questions. The vocabulary
that surrounded blogging was a whole new world for me. I was forever googling
stuff like, “What does RSS mean?” I still don’t completely get what a feed is. I would go to the Blogger help page and I felt like the answers to
questions were written in a foreign language. I looked at the blogs of others
and wondered where they got that thingy in their sidebar. I didn't even know
what a sidebar was. I was very intimidated as a new blogger. But I quickly
learned how patient and generous the folks out in the blogosphere were. People
liked to share. My point is that if you are feeling like a techie or blogging dork,
don’t worry. You are not alone.
Now look at your sidebar, all sorts of stuff and I am wondering how you put that there. I need to play with that a bit more. You are such a techie go-getter. I am still a dabbler and hanging out with what I know. Maybe I'll try something new in the sidebar (when I have ti).
ReplyDeleteThanks for this, Diana. This is my first March SOL challenge, and although I've been trying to do the weekly SOLs since the summer months, I've been worried about finding something interesting to write about every day of this month. I'm so grateful that this community of writers is kind and supportive. We are all novices in some department, no?
ReplyDeleteYour blog looks great now! And a 2011 nano winner...I am jealous! I have been a wrimo for 3 years and only one the first. :-/
ReplyDeleteI think knowing a lot of the tech out there makes the job of a literacy coach so much richer, don't you? My tech learning explosion happened when I joined twitter. :)
Yup, ain't that the truth! I have 3 blogs going at the moment and I am still just sort of fumbling around in the dark. I bump my nose a lot, but sometimes I find what I am looking for. It's okay to bump your nose. Thanks for sharing, I can't wait to read more from you.
ReplyDeleteWow! A kindred spirit! I just started my blog a few days ago in order to participate in SOL this March. My sidebar has nothing yet.... I guess I have to read a few of those help pages...
ReplyDeleteBe proud of yourself! Your page looks great. With the help of Ruth, I was able to get my blog going after a false start. My goal at the moment is to just properly publish a post and correctly share the link for SOL. I'll worry about all that techie stuff later...or have one of my students do it for me!
ReplyDeleteI look forward to learning more about what is out there in the blogoshpere! Thanks for the encouragement.
ReplyDeleteWhen I speak to the tech guys at school I feel like i landed on a strange planet. I am thankful to have my sister helping me. She is patient and speaks in words I understand.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement! I agree with LeeAnn technology does make literacy coaching so much richer. I feel I can sift through the web chaos (or try anyway) and help teachers who don't have time get right to the good stuff.
ReplyDeleteNice to hear I'm not the only one! You're right -- the blogging lingo is bizarre. I just keep trying...
ReplyDeleteYou are so right! I think one of the most difficult aspects of blogging has been the empty feeling when you post something and no one comments. I have to remind myself that most of my readers are "techie newbies" like me! They may very well not know how.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this honest look into your life! I really like how you shared the page from your writer's notebook. You should be proud of yourself for how far you've come in a year! I love tech and especially Web 2.0 tools so you can feel free to ask if you need help or ideas anytime! (Although I certainly don't guarantee I will know the answer!)
ReplyDeleteBlogs became mandatory in my school system this year. Lots of people struggled initially but most are getting along very well now.Even those who have been at this for a long time have to investigate how to do things. Never hesitate to ask someone for help...techies love to get other techies hooked:)
ReplyDeleteAwesome words of encouragement from a new Slicer! Thanks for also keeping hope alive that one day, maybe my blog can look like yours. :)
ReplyDeleteI entered the world of blogging last year in order to participate in the 48 Hour Book Challenge. I had to create a blog in order to participate. I followed up with some book reviews during the summer for my students. So much to learn . . . and now I took the leap for 31 days of slices. What's the TWT challenge?
ReplyDeleteGreat supportive words, Diana. It has been quite a learning year, hasn't it?
ReplyDeleteI got into tech stuff in self defense. My husband was caught up in computers from their very beginning, and in order for him to know what gifts to get me for Christmas and enjoy his shopping experiences, I got into tech stuff, too. And I actually enjoy it very much...me who said people shouldn't need to use calculators and computers. I'm still not convinced about the calculators.
ReplyDeleteI found the blogging world at the beginning of summer last year. It took me a while to figure out things. I somehow was able to figure it out ... and the rest if history. I think I am addicted. I still have a lot to learn, but I'm learning so much from other. This SOL was also scary for me! I'm taking it one step at a time and love reading everyone's slices.
ReplyDelete❤First Grade Delight❤
imgoingfirst@gmail.com
Getting into this technical stuff has really helped me remember what it is like to be a learner. I, too, am amazed at all the stuff you have going on on your blog and I can't figure out how to do it. But I have helped others get blogs going - which is the most important step!
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ReplyDeleteSorry Diana - page reset and for some reason created a duplicate - that doesn't usually happen!
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