Chapter 2
In Chapter 2 of Will Richardson's book, "Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts. . .," he states that blogging facilitates "connective writing," which forces a writer not only to read critically, but also to write clearly and for a wide audience. As I am developing my first blog, I am very aware of the possibility that a number of people will be reading my comments, and so I will certainly focus on writing clearly.
Summary of Personal Learning
In my past college and graduate school experiences, the only person who read and commented on my reports was the instructor. With the blogging that is required for my current graduate course, the fact is that my writing will be read not only by the instructor, but also by the students in the class as well as by anyone who accesses my blog. So, I will benefit from a variety of viewpoints. However, it will require that I edit my work more carefully than ever before.
Application
I think that using a blog for "connective writing" would be an excellent tool for my students, particularly for the students in my advanced computer applications course. In this advanced applications course students are required to read computer technology articles and write summaries. Instead of having the students submit their summaries to me, they could write their summaries in a blog and discuss the articles with each other as well as people outside the classroom.