Thing 2

Blogging is a wonderful tool to give you the insight and opinion of another. While most opinions will be substantiated with facts, the majority of blogs are simply the writers opinion and preference on a particular matter. That in itself is what makes blogging so inviting. What is desirable for one may not be for another. When reading a blog, you want to remember that the writer is not the final say in the matter. This is why reading the comments on blogs are also very important. Comments will offer so much to the original blog that it's not uncommon for the originator of the blog to comment as well, sometimes with a new perspective or view on the matter. It's very easy to get defensive when someone makes a negative comment on a blog that you feel very strongly about. Common courtesy can go a long way, remember this when reading/writing and commenting on blogs. The beauty of blogging is that it offers an insight to things from a very personal nature.
I loved the comment made on the Teaching Brevity blog. http://students2oh.org/2007/12/16/teaching-brevity/ "The mark of great writers is not how many words they use, but which ones." Blogging allows us to to use our words in a very powerful and productive way, especially in a classroom. Students are more willing to write their feelings, fears and emotions down than they are to speak them. As the educator, we must be willing to sometimes read between the written words to see what the student is actually saying.