My 1st Post

Hello,

I'm currently taking TE 601 Writing in Digital Environments at SVSU.  This course focuses on how writing has changed and is changing in the digital age.  To guide our learning we our using the textbook The Digital Writing Workshop by Troy Hicks.

Our first assignment was to become familiar with Google Docs.  I think Google Docs is an amazing program.  You are able to do most of what you can do on Office for free, with the added advantage that everything is saved to the cloud in the sky. The cloud has allowed me to edit the same document in a variety of locations without any sort of flash drive. Google Docs use of the cloud also allows you to let others comment on your documents without printing out a hard copy.  You should try it out at Google Docs.

My current assignment is to answer two questions about blogging.  There are four questions to choose from on pg. 21-22 of The Digital Writing Workshop.

The first question I would like to answer is:  "What are you passionate about and how do these interests fit with your big questions?"

Outside of my wife, children, and family my biggest passion is reading.  I love to read.  I can literally sit around the house and read all day.  I don't get as many chances as I used to before children (my 3 year old son just climbed on top of desk and onto my arms), but I still find the time to spend a Saturday reading every now and then.

As as adult reader I can literally read any type of book.  I can read mysteries, classics, plays, chick lit, thrillers, science fiction, current non-fiction, fantasy and anything else and find pleasure.  When I taught lower elementary, I would read picture books and adult chapter books.  Now that I'm teaching upper elementary, I still read picture books, to both my children and students,  but I've traded adult chapter books to children's chapter books. Like adult books, I can read and enjoy any genre of children's chapter books. I just love them.

To share my love of books I've recently started two blogs. Mr. Markey Reads 4 Teachers was my first blog.  I started out trying to write for both teachers and students but quickly discovered that was too large of an audience.  I've since started my second blog, Mr. Markey Reads 4 Kids.  I'm now writing two blogs for each chapter book that I read; one trying to convince teachers to share the book with the students; the other trying to convince students to read the book themselves.

The second question I would like to answer is: "How do you become an effective networker and get people with shared interests to value your voice online?"

So far I haven't done the best job of becoming an effective networker.  I've shared both blogs with my students.   When I share a new book that I've read, I pull up my blog and read what I've written.  I've also e-mailed the link to my student's parents.  I've told my mom and my wife. Finally, I've shared the blogs' links with one of my colleagues.

That's right, one.  So to the best of my knowledge, there are two teachers, including myself,  that now how to access my blog for teachers. I want to get a few more posts up before I get the word out too much.  I want teachers to have something to see.

I'm planning on sharing the websites at a meeting I have this Thursday.   Hopefully, that will help spread the word and other teachers will enjoy my ten posts.   I'm also hoping my participation in TE 601 Writing in Digital Environments will help get the word out.

your buddy,

Steve