I have spent the last four months transforming from a pre-service teacher, scared of becoming occupied with blogging and micro blogging into an enthused aspiring teaching of ELA prepared to integrate technology into my future curriculum. I activated my WordPress blog unsure of where it would take me, or how the entire process would profit me. Today, I can share with all of you the allowances it has presented me with thus far. In the academic context, blogging has encouraged me to share my writing and receive feedback from my classmate’s, as well as other devoted bloggers. It has been a positive experience that facilitates my overall learning, and keeps me up to date with the world of education, even when I step outside the 
classroom. Reading the blogs of my classmate’s also interested me in some very helpful Web 2.0 tools and was valuable in my own understanding of course material. Blogging has also motivated me to take part in some extensive research since writing a blog requires one to visit a variety of sources to find the best content to pass on to respected readers. During this process I am constantly introduced to new material related to my selected topic, which helps me learn more than I supply you with in my final post. I have always been an active learner but blogging has provoked me to vigorously search for the finest information and present it to my readers. Maintaining my own blog has permitted me to take pleasure in my research and learning, and appreciate knowledge, especially related to technology and the endless benefits it can provide for students.
As technology becomes prevalent in today’s schools, students should recognize the impact of their voice and the ability they have to make a difference. My blog has turned into my online journal, which allows me to organize my thoughts and add images and videos that coincide with my topic. Blogging has also permitted me to comment on other blogs and 
receive feedback on my own posts; dialoging on a topic encourages me to learn more about it and constantly voice my opinion. In a broader sense, blogs are all about communicating. When writing a blog, I observe an experience, reflect on it, and write about it, all at once. Blogging has allowed me to discover the world and joy of communicating my ideas and receiving feedback on every one of them! There is a sense of excitement that takes over my body as I communicate with a global audience, communicating with the World Wide Web is thrilling and the feedback is extremely diverse.
I also plan to continue posting to my blog as I enter the field of education. I hope I can communicate with educators regarding their experiences teaching, their philosophies, and their methodologies. My students will be highly encouraged to produce a blog of their own 
because I strongly believe that educational blogging comes along with astounding benefits for every student. Students have the opportunity to find their voice and develop their interests, and expand upon their writing with feedback and continued support. Of course blogging will improve each students writing skills but it will do so much more than that, since it engages students in an ongoing conversation about their inner thoughts and passions. Students finally have the opportunity to share meaningful writing, and their audience will empower them to become life-long learners, as they become apart of a community where writing truly matters.
Besides the space students have to reflect openly on what they have learned to make meaningful connections, blogging allows students to make an emotional connection to what they have cultured. It also creates the opportunity for students to share their voice while becoming fluent in 21st century literacies. Students can use sites like SoundCloud or share presentations with their readers in order to express their passions. Another added benefit is the positive digital footprint it tags along to each student’s name, students will be able to Google their name and see something positive, something worth taking a look at. This is a great way for educators to promote the importance of having a positive digital footprint.
Microblogging networks offer students the chance to do all of this and more. Twitter is the most popular microblogging application, with over one million users. Mircroblogging is a Web 2.0 technology, and a new form of blogging that lets users publish brief updates, images, and videos. Students can share resources, improve their social skills, and pose 
questions. Twitter is an informal learning tool that allows students to discover and write about various topics, collaborate with others, and publish and reflect on their own ideas or feelings. Twitter has brought me into a new world, where I am connected with an abundance of valuable people and resources. It is a place where I discover and develop new and exciting ways of improving my communication skills and motivates others to join in on exciting conversations. Participating in a tweet chat inspired me to share my principles with my followers and promote social networking in the classroom.
I never expected to discover so much from starting my own blog or connecting with other educators on twitter. This is just the start for me and I am anxious to continue on this path of constant innovation.
Grey Matter 