I have never been able to motivate myself to blog.
Faced with the requirement, I find myself again staring at a blank box and unable to start.
And then I think, if I have this problem, surely others must. I mean, I can't be the only one who doesn't want to keep a journal, write a blog, update my status regularly etc. If blogging is going to work in an educational setting, then all students are going to have to participate, not just the ones who like doing it. How to get the IDon'tWannas (like me) to blog?
Daily Blog Tips suggests blogging about something that one is passionate about. This makes sense for personal use, but if students are assigned to blog for a class, they aren't necessarily going to be passionate about the subject matter. He (Daniel Scocco) also says that when I don't want to do it, I should force myself. Thanks.
http://www.dailyblogtips.com/what-if-i-am-not-motivated-to-update-my-blog-anymore/
Pick the brains says I need to focus on the positive things in my life, focus on a positive goal, and direct my energy toward success. I think I just hit the fortune cookie trifecta.
http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-motivate-yourself/
So, I'll just go with the fortune cookies. Lets see . . .
1. You will travel to many places.
2. You will find a treasure at this web site.
3. The great joy in life is doing what people say you cannot do.
Uh, OK. Thanks.
http://www.wisdomportal.com/JS/RandomFortunes.html
Hi Robert,
ReplyDeleteSometimes it is hard to find the beginning or starting place to begin writing, but alas once you begin, the rest comes easy. As least that is how I feel. I always find the hardest is just beginning. Blogging is a form of expressions, and while in education some students blog because of an assignment directly given to them by their teacher, I feel that if students had the freedom to blog about what interests them that they would produce more, become more engaged about it, and motivated for the assignment. Sometimes just takes a little nudging to begin... and going along with your "fortune cookies" you are well on your way.
~Chrissie :)
Your post gave me a few chuckles. We've all been there at times. I can think a a few grad level projects involving data-driven research and reporting that were about as attractive to me as a hot poker in the eye. Yet some classmate drove right in. As the saying goes, to each his/her own. Right brain/left brain, yada, yada.
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point that we need to be sensitive to the personalities and motivations (or lack thereof) of our students. I remember being stunned as a newbie teacher that many students were not interested in activities that would have absolutely thrilled me at their age.
When it comes to things like creative writing, journaling, blogging, etc., on the one hand I want to give students the freedom to be creative without any preconceived notions of what I would consider the "right" answer so to speak. On the other hand, that can leave some students with absolutely no idea of where to begin. So I always provide some prompts or examples to get them going with the caveat that they are free to follow their own inspiration. Do they always get that concept in middle school? No. Plenty still think they have to copy an example, and others still toss out recalcitrant, "I don't get it, excuses, but hopefully it helps.