I didn't pay too much attention to the Edublog Awards this year. Actually, I don't ever. It comes when I'm much too busy to give it much attention. I do enjoy seeing the results, however. Just as I enjoy the results of the Oscars or the Tonys or the Pulitzers. I don't follow any closely, but I like to see who won.
Some blogs I enjoy and respect won Edublog Awards. But the results got me thinking about what the edublogosphere (defined by those who nominated and voted) is looking for in blogs. Richard Byrne's Free Technology for Teachers won three awards, Best Individual Blog, Best Resource Sharing Blog, and Best Ed Tech Support Blog. Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day was a runner-up in Best Individual Blog.
First off, I have immense respect for both of those men. I can't imagine how they manage to be aware of all those resources, knowledgeable about them, and able to share them so thoughtfully. I greatly appreciate them doing so.
That said, I found seeing both their names in the Best Individual Blog category surprising. The category Best Resource Sharing Blog seemed made for them. Their wins in the Best Individual Blog category suggests to me that many, many people are looking for resource sharing blogs and that those blogs are of critical importance to them. I found it a little disappointing that the Best Individual Blog was not a blog that makes me think. The blogs that sit in my reader until I have the time to sit with them, think about them, post comments - those are the types of blogs I expected to see win.
Am I alone in this? Am I off base? Am I not giving enough credit to these resource sharing blogs? Am I missing something (certainly possible!)?
7 comments:
I was wondering the same thing. Those guys are great resources, but not blog "writers" is you know what I mean. But then I rarely take these kinds of awards (including the ones you mentioned) very seriously.
I was wondering the same thing. What bothers me about this is that the definition of blog seems to be drawn out too far and based too much on technology.
What about bloggers who actually write?
What about more teachers in the field of Edublog Awards?
To me, edublogging (if that's really a word) should include more of an emphasis on thinking, questioning and story-telling.
I thought it was interesting how white males dominated in pretty much every category. In addition, there seemed to be just one view of education represented. I had maybe two of the nominees among my RSS subscriptions and the rest, frankly, I don't care about since they all sound the same.
I'd rather read blogs by teachers. I'd rather read posts that have stories to share and opportunities for discussion.
Edublog awards? F--- 'em. I know what I like.
Edublogging is a word if you want it to be (democratic language :-), and pretty much means what you want it to mean. Essentially, the people who run the awards established their definition when they determined the categories.
But It really is difficult to take an awards program like this seriously with so many inconsistencies in the categories, where blogs are classified, and how the winners are determined. I especially have to wonder about including a "Lifetime Achievement" award for a concept that hasn't been around that long in the first place.
Ever since these awards began, I've thought of them as more of a promotional gimmick for the sponsor, rather than genuine recognition for bloggers. Cynical? I don't know. Some people like that kind of thing, I suppose. For me, the best awards are finding out that something I wrote was read and appreciated, that someone took the time to comment, or that my blog is linked to from another blog...
I especially enjoy reading your tales of classroom life in the primary wing - good for me to read and remember how it is.
I have multiple blogs. One is my baby; the one I use for life, art and work. There are others for very specific purposes. The one that seems to be taking off all of a sudden (so to speak) is one that I use to park videos that I want to just remember or to show in class. No reflection. No opinion. Minimal consideration of what others might be interested in seeing. Just functionality for my own art room. But all of a sudden I'm getting "members".
I found it reassuring to read that I was not the only one feeling this way. In the future, it seems, I should just ignore these awards (like I do most others).
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