Traditional Web Pages vs Blogs

I will try to compare the difference between a traditional web page and a blog on the basis of what I know and have learned this week. When I think of visiting a traditional web page, I think of the pages that I often frequent. These would be the Weather Bug site that I check each day to see what the conditions are going to be for the day and the week to come. Also, the shopping sites that I like to visit, like Kohl's and Walmart to see what the latest sales are. I also like to check the food network for recipes. These sites, I assume, have professionals writing the content and researching the information that is posted on them.Now, I understand that blogging pages are set up by individuals or possibly groups of people with common interests or view points for the sake of being helpful, informative or even entertaining. I have visited blogs about medical issues or common conditions and for advice, for example "home remedies for lice", as many families in my school were facing this problem. I also recall visiting a blog regarding "deer accidents", after hitting a deer myself while driving at night on the freeway, I simply needed to get the support and understanding from others that have been through the same thing as me. My son and I were very lucky that we were not injured in the incident. I also visited several traditional web pages that stated research on the findings of deer accidents and how best to react when faced with this situation. This was a document from the State Police and gave some well researched information and advice, but did not tell the heart felt accounts of the bloggers. I understand that blogs are much more interactive and that the information on the blogs may be the opinions or experiences of individuals and  may have statements that are untrue and truly matter of opinion. I imagine that I will learn a lot more about blogs and their uses, as this semester moves along and I become more familiar with the comparisons.

Getting My Feet Wet

After only 3 days of this wonderful Michigan State University on-line class in technology, I am learning so much! I did not know I would be moving this fast in regards to actually being on-line and creating cool things. I am currently on summer break from my job as a Junior Kindergarten teacher. I teach young five year olds and I  have little experience and  knowledge of blogging. I was very interested to find out about Windows Live and Google Docs, as well as ZoHo. I did not know that these things existed. I am a bit embarrassed to admit that. I hope as I become more comfortable with all the exciting new things I am learning about that I will not feel as overwhelmed. My students are too young to  interact directly with me by blogging as most are just beginning to read and write. However, I will utilize the technology that  I am learning about in this class in other avenues. Such as connecting with other educators and in bringing new ideas to my classroom.  I  feel this experience and knowledge will help me become a better teacher and help me to extend my interests in other fields and areas as well.