I have just left a post on my techno6 blog about our upcoming 3 day trip to Melbourne. It made me realise how blogging has changed the way I view things and the world around us and how I hope it is beginning to change the way my students view the world as well. Instead of having spent many wasted hours of time and wasted paper creating a “Camp Book” to take with us, I have posted simple instructions on what I want to encourage the students to “do” whilst we are in Melbourne. As if simply enjoying our visit to Victoria’s beautiful capital city isn’t enough! I wrote:
“Our visit will have a bit of a different focus now that we have entered the world of blogging. I imagine that most of you will be bringing a camera and that most of you will be looking for opportunities about which you will be able to “blog” on our return. We need to have a sensory focus on our trip. What do we see, hear, smell, taste and feel? We need to notice things and people and we need to enjoy every second of our trip! Our homework this week, will be to obseve, record your thoughts and to take photos. I know we will have a ball.”
I know that on our return, we will get some beautifully observant writing from our trip away and that the students will have broadened their outlook on life through simply approaching our trip with our senses sharpened. I know that they will be looking for some great photos, so that we can complete our “Photo a Week” project. I also know that they will be looking at things in terms of “good blogging opportunities” as well, so that when we return, they can use some of the web 2.0 tools to recreate or retell their trip. I also know that there is a rainforest somewhere breathing a huge sigh of relief, when it processes the fact that there will be NO useless camp booklet created, to be left wrinkled and soggy in the bottom of a suitcase in Melbourne.
