
As the Brady Bunch once sang, "When it's time to change, you've got to
rearrange." Here we are in Semester 2, and our journey through independent
reading is taking us out of the notebook and into the cloud. Blogging is
nothing new. In fact, people have been doing it since long before the internet
was created and people discovered its powers.
Blogging is nothing more than online journaling. People use their
blogs to share their thoughts about different topics. Some blogs are designed
around a specific topic, as yours will be, and others are centered more around
the blogger themselves. People read these blogs for entertainment, but also for
advice and guidance based on practical experience.
For example, check out Nomadic Matt. This blog started with one person who wanted to share what they'd learned through travel. He shared what he learned from his experience to help others prepare better for travel, save more money, travel safely, and get the most out of their travel experiences. Or perhaps you're more interested in dogs - so then Bark Post might be the spot for you.
As for blogs centered around reading and books, my personal favorite is Jordz the Bibliophile. Jordyn is a Florida high school student who is passionate about reading. If you’re seeing inspiration, see what she’s done with the format, and how the blog reflects her personality.
Your blog will be centered around your experience as a reader. Yes, you will be posting entries about the books you are reading for Independent Reading, but you are also encouraged to post about other reading experiences. Perhaps you want to share a story about the first chapter book you read by yourself. Or maybe you are struggling to get engaged in a book (or by reading in general) and you want to vent about it.
The other thing is this - you don't always have to write! You can
use your blog to create and share videos (this works great for book talks),
relevant memes, photos, etc. Have fun with the format and don’t hesitate to get
creative with it.