Welcome To The Blogosphere
by Fred Barton with information gathered through formal and informal conversations with colleagues

There is no real accurate way to tell, but best guess estimates place the number of Web logs, or blogs, on the Internet at eight million and growing daily. The Blogosphere has become the ultimate in one-stop shopping for just about any subject that you can imagine. Interested in the Chinese Dowager Empress Tzu His? Try this blog: http://tinyurl.com/4s8te. Rather watch kites? Here’s your blog: http://tinyurl.com/4pstt. A fan of cheese? Blog this: http://tinyurl.com/6tkq2.

You get the picture. There are, of course, more mainstream blogs as well, blogs that have even been in the news. The blog Powerline claims to have brought down Dan Rather by breaking the Memogate story during the election. Several blogs claim credit for outing Jeff/Jim Gannon/Guckert, the fake White House correspondent. There is a story going around that Tom Daschle lost his re-election bid in part because two paid Republican operatives posed as bloggers and posted stories unfavorable to the Daschle campaign.
 
So what to make of blogs? It is probably too early to tell, but some trends are developing. Blogs circumvent traditional lines of information flow and make local events worldwide instantaneously. The blogosphere is essentially unfiltered, although with so many voices all crying out at once, it is also a chaotic and cacophonous place that requires, at times, patience and a fair degree of skepticism.

As part of our new public service program here at SLATE Newsletter World Headquarters, we offer up the first in an occasional series of articles directing your attention to those areas of the blog world that relate to education and its associated topics. Below, you will find ten blogs (with descriptions) for your exploring pleasure. Nine are education-themed blogs from elementary through college. I admit to no particular system of picking them other than they caught my eye and represent classroom teachers, both experienced hands and new recruits. Perhaps you will find a doppelganger in their words. The tenth blog isn’t an education blog per se, but the writing was so crisp, the observations so insightful, and the commentary so dead on, I felt compelled to include it. So, welcome to the noise. This list is by no means complete, nor is it comprehensive; in fact, by the time you read this, it may not even be relevant anymore. That’s how things go in the blog world. Every journey begins with a first step, however, so let this be yours:

Blog: Remote Access (http://remoteaccess.typepad.com/remote_access/)
Author: Clarence Fisher
Bio: I have been involved with the Knowledge Society Network, an international organization based out of OISE at the University of Toronto. This collaborative space allows people to examine what knowledge actually is and how classrooms need to look to support the knowledge-building efforts of students.
Quote: “One of my major complaints is that schools have been called upon for far too long to cure all of society’s ills.”

Blog: Urban Educ8r: A Wickerblog (http://radio.Weblogs.com/0126815/)
Author: Greg Wickersham
Bio: Teacher
Quote: “These days, the education discussion is too much in the hands of ignorant politicians merely doing what they need to gain re-election, and not enough in the hands of knowledgeable professionals with firsthand experience.”

Blog: The Education Wonks  (http://www.educationwonk.blogspot.com/)
Author: Various
Bio: Education professionals and aficionados writing about what interests them.
Quote: “Please don’t run amok in the hallways.”

Blog: Chris Correa (http://www.chriscorrea.com/notebook/)
Author: Chris Correa
Bio: Teacher in Montréal, Canada
Quote: “So the analysis is far from conclusive. However, there’s very little in this analysis that would support the idea that tracking students into different schools based on ability will lead to more equal outcomes or even increase overall achievement.”

Blog: Education At The Brink (http://educhange.blogspot.com/)
Author: Anonymous
Bio: I am a teacher of history, government, and math. I earned a Bachelor’s in the Humanities and a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from UT-Austin.
Quote: “Hooray for House Dems who are taking on the Bushies’ pandering to the right with a program of disinformation for young people that they dress up and call ‘abstinence only’ education.”

Blog: Inside Higher Ed (http://www.insidehighered.com/)
Author: Various
Bio: Inside Higher Ed, the online source for news, opinion and career advice and services for all of higher education. Whether you’re an adjunct or a vice president, a grad student, or an eminence grise, we’ve got what you need to thrive in your job or find a better one: breaking news, provocative daily commentary, blogs, discussion areas, practical career columns, and a powerful suite of tools to help higher education professionals get jobs and colleges to identify and hire employees.
Quote: “We believe deeply in the many missions of colleges and universities: shaping minds, training workers, engaging in discovery.”

Blog: Pedablogue  (http://blogs.setonhill.edu/MikeArnzen/)
Author: Mike Arnzen
Bio: I teach full-time at Seton Hill University as an Associate Professor of English.
Quote: “This Web log is the place I turn to in order to share my experiences and experiments in the classroom, to discuss recent reading in pedagogical theory and educational news, to reflect on educational practices, and to generally talk with other teachers about the art of teaching.”

Blog: Polski3’s View From Here  (http://www.polski3.blogspot.com/)
Author: Anonymous
Bio: Middle age. Married with two kids.
Quote: “One thing I’d like to say regarding this, is that IMO, it is NOT just the teacher who is responsible for the education of students, but it is the community, the school, the parents, AND the student who also have responsibility.”

Blog: Post Hip Chick  (http://posthipchick.blogspot.com/)
Author: Anonymous
Bio: Teacher, suburban California
Quote: “Yesterday, one of my boys was suspended for throwing a condom at the sub.”

Blog: A Teacher’s Viewpoint  (http://teachersviewpoint.blogspot.com/)
Author: John McGeough
Bio: I am a teacher with 31 years’ experience in public education.
Quote: “Schools are often pits of leadership-challenged adults who have few to no skills at leading children.”

Blog: Ironicus Maximus (http://ironicusmaximus.blogspot.com)
Author: Anonymous (sort of)
Bio: Teacher in public and private schools for over 30 years. Currently working at a major midwestern university.
Quote: “Our government—making the world safe for democracy one Arab country at a time.”