On blogging.

I followed the blog Invisible Children that I found a few weeks ago on StumbleUpon.com. The blog stems from the Invisible Children website; an organization dedicated to creating documentaries about children soldiers involved in the war in Africa. Through art and media the founders, and staff, raise awareness for these “invisible children.”

The blog allows visitors to click on a category link at the top of the page, this breaks down the various pages of the blog such as Awards, Inspiration, News and Updates, etc. This lumps the daily posts together by category instead of date. Posts frequently include videos, pictures and links to other pages [for more information]. The bloggers also reflect on issues, worldwide, that affect the progress of ending war and aiding relief in Africa. Through these components the blog “engages readers with ideas and questions and links,” this inspires readers to respond, interact, with the posts (Richardson 18). Occasionally the bloggers will add video clips and other tid-bits that they find of interest at the IC office and want to share with followers. This gives the blog individual flare and allows followers to get a sense of the personalities behind the blog.

A blog, such as this, tackling issues of social injustice through art and media can be used across curriculum with students- even into social studies and science classrooms. Students can use similar blogs as an example of how to raise awareness for issues of social justice. Teachers could incorporate such blogs in short-term writing assignments or long-term whole class [or whole school] assignments. As Lisa Zawilinski states “ “classroom blogs bridge the ever-widening gap between out-of-school literacies and in-school literacies. Most literacy educators work hard to provide authentic opportunities that attempt break down those barriers.” This allows students to voice their concerns to a real-world audience under the influence of the classroom.