The power of positive narcissism does it again

Checking my referrer stats I was sent to the new (to me) weblog The Open Classroom (great title), which pointed me toward this nugget from the blog of proximal development (another dandy moniker):

…it occurred to me that I have stopped “marking” or “correcting” and started reading. I do not mean that my students are no longer evaluated, that they no longer receive grades. They do. But my approach has changed dramatically. It’s taken over a year but I have become a teacher-blogger and I am recording this change because it is crucial to my thesis and my professional development.

I have become a teacher who reads, who looks forward to reading, who comments on student entries and can’t wait to see the responses, who can’t wait to see where the conversation takes us. I have become a teacher who sees my students as writers, as people with voices who can contribute to and initiate insightful conversations.

When I think of blogs, I think primarily of what this technology enables my students to accomplish. When I look forward to reading their entries and comments I am really looking forward to thoughts made visible.

“Thoughts made visible” may be the best line I’ve heard attached to blogging since “narrate your work”.  The post finishes with “participation engenders competence”, which is in the running as well. 

I was up until the wee hours last night grading assignments for Text Technologies, which is always a difficult process for me on a number of levels (in this case made easier by the fine quality of student work), so this went down well with my second cup of coffee.