“Blogging has changed the way we communicate.”

Ten years ago there was no Facebook,WordPress, Twitter, Foursquare, Linkedin, Wikipedia, Instagram, Pinterest, or any other social media platform. Initially, communication and interaction with websites were predominantly one-sided. Web sites would offer information but no interaction. Web surfers would skim across multiple websites without the ability to interact, comment or communicate in real-time. Information would be scanned often without focus or intellectual investment. Passive website viewing rarely allowed two-way interactions.
With the rise of interactive social media, especially blogging, our way of communication has changed to an interactive communication process. Blogging sites such as WordPress offer preset, easily adjustable, free templates for beginner bloggers who can communicate via text, images and video messages to an international audience. Collaboration on a global scale with robust feedback, comment features and instant translation services capture the rapidly evolving nature of online communication. Gordon Brown, former British Prime Minister said: “Take, therefore, what modern technology is capable of: the power of our moral sense allied to the power of communications and our ability to organize internationally. That, in my view, gives us the first opportunity as a community to fundamentally change the world. “
However, blogging also poses challenges. Inadvertent self-disclosure in blogging is akin to “peeling back the layers of an onion. The outer layers of the onion represent superficial information about a person, such as physical appearance and speech. The deeper layers represent more intimate information, such as the person’s thoughts, feelings and relationships with others. “Social Penetration Theory
Entering the blogging and social media galaxy is a multi-dimensional journey which starts with listening and learning, self-disclosure, engaging across all channels, joining and creating communities, and connecting to collaborative partners across the globe. This networking and collaboration leads to collective intelligence, transparency and collaborative solutions.

Author: drcowinj

Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs only to the people who prepare for it today,” determined Malcolm X at the O.A.A.U.’s [Organization of Afro-American Unity] founding forum at the Audubon Ballroom. (June 28, 1964). (X, n.d.) Dr. Jasmin Bey Cowin a Fulbright Scholar, SIT Graduate, completed the Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP™) at Columbia University, Teachers College. Dr. Cowin served as the President of the Rotary Club of New York and Assistant Governor for New York State; long-term Chair of the Rotary United Nations International Breakfast meetings; and works as an Assistant Professor at Touro College, Graduate School of Education. Dr. Cowin has over twenty-five years of experience as an educator, tech innovator, entrepreneur, and institutional leader with a focus on equity and access to digital literacy and education in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. Her extensive background in education, administration, not-for-profit leadership, entrepreneurial spirit, and technology innovation provide her with unique skills and vertical networks locally and globally. Dr. Cowin participates fully in the larger world of TESOL academic discipline as elected Vice President and Chair-Elect for the New York State, NYS TESOL organization, for the 2021 conference. Ongoing research, expressed in scholarly contributions to the advancement of knowledge is demonstrated through publications, presentations, and participation in academic conferences, blogging, and other scholarly activities, including public performances and exhibitions at conferences and workshops. Of particular interest to her are The Blockchain of Things and its implications for Higher Education; Current Global Trends in TESOL; Developing Materials and Resources in Teaching English; E-learning; Micro and Macro-Methodologies in TESOL; E-Resources Discovery and Analysis; and Language Acquisition and the Oculus Rift in VR. View all posts by drcowinj