Thing 16: Widgets

I didn't think I would appreciate Widgets, but it turns out I think they are an easy way to add personality and interactivity to a blog. I chose to add a picture of a recent weekend up north with a caption explaining the snow family we created. And then I also added a poll about Springtime. These tools appear to be unique ways to get readers engaged in the blog as well as opportunities for them to get to know the blogger a bit more. Readers can see from my blog that, while there are some things I enjoy about winter (i.e. playing in the snow), I am also excited about Spring (hence the poll). I could also post a poll for my students, I suppose, referring to a project in class or an upcoming assignment. Students could provide feedback here while they are using technology and experimenting with blogs. Adding these widgets was also very easy to do, which is always a good thing.