We're all Reporters in the 21st Century

It occurs to me that now that I have a smartphone, a YouTube account, and a blog, I am, if I so choose, a news reporter.  As I walk down the streets of Salem, Monmouth, Portland, or Paris, thoughts pass through my mind as I see the human drama play out before me, and if I'm perceptive, I can choose to share my thoughts with the world.  With my iPhone I can film a short video of my take on a touching human interest story that is unfolding before me.  And with the simple push of one button, that is uploaded to my YouTube account.  My mental notes, still photos I take, and perhaps the video I just mentioned, can then be put into a blog in the early hours of the morning and others, across the globe (might as well think big here) can get some highly personalized local news.

All of my students will have blogs this year and last week I even set up blogs for my seven and nine year-olds.  The Digital Natives are telling their story.  When will you?