First Steps in Blogging

 "A crucial first step in helping students negotiate the Web is for teachers to become part of the world of Web.20 themselves" (Kist, 2010, p.72).

My first exposure to a blog was my friend's "Mommy" blog documenting her beautiful daughter's milestones such as her first steps. I am a novice blogger; I am taking my first steps in blogging. Technology Journey is only my second blog- my first being the VCS Art Blog created to document student work in my current role as an art specialist. After my maternity leave, I took a job where the middle school teachers all use blogs as class portals to communicate information such as class rules, homework assignments, and upcoming events and felt that I should join the band wagon. My view of blogs and their potential in teaching and learning is truly being broadened by taking LIBE 477. 

In terms of applications for education the possibilities are numerous, from online literature circles, world wide "blog" pals, e-potfolios, blogs to support curriculum, blogs as class portals, and more. For a comprehensive guide on using blogs in the classroom check out Web 2.0 in the classroom.What has struck me most thus far however, are the benefits of blogging in the classroom. 

So what exactly can blogs do to improve student learning? 

 I particularity like Will Richardson's answer in Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. His six main points are summarized below. Blogs:

• "... are a constructivist tool for learning"
• "expand the walls of the classroom"
• "archive the learning the teachers and students do"
•   are "a democratic tool that support different learning styles."
• "can enhance the development of expertise in a particular subject"
• "can teach students the new literacies they will need to funtion in an ever-expanding infromation society" (Richardson, 2010, p.27)

I was especially impacted by Richardson's statement: "The idea that the relevance of students work no longer ends at the classroom door can not only be a powerful motivator but can also create a significant was in the way [educators] think about the assignments and work we ask of our students in the first place" (Richardson, 2010, p.27). I like this statement, because I am pushed as a teacher to consider how blogs can not only improve student work, but my own teaching practices. That being said, it is impressed upon me once again that I must myself be living in this Web 2.0 world, in order to more effectively bring students into it.

So... How do I blog?

Richardson states "...we write not just to communicate but to connect with others who can potentially teach us more..." and that blogs are "...not built on static chunks of content. Instead, they are comprised of reflections and conversations..." (Richardson, 2010, p.28). The key points in the latter statements being connecting and conversing with others. This distinguishes the difference between a journal and a blog. As a form of professional development, blogs "...need to be more than just a place to pontificate." (Kist, 2010, p. 62). They need to become a places to explore ideas, ask questions, share, make connections, link, collaborate, grow.

Step 1 in using blogs to grow professionally: Blog myself.

Step 2 in using blogs to grow professionally: Follow other educators blogs. This is my next step! I plan to continue adding to my blog roll and exploring the use of RSS feed and a blog aggregator to manage this.

Question:What educators' blogs do you love to follow?


Works Cited: 

Kist, W. (2010). The Socially Networked Classroom: Teaching in the New Media Age. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts. and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.