Skip to main content

Blogging - More Work or Work Worth Doing?

Recently I was asked at a conference why was I encouraging my teachers to have a class blog and also begin professional reflective blogs.

My response was something in the lines of - one of the greatest desires of parents is to get more information about how their child is doing in class. Their key questions are often:
  • What they are learning? 
  • What is the social climate of the classroom? 
  • Are they really happy?
It is not that class blogs can definitively answer this but they do give a snapshot. They allow parents a portal to see in on the classes learning as a whole and help them facilitate discussions at home.

The second reason I have been encouraging the use of blogging is that it provides a portal for students to have learning curated. My students whenever they need to go out on the internet always go via our classes blog. Parents have commented that this is a common routine at home also. I have the key topics tap with learning resources behind these. The blog becomes the place that students go to as part of their enrichment and reinforcement work. I have many tutorials and other video stimulus embedded into blendspaces that has shown over the past two years to have enhanced the engagement and growth of my students compared with cohorts from the past.

With relation to professional reflective blogs I feel as they will become a major game changer for those who adopt them. Hattie states that feedback has one of the highest effect sizes for students, I would almost be as bold to say the same for us as educators. Now a blog is only one of the ways I reflect but it is one of the most powerful as I understand that my writing and thoughts are for an audience. I am able to reflect on both research and on practice in a space that has a limitedless borders. Some of my best professional connections have come out of reflective posts that I have made. I find my audience that engages with my practices and provides valuable feedback. These connections then form part of a larger professional learning network who I share both my successes and my failures with as an educator.

I see blogging has provided me greater benefits as a practitioner than what it has caused problems. I find that my practice tends to crystallize and grow more when I put in into a public place. I also know based on parent feedback it has significance and is worth doing.

References:
Hattie, J. (2011) Quoted by Waack, S. (2015) http://visible-learning.org/hattie-ranking-influences-effect-sizes-learning-achievement
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Being a Globally Connected Educator with a Globally Connected Classroom

As educators we live is such an exciting time to teach. With the onset of the Internet we have had the ability to  embed and curate videos ,  gamify ,  blog , have  Minecraft in the classroom ,  flip the learning , use  QR Codes , access  social media  and potentially  video conferencing  some educators could see that it is too much; however, I see its potential to benefit students and enhance professional development for educators.  There has been no time in history where access to information has been so immediate and available. The potential for teachers to connect and be supported in collaboration, not bound by schools, districts, states and even nations inspires me. I am acutely aware that being globally connected presents the ability to bring expertise, skill and knowledge into my classroom beyond my capabilities.  The networks that I have help me to design activities that measure students’ higher-order thinking skill...
Read more

Thornburg's Learning Spaces

Thornburg's Learning Spaces Theory (2014) is a revolutionary approach to classroom management that focuses on creating learning environments that are both engaging and effective. Created by David Thornburg Ph.D., an award winning futurist and educational consultant, the theory is based on the idea that students should be able to move freely in the classroom, and that learning should be an interactive process.  The theory is built on the metaphor of four primary learning spaces: the campfire, the waterhole, the cave and life; however, is not limited to these. The campfire is a central gathering place for social interaction, explicit teaching and collaboration where they work together in a comfortable and inviting atmosphere. It is a place where students can share their ideas and experiences, be guided in direct instruction to grow their understanding and work together to solve problems. The campfire is a place where discussion, collaboration, brainstorming and problem-solving activi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Guerrilla PD - The Rise of Social Media for Educators

I was recently asked by a group of preservice teachers what has been the most powerful professional development strategy that I had undertaken during my career? This was a profound question because they had give me permission to share with them a practice that had revolutionized my world as an educator. My response initially took them by shock but as I explained my reasoning and philosophy they discovered an untapped supply of experts, experience and resources. Social media once was just thought of as a means to connect social stories, updates and status but in recent times there has been a professional revolution with many educators taking up Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest etc. as a means for quality professional development. It has become a form of "Guerrilla Professional Development" where educators have access to professional conversations happening around the world anytime, anywhere, without cost and restriction. For me my choice in social media has been Twitte...
Post a Comment
Read more