I feel like a Blog...

It is a sign of the times that something so ingrained into the population’s psyche is something that is so young. The birth of the blog (or web log as it was known at first) happened just over 10 years ago. I found it fascinating to read an article- a blog of course- by Rebecca Blood that chronicles the beginnings of blogs and their rise to popularity. I find it very amusing to remember my first experiences with the internet in general and to realize that my first experience in grade 7 with the “new” computers in our lab was about the time that many other people first got their taste. I can even remember when the fax machine was the height of technological sophistication! My how the times have changed- and so quickly!!

Blood’s history of the blog is very interesting to read and it provides a timeline to the popularity of the blogs. She addresses the question of why blogs became so popular and suggests that it is because of the free-form concept- people are able to express their thoughts and opinions- combined with the ease of use. I have certainly found the ease of use a definite plus to my blogging experience. I have found this particular site (blogger.com) to be extremely easy to use and it has taken away that anxiety of many other Web 2.0 tools in that I don’t have to worry about how to use it and if I’m going to be able to figure it out in time.

McGraw-Hill/Glencoe has a very informative website that helps teachers research many of the Web 2.0 tools that we have investigated in this class. Their site on blogs has been particularly interesting and useful. They suggest that blogs are beneficial for students by:
·motivating to students, especially those who otherwise might not become participants in classrooms
·excellent opportunities for students to read and write.
·effective forums for collaboration and discussion.
·powerful tools to enable scaffolded learning or mentoring to occur.

They go on to suggest some uses in the classroom:

1.Classroom ManagementClass blogs can serve as a portal to foster a community of learners. As they are easy to create and update efficiently, they can be used to inform students of class requirements, post handouts, notices, and homework assignments, or act as a question and answer board.
2.CollaborationBlogs provide a space where teachers and students can work to further develop writing or other skills with the advantage of an instant audience. Teachers can offer instructional tips, and students can practice and benefit from peer review. They also make online mentoring possible. For example, a class of older students can help a class of younger students develop more confidence in their writing skills. Students can also participate in cooperative learning activities that require them to relay research findings, ideas, or suggestions.
3.DiscussionsA class blog opens the opportunity for students to discuss topics outside of the classroom. With a blog, every person has an equal opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions. Students have time to react to ideas and reflect on learning. Teachers can also bring together a group of knowledgeable individuals for a given unit of study for students to network and conference with on a blog.
4.Student PortfoliosBlogs present, organize, and protect student work as digital portfolios. As older entries are archived, developing skills and progress may be analyzed more conveniently. Additionally, as students realize their efforts will be published, they are typically more motivated to produce better writing. Teachers and peers may conference with a student individually on a developing work, and expert or peer mentoring advice can be easily kept for future reference.

I really liked the idea of using blogs as a way of having an organized discussion with students. Sometimes in the classroom we are inhibited by the time we can spend on a subject or by other factors such as management and size. Blogs would allow for the students who are truly interested in exploring a concept further to be able to extend the discussion at a later time. It would be a great adaptation for students who need to be accelerated or enriched.

I see the use of blogs more beneficial for professional development than for use in the classroom. I can use myself as an example; I have learned so much about Web 2.0 tools in this class by both researching for information for my own blog and by reading and exploring links that I have found on my classmates’ blogs. I have found that sometimes being a teacher can be an isolating experience. Not so much when we need to discuss behaviour problems or school related issues, but more in the actual delivery of material or ideas for changing and improving one’s program. I have mentioned in previous posts that being one of only two high school teacher librarians in a huge school division can be quite daunting. Until last spring I had never even met the other secondary t-l and so I had no one to really share ideas or to ask advice from. It never occurred to me to look on the internet for t-l blogs or wikis to gain some information. I basically used my classmates on my online courses- a big thank you to those who helped me in the beginning! Also, having taught at two rural schools where you are the only teacher teaching each subject is can also be isolating as you don’t have many to bounce ideas off of and I would (and have) recommended to anyone looking for that kind of interaction to look for blogs by other teachers.

In my search for information, I have come across a number of teacher blogs that support professional development. Some are by teachers for teachers in their division or district and some are for everyone. Here is an example of a few:
1) http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/ : a blog by Karl Fisch. From reading it, I believe that he is a leader in his school, maybe by choice or by job description. Some entries really mirror this course. There is a good entry on VoiceThreads he did not too long ago.
2) http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/ : this site is on my side bar and I use it a lot. I have been using it for other things besides this course and I love it! Lots of great information and interesting posts.
3) http://teacherlingo.com/ : this is a site that hosts teacher blogs. It connects teachers in one site to share ideas.
4) http://onf.ca/blogs/hello-teacher : I have signed up for the NFB newsletter and I came across this blog a couple of months ago. It is great to find out information about the films NFB offers and ideas for using them in the classroom.
5) http://borderland.northernattitude.org/ : a blog by teacher Doug Noon. It is very informative and entertaining. I enjoyed the quote he found on Accommodating Student Weirdness! More on Doug Noon later in my blog...
6) http://gwegner.edublogs.org/ : a blog by Aussie teacher Graham Wegner. Fascinating insight
and ideas.

As promised, I would like to share more information that I found on Doug Noon’s blog. He has a “blogging manifesto” that I would like to share:
“Educating people for a democratic society is cultural work. Teachers must become border crossers. We need to be creatively flexible because even if curriculum is standardized, our students are not. Teaching is more than methodology. It begins with understanding, and it depends on personal connections that honor the identities of learners. Conceptual borders are places to make new meanings - to explore different ways of thinking and being, to muck about with difficult questions and to be unafraid of wrong answers.”- Doug Noon
I love that quote- it has really summed up my own ideas about teaching and spoke to me in a way that no other idea about teaching has. I have copied that and printed it out and have it beside my desk at school. So once again, through a blog, I have found information that has affected me personally and professionally- I believe that is the power of blogs.

Conclusions:

There is a reason that I titled my blog “Here’s What I Think...” I had plans to continue using this blog as a professional and personal diary for my own purposes after the class had ended. I thought I would use it as a place to vent and get some frustrations out of the way. I have changed my mind a bit- I probably still vent somewhat- but I have decided to try and keep up the research part of the blog and have it as a tool for my own personal and professional development. What better way to keep on top of the new ideas, tools, methods, etc. of teaching. Maybe someone will stumble across my blog and find it useful- hopefully that will happen, but even if now one reads it, it will still be valuable to me and my professional growth. I also plan on having it attached to my Virtual School Library site and it will be available for my colleagues to view and have a look at. Hopefully some of the entries on Web 2.0 will be useful for them!

The only downside I can see to blogging in general is the time factor. It takes a lot of time to research and create blog entries like these and I’m not entirely sure that I will continue on with the same determination if there is not a mark attached to it. I hope that I will, but I can see that becoming an issue. I think the “time problem” cannot be underestimated in a teacher’s life- in some cases with our teaching days, planning, extra-curricular, families, personal lives, etc. there isn’t a whole lot of time for blogging, but I think that if I (or anyone) can set aside some time to put their thoughts into the ether- it is well worth it!

That’s what I think about blogging...

Katie