Blogging as an Educator

Blogging has become increasingly popular over the last couple of years and educators are using blogs as a means to express themselves in a larger online community. However, blogging is not an activity that I have personally considered as an educator. I view it as an activity for experienced teachers; these educators have been part of the profession for much longer than I have and they have more insight to share with others. Who would take the time to read a blog of a pre-service teacher when they can read the ideas of a seasoned educator? My perspectives as a new teacher might not be viewed as valuable or relevant in comparison to these well-established educators. Even if I did start a blog as an educator, I worry that I would not have time to maintain an educational blog outside of my teaching responsibilities. Planning, teaching, and assessment are time-consuming, and maintaining a blog as an educator might become more a laborious burden than an enjoyable activity. For these reasons, I have been hesitant to establish a blog as an educator.

I have recently had the opportunity to read a series of articles that have significantly altered my perspectives on blogging. The first article that I read was written by George Couros. In his article, Couros shares four reasons why most educators avoid blogging. Usefulness, time, privacy, and relevance are cited as the reasons why teachers are deterred from blogging. I feel that Couros has accurately described the fears that most educators have; I was able to resonate with his article because most of the reasons he lists closely aligned with many of the doubts I had about blogging as an educator. One of my favourite parts of the article is when Couros proposes that DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) time in the classroom could be transformed into Drop Everything and Reflect. This will allow educators like myself to regularly incorporate blogging in the classroom and use it as an avenue to reflect and grow in our teaching practice. It eliminates the need to find time to blog outside of school; incorporating it into a daily routine makes it a more feasible activity to pair with teaching.

After reading the Couros article, I consulted another article written by Kathleen Morris. In her article, Morris outlines ten reasons that advocate for classroom blogging. Some of these reasons include fostering a classroom community, teaching internet safety, and developing technological skills. This article has created a shift in my mentality; these ten reasons provide a compelling argument for the value that blogging can add to the classroom. One of the points that stands out to me most is that educational blogs bridge the gap between the school and the home; they give parents a glimpse into the learning that is occurring in the classroom. These blogs are more than just informative for the parents; they also give them an opportunity to actively participate in their child's education. Creating a classroom blogging program is something that I will consider after reading Morris' article because I now understand how important it can be for educators, students, and parents.

The last article that I read after the Morris article is written by Ann Rooney. In her article, Rooney discusses three reasons why educators should create blogs. She explains that blogs help teachers organize resources, document their learning, and connect with others around the world. I never considered the value of making global connections through blogging until I read Rooney's article. By making these global connections, I will be able to develop relationships with other educators who share similar interests. Hearing their different perspectives will help me grow significantly as an educator and improve my teaching practice. These global relationships also have potential to impact the learning of my students; collaborative opportunities with other global classrooms can be made possible through these blogging connections.

This image was created using wordart.com