Oct 11 2008
Looking for blog examples
I am busy creating a blogging learning object for use with subject advisors and teachers. It has been a great learning experience for me as I had to actually sit down and think about why we blog. Speaking to other teachers and edtech aficionados, I realised that there are endless reasons for teachers to blog. It also seems that the biggest reason people fail to maintain a blog after creation is because they do not have a clear vision of what to blog about.
I therefore decided to create a collection of reason with examples to help motivate us to blog more regularly for teaching and learning. In my quest I have stumbled upon some inspirational examples of teacher blogs, but was sad to see that there are not enough ordinary teachers blogging. It is mainly web 2.0 convertees, IT, CAT and edtech teachers going for it flat out. I am interested to see how “ordinary” (as in non IT) class teachers use blogs.
My idea list for reasons to blog has amounted to the following and I am looking to link up with exact examples. It has been quite a time consuming exercise (something we do not have a lot of) and am desperately hoping for some assistance in completing my list examples. So if you have written a blogpost that I can use as an example of the following blog post ideas, please add them to a comment here!
Post daily homework tasks (http://smithmel.edublogs.org/2007/11/12/create-a-cartoon-caption-assignment/)
- Reflect on the days teaching
- Post the lesson plan for each class
- Post educational tutorials
- Embed videos and slideshows that you want the class to watch and post comment on. (peer review maybe?) (http://class.huffenglish.com/?p=1115)
- Post newsletters
- Post parent notes (http://art-on-the-move.blogspot.com/search/label/Art%20Room)
- Post sport results
- Post a photo gallery
- Inspirational quotes
- Comment on current educational issues
- Inspiration
- Embed a school radio station
- Share teaching tips
- Share teaching resources
- Share resources and links
- …….? Please let me know what I have left out….
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Was it just a coincidence that I came across your post? I am a “regular” classroom teacher and I was just thinking the other day that there are not many other teachers in my PLN. There are not enough of us that blog.
I currently maintain a “professional” blog in which I discuss current issues in education and reflect on my career. I am in the early stages of setting up a “class” blog in which I will post all kinds of things related to my students.
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Thanks Maggie for this article and for a great blog.
An addition to the use of blogging:
Forum – to extend communication between teacher- students, students to other students local or overseas, Students- virtual teacher (opportunity for communication with experties in a certain field)
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I have two blogs – a personal one, and one for linking with other like-minded adults. The educational one is over at Huddlemind.net. You should check that out.
Personally, although I’m a total convert to Web 2.0 and LOVE my blogging, I wouldn’t use a blog with my learners. The reason being that most of them don’t have internet access at home, won’t access an educational site on their phones (they’d rather spend the money on Moola for MXit) and won’t stay after school to access one from the school’s IT lab.
I’m amazed that anyone would want to blog lesson plans. In my limited experience, I don’t think the kids are that interested, and teachers who are IT literate tend not to use online lesson plans. Rather, they’re looking for learning objects that they can use for a lesson plan they already have. As one esnsa presenter put it – we’re into remix and rap, not just reusing existing stuff in the same old way. That’s boring. But then, that’s just my humble opinion, and as an ‘ordinary’ teacher, what do I really know about how others are working and doing stuff? Someone like you who has fingers in lots of pies probably has a much better idea of that kind of thing than me, so maybe I’m just completely out of touch.
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Maggie,
Quick suggestion, I use Google Reader to read all of my blogs…It appears that you have set your blog to summary on rss readers…you might consider changing.
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Ooops got so caught up in blog research, forgot to check back here!
@Beth: I agree with you about not enough teachers blogging. Most of the teahcers here in South Africa have not yet got into teh blogging thing- but I am working hard on changing that! Please let me know when and where your class blog take off!
@Ariellah: Even though a blog provides feedback facilities, I think a proper forum/network/wiki is a better place for collaborative feedback procecsses. Please see the interesting discussion about commenting on Kobus’s blog (http://www.khanya.co.za/blogs/index.php?entry=entry081002-170137)
@ Nixgrim I have been researching ways teachers are using it with their learners and have been astounded! I suppose like everything else, we only learn the value of a tool once we start using it!
And yes..have not found an example of an actual lesson plan blog. Will change that to lesson plan ideas…have found quite a few examples of that!
@Bryan I use Netvibes and Google reader (Have not made my mind up about which one is better (a girl thing)
I think Google reader works better here in SA (badwidth)
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Hello! I too am trying to link examples of blogs with how to use it in the classroom.
For lesson planning, I posted plans here to share with my co-teacher. We referenced the blog again in the second semester run of the class :
http://tbamediaseminar.blogspot.com/
I reflect on teaching practices and all things ed-techy on my blog :
education.lkrdesign.com/blog
I just assisted our Parent Coordinator in posting the parent newsletter as a blog : brcsbookbag.edublogs.org
Id love to see more of whats already out there too! Edublogs.org doesnt have a great searching tool through their users’ blogs – or am I missing something? Thanks!
Lisa
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[...] teachers, and have been disappointed with the results! I found that Im not the only one frustrated (see this educator’s blog post), but this still doesnt help! Today’s lessons on how to search and subscribe to find what I [...]
Hey Im back from MassCue Conference and found this GEM :
http://supportblogging.com/
Theres a list of blogs, a mailing list for support, and more.
You should all join classroom20.com as well, a social network for web 2.0 educators.
Cheers!
Lisa
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Oh and as for lesson planning blogs, keep in mind that using edublogs.org, you can password protect each post, so if you are not keen on publicizing your lesson plans, but want a simple tool to collaborate with a co-teacher or department with, that would be an option.
Lisa
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Thanx Lisa, will go and and have a look!
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