This month, I am participating in an online International Baccalaureate class for global educators. We are improving upon our global education skills through activities that support the following:
- collaboration
- authentic learning activities
- digital citizenship
- and global connectedness
I have been asked to do a little reflecting along the way, a practice I do very well as a think-a-loud, in the shower (where all my brilliant thoughts occur) or at 2:00 am when I can't sleep. Blogging about my reflections has been on my goal list for years. It was even on my district performance plan last year.
Thus far in my teaching career, I have mostly used blogs to connect my students with other classrooms via global projects. For years I have attempted to use blogs to be a reflective teacher, an educator that finds the time to share her learning and reach out to those that will help me grow. I have not had as much success in this area as I would like. I think it is because I put forth so much effort into getting my students connected, that I just "squeeze in" the time to connect myself beyond classroom projects. Twitter (follow me
@crosbyscoolcats) has been a better tool for me in terms of connecting. Perhaps it's because everyone is just "squeezing in" 140 characters. The chat or comment is quick and to the point. The resources are archived and you can go back to your
Storify at any time.
A resource that was provided to us included,
"How to Craft a Blog Post - 10 Crucial Points to Pause" by
Darren Rowse. I find his thoughts on post promotion to be a helpful nudge in the right direction. Perhaps one of the reasons I am more apt to connect with and for my students is because I have a greater buy-in and response from other classrooms. I know I should Tweet and share my blog posts more often, but it feels a little too narcissistic to me to do so, at least to do it more than once or twice...
So, perhaps I set a "share" number and aim to share my posts a little more often, with comfort. I think I may also consider sharing posts that I consider to be a "old" with the idea that they could actually be new learning for others.
I am curious as to how other educators share their blogs. I would love your feedback...
- Do you share them during chats?
- Are they distributed via your school's professional learning department or PLN in your building?
- What advice can you share with me in terms of growing professionally through my blog beyond enhanced classroom learning experiences?
