“Blogging and wikis are useful practice for the development of higher order learning skills, active, learner-centered pedagogy, authentic learning, associative thinking, and interactive learning communities” (O‘Donnell, 2006; Farmer, 2006).
In my experience, teachers rarely get to choose their own learning
opportunities, pursue professional passions, or engage in meaningful, ongoing
conversations about instruction. Most of the time, the latest PD is drawn directly from the latest educational fad (often based on models from the business world).
A series of very ordinary professional development experiences has left a lot of teachers jaded and cynical when it comes to P.D. ENTER the Blog!!!
A series of very ordinary professional development experiences has left a lot of teachers jaded and cynical when it comes to P.D. ENTER the Blog!!!
Blogs act as fresh "portals through which new knowledge about
teaching and learning can enter schools" (Elmore 2002).
Blogs ( truncated expression of web log) are becoming increasingly significant as an interactive Web 2.0 tool for professional growth in education and I believe could be the 'silver bullet' we need as far as P.D in the 21st century.
In every content area and grade level and in schools of varying sizes and from different geographic locations, accomplished teachers are actively reflecting on instruction, challenging assumptions, questioning policies, offering advice, designing solutions, and learning together. And all this collective knowledge is readily available for free.
In every content area and grade level and in schools of varying sizes and from different geographic locations, accomplished teachers are actively reflecting on instruction, challenging assumptions, questioning policies, offering advice, designing solutions, and learning together. And all this collective knowledge is readily available for free.
Indeed, the new Australian
curriculum requires us to foster new
literacies. It is not just a matter of
transferring classroom writing into digital spaces. Blogging allows teachers to
write
for a public audience, to show how to cite
and link and
why,
and how to use and comment on
pedagogy.
Blogging will enable us to teach students to critically engage media. Students need instruction on how to become efficient navigators in these digital spaces where they will be obtaining a majority of their information. The potential of Blogging is enormous - see below for a list of the key reasons why teachers need to start incorporating blogging into their professional and classroom practice....
Blogging will enable us to teach students to critically engage media. Students need instruction on how to become efficient navigators in these digital spaces where they will be obtaining a majority of their information. The potential of Blogging is enormous - see below for a list of the key reasons why teachers need to start incorporating blogging into their professional and classroom practice....
Why
Teachers Should Blog:
•Grow communities
of discourse and knowledge — a space where teachers
can
learn from each other.
•New
perspective
on the meaning of voice. Other professional
voices are essential to the conversations we need to have about learning.
•Encourages
global conversations about learning–conversations not previously possible in
our classrooms.
•Records
ongoing
learning. It facilitates reflection and evaluation.
•Opportunity
for
collective and collaborative learning is enormous.
Why Students
Should Blog:
•Opportunity
to
read their classmates’ blogs
and those of others.
•Connecting
with
experts on the topic students are writing.
•The interactivity
creates enthusiasm for writing and
communication.
•Engages
students
in conversation and learning.
•Blogging provides
the opportunity for our students to learn to write for life-long learning.
•Opportunity
to
learn
about responsible public writing. Students can
learn about the power of the published word and the responsibilities involved
with public writing.
With the millions of blogs out there, how do I choose which ones to follow??
The answer to this problem is the RSS Feed (Rich Site Summary). I have found several blogs that
target my professional interests and I've organised them to be delivered to me via an RSS feed (I use Feedly - there are hundreds to choose from).
I'm automatically notified when there has been an new post. By dedicating a few minutes each day to browsing the
changing content in Feedly, I am able to find topics that
motivate me and challenge my thinking. I can leave comments for the authors and
see whether they respond. I can also engage other readers in conversations or friendly
debate.
In short, blog platforms build a viable base of shared experiences and mutual relationships. They are becoming an increasingly important interactive learning tool for communities of practice in education. They encourage professional interaction and critical reflection.
