Blog About a Blog

Blogs have always been an intriguing subject to me. Maybe it's the girl in me, thinking of it as a way to share thoughts and feelings, like a digital diary, but it is something I've always wanted to try. A blog about teaching is like a match made in heaven. Yet it is still hard to answer one daunting question: What's the point? Does blogging actually have any benefits? So for my first blog post I've decided to set out and do a little research on why I should try it out. Here's what I found:

Tsisana Palmer, an ESL Instructor/Intensive English Program teacher, reflects on her blogging experience that she began as a school requirement at Boise State University. She begins her article on Edutopia.org by addressing blogging as a "professional activity." This is a really interesting description because most people think about blogging and immediately associate it with fun or a simple, pointless hobby; however, blogging is actually a powerful tool. Palmer was encouraged to use her blog as a "digital learning log" to share reflections, progress, projects, and even aha moments.

Standard number 5 of the Alabama Quality Teaching Standards addresses the level of professionalism educators should have. Continuous learning and self-improvement falls under this category of professionalism. By using a blog as a digital learning log, teachers can constantly challenge themselves to reflection on their experiences, share them with others, and even give and receive valued feedback. This kind of activity allows for continuous learning.

Just this description alone sold me on getting my own blog started, but Palmer continues to give 9 reasons that teachers should blog:

1. It gives teachers a medium to SHARE

2. It allows for meaningful REFLECTION

3. It is a platform for PUBLISHING

4. It IMPROVES READING SKILLS

5. You can SERVE OTHERS by sharing resources

6. You can LEAD YOUR OWN PD

7. It lends to becoming a DIGITAL CITIZEN

8. It is a great project idea for STUDENTS

9. You can SHOWCASE STUDENT WORK

(To read more visit her article here: https://www.edutopia.org/discussion/9-reasons-why-teachers-should-blog)

Let's take a second to focus in on reason number 8. Blogging can be an excellent project choice for students as well. I wish I had teachers earlier on who challenged me to keep a blog for a course or even for personal use. I am thankful that my current Auburn University course is encouraging this as a project option for me to try. If a teacher keeps a blog he or she will be informed and knowledgeable about to how set it up and use it successfully, therefore they can use it effectively with their own students. So this introduces the next question: How does blogging benefit students?

Kimberley Moran shares here thoughts on incorporating blogging for students on Weareteachers.com. She lists 9 (I see a trend here) ways that blogging helps students with social-emotional development. This is a huge aspect of education that is often over looked due to the pressure of teachers to teach academic content.

9 ways blogging helps social-emotinal development in students:

1. It increases their connections to grown-ups.

2. It helps them relate to their peers.

3. It teaches them self-awareness.

4. It allows them to identify strengths.

5. It supports and strengthens them emotionally.

6. It gives them empathy.

7. It helps them regulate emotions.

8. It reminds them to think before they act.

9. It shows them how to understand the worlds and their place in it.

(To read more visit her article here: https://www.weareteachers.com/blogging-helps-kids-development/)

If a blog can do all that it's a wonder that teacher don't use them more frequently.