I was checking some of my students masterpieces (paintings) when my cellphone rang. It was a teacher from Mc Kinley School of Technology, Ms. Ingrid Fluellen, a co-Teacher Consultant from the DC Area Writing Project. She reminded me of our meeting this coming Thursday when I am going to help her create her own weblog. She sounded very excited about this; I'm very sure she is, knowing that she's a techie too, a writer, and a very professional teacher. It's a date!
Our conversation made me reflect on how many teachers are getting into this new blogging technology. I wonder what the exact stats are of educators who start their own weblogs everyday. But "to facilitate communication with parents, some Arizona schools are asking teachers to maintain their own webpages" (via Education Wonks). My school, Jefferson Junior High School, is also encouraging teachers to create their own websites/ weblogs so we can make homeworks accessible to our students even after class hours.
When I was appointed last year as the new DC Area Writing Project's Technology Liaison, I told my director, Judith Kelly, that I am going to advocate for the use of technology among the DC Public Schools teachers. The job granted to me wasn't a job at all, because I am enjoying what I am doing sharing what I know about integrating writing and technology inside the classroom...blogging in short. I've taught teachers who are taking graduate courses create their own class websites through blogs. I've given seminar workshops to my fellow DCAWP Teacher Consultants on Blogging 101. I am practicing what I preach. I guess I am doing what is expected of me :D
How many teacher bloggers do I know? Many, and the number is still growing everyday.
Below is a list of my teacher blogger friends globally. If you know someone who’s supposed to be in this list, please let us know. We would want to exchange ideas and learn from each other through blogging *wink*
Thailand: Little Miss Teacher/ UK: Primary Teacher UK / Philippines: Mga Turo ni Tito Rolly, Teacher Bugsy, School Librarian in Action , Filipino Librarian /USA: Education in Texas (Texas) Fred’s World (Florida), Digital Writing Digital Teaching (Michigan), Education Wonks (CA), Beliza’s Handiwork (CA), The DC Education Blog, The DC Teacher, Mrs C-S Fifth Grade Class, Ms. Coti’s Fourth Grade Giants , The Chutry Experiment (Washington DC) , First Year Teacher (Colorado) / Middle East: Iranian Teacher XP / Australia: The Open Classroom
Educators Community Blogs: National Writing Project, DC Area Writing Project, Pinoy Teachers Network, Jefferson Junior HS Community Website
13 comments:
Hi,
I do hope to epand this network of teachers friendship throughout the world to have a global teachers union.
Cheers:)
thanks for the plug :-) our school has a website too. it's really a PR and marketing strategy of the school keeping it fresh 2x a week. students' work get published there too, as well as teachers'.
so far, our efforts are worth it. we've won the CMMA 2004 best school website and we're up again this year. hope we make it again. go visit at http://web.xs.edu.ph
Hi MARIA, I want to start my own weblog/website and help my students start their sites too. How do I get started?
Argh!
Nakakainggit naman ang mga blogs ninyo. :) I've been trying to start a blog for the longest time but I don't really know how. The ones I've started look so plain kaya hindi tuloy ako nae-enganyo to write entries...you know, sort of like having a really good journal inspires you to write in it. :)
Teacher Sol (and to the others out there), what's a good blogsite and how exactly do you set up one? How do you change the design so you don't have to stick to the templates the sites have posted?
Salamat!
FRANK, sure we will be able to accoplish your wish with every support from each other :D
ERUANNIE, Wow! Nice school site you got there! Your school desrve that award!
JEAN AND NICNIC,
You can start by creating your account here (free) http://www.blogger.com/start. By following the directions, you can already create your own site. To be able to create your own links like her sidebar and the header, I can help you with that later if you want *wink*...
Here's a good example of a new blog: http://www.thedcteacher.blogspot.com/ , I created Elizabeth Daviz's weblog, and it was in the news 2 weeks after I created it.
I found this interesting article at WEB-LOGGED:
From Jay Cross:
"What is the role of weblogs in education? It's roles, plural.
Weblogs are a personal writing space. Easy, sharable, automatically archived.
Weblogs are easily linked and cross-linked to form learning communities. The school logs projects are examples. The school logs also enable a teacher to evaluate a student's thinking, by reading explanations and assignments.
Weblogs can become digital portfolios of students' assignments and achievements.
Weblogs are a novice's web authoring tool.
Accumulated weblogs become a content management system.
Via digital storytelling, weblogs play a role in professional development."
Terrific Maria! DCAWP appreciates all of your hard work. I will soon be in touch with your principal to set up a meeting.
Hi Teacher Sol! =) You are such an inspiration to many aspiring educators like me. I hope you could give me advise soon as to how I can get started. Can I work for Funshine? Thanks!
Hello Maria,
I want to let my students listen to your podcasts. How do I link to them? Have you submitted them to iTunes.
John Blake
This is a really good post -- those links are especially helpful.
Thanks for commenting on my blog. I too feel passionately about teaching and learning together with my students, about hearing students' voices in the classroom and the wider world, and using whatever tools are available to engage students' interest and curiosity about learning. I know I learn so much from teachers with blogs and who are using blogs. Thank you for the work you are doing.
Hi, I came across your blog via DC blogs. I teach English and media studies (currently at Catholic U) and have used blogs in the past and found the experience to be pretty rewarding. One example would be my freshman comp course from last fall, Rhetoric and Democracy.
But the main reason I'm commenting is that a few academic bloggers have organized a "teaching carnival" in which one blogger links to dozens of posts on teaching. If you're interested in participating by submitting a post to Miriam, that would be great. At the very least, it'll give you a good sense of another corner of the teaching community.
Sol, thanks for the blog props! My blog isn't really "all that". It's just another form of venting, but in a more positive way.
I think you're doing a real great job w/ your blogsite! It's very interactive & engaging to read.
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