Blogging with Purpose

In my last several years as an educator, I have had the desire to create a blog to share my insights. But, like many teachers out there, I couldn't seem to find the time or fit it into my schedule. I am really excited about this part of our assignment this week. There are so many valuable uses for blogs among the education world. First and foremost, blogging provides an excellent source of collaboration that principals and other school administrators do not typically have. Many of the ideas I have used over the years have come from blogs and online journals of people who are in the trenches like me. Blogging is a great way to share ideas and concerns with others who might be having the same experiences. It provides a rare link between educators that spans the world. People from two different sides of the nation, who might be in similar situations, can share their experiences with one another. That is such a powerful thought! Blogging also provides educators with an excellent opportunity to reflect on their own thinking. I can't possibly intimate the many times I have had a thought or idea, but I didn't write it down or reflect on it. As a result, many possibly great ideas have died in my brain, never to be heard from again. I love the example from Leading with Passion and Knowledge when it discusses Dumbledore's use of the "pensieve." When Dumbledore wants to remember something or teach Harry Potter a lesson, he simply visits the pensieve and pulls memories out. There are so many things that have happened to me as an educator that I wish I see with such clarity. Had I utilized a blog, I might have those memories at my fingertips today. Finally, as a former English teacher, I believe that one of the most powerful uses of a blog lies in the opportunity to model a love for writing to students. Sharing with my students that I am a blogger lets them know that there is power in reflective writing. It also shows them that I am not asking them to do something I am not willing to do myself.