Blogs R US

I’ve said before that I think blogging has become ubiquitous. It’s like Brad Pitt, you can’t escape it! That being said, I think there are several things to understand and consider before one jumps into the foray of “blogging”, especially when talking about with a classroom.

Are you blogging to communicate with your students? Their parents? both? Are you talking to your peers, as I am? By keeping in mind who you are talking to, you’ll be able to gauge what you’re talking about.

I read a LOT of blogs. It’s insane. Some are completely random people that I’ve never met but who have touched my life, some aresorority sisters I adore, some are aboutcooking cheaply…however, the ones I savor are professionally driven. Wes Fryer, Jeff Utecht, and Miguel Guhlin for example. These educators are constantly challenging what and how I do my job. Not only that, but they are SO helpfula dn encouraging. I’ve contacted Mr. Guhlin on several occasions and he never fails to respond, comment or move me along. As an educator, this is SO very valuable!

If YOU want to blog, consider reading a variety of blogs to help get you started. Decide how often you want to blog, what you’re going to talk about and if interests your audience. If you’re communicating with parents, remember that they will come to depend on it as a resource and you will have to be consistent. 🙂

I originally blogged with fourth graders. It was…greatness. We chatted over vacations, over breaks, over losing grandparents…amazing conversations that allowed me into my student’s worlds in a way I’d never seen. I’d always had “good” relationships with my students but this was a whole different ballgame. Parents joined in, administrators joined in, and then people from ALL over began to comment on what we were doing in our fourth grade world. The kid’s loved it. They monitored themselves, they helped each other and they helped me, 🙂 a win win for all.

This blog will be used for me to communicate with my campuses and hopefully providing more great resources and trends in educational technology. I hope many of you will be more involved with reading and commenting. (I’m no Brad Pitt, but I do amuse myself greatly. Heh.) I’ll also be highlighting and showcasing what I see as I make my rounds in your classrooms. I want to brag on you!

bloggingly,
Amber