Online blogging has been used for many years since the development of the internet. The use of it has only increased as time has gone on. Blogging can be useful for any type of person or profession. It can be especially useful for educators. Educational blogging can be defined in many different ways. A teacher can use it to reflect on their teaching strategies, share ideas with other teachers, and communicate to parents, along with many other uses. Fore example, a teachers can use blogging to expand the conversation with other teachers about certain education strategies; these conversations can move past short conversation in person and with only those in your school, to conversations that take place worldwide and all the time.
A chalkboard with the word "blog" written on it
Blogging is valuable for a teacher
During this semester, I have been able to write my own blog about different aspects of education in the secondary social studies setting. Also, other students in my program or similar programs have been able to do the same. Sarah Carmichael wrote about standardized testing for one of her blogs. I learned that by time of graduation, a student who live in Tennessee, is non-disabled, is a native English speaker, and on the path to college will have taken around 58 standardized tests. Students who are not native English speakers will take more than that. It seems that standardized testing has gotten out of control in the United States. Emma Rose wrote about the digital divide in her second post. This is something that is very applicable to my blogs. She highlights how until technology is accessible for all, technology must stay in the classroom. Corinne Kamien wrote about LGBTQIA+ students feeling safe in the classroom. This is a vitally important part to any successful classroom. If students, no matter who they are or their story, cannot feel safe and comfortable in the classroom, that is the fault of the teacher. Teachers need to do an excellent job of making sure that all students are in the best learning environment possible.
Blogging this semester has been great. It has shown my how I can use it when I blog myself and how I can look at other teachers’ blogs to see what they are saying. I will certainly use blogs in my future classroom. The best way I think I will use blogs is by using it for teacher-parent communication. At the end of every week, I will write a blog that recaps what we talked about in the classroom. This will help the parents keep in touch with what is going on in my classroom. This will also support the theory that the best education comes when all three parties are involved – the teachers, the students, and the parents.
