Get Off the Sidelines and Into the Game
I have the next Holiday Inn Express video. You know the ones I'm talking about - those where a person is instructing or giving advice but they have no experience in the area.
Ok, so here is my story line:
There are a number of students hovered around a computer in agony from the pains of blogging: not knowing what to post, anxiety over trying to reach perfection given the potentially global audience, unsure of the formal and informal rules or etiquette of blogging, and just downright frustration from this writing genre.
The teacher strolls in and says "don't worry. Here is what you need to do." The students than turn and ask "Can we see your blog and how you did that" and s/he says "Oh, I'm not a blogger but I did hear about 'em at a conference while staying at a Holiday Inn Express".
Okay, so it needs some work but my point is that teachers need to blog themselves if they expect students to blog.
Intimate not Passing Knowledge
Stop! Read that line again: “teachers need to blog themselves if they expect students to blog.” If you aren’t blogging yourself but pondering using blogs in the classroom or your students are already blogging, what thoughts are running through your mind at this point?
Is it that you know how to write? Is it that you don’t have time? Is it that you don’t know what to say? Is it that you don’t want to add another blog to the blogosphere? Is it that you don’t like making your writing public? Ironically enough, these might be the same questions going through the minds of your students. How do you answer your students when they ask these questions?
The art of blogging is something that few can understand unless they've experienced it for themselves. All the reading in the world, all the conversations with bloggers, and all the conference sessions can only give you so much. The practical side, the "street smarts" as some would say, comes from engaging in the process. While it is possible to offer great resources, suggestions, and even approaches without ever blogging, the key to making blogs a transformative part of the classroom requires an intimate knowledge of blogging not just the knowledge gained from “sitting on the sidelines”.
I’m not speaking only to the classroom educator. How many instructional technologists, librarians, and administrators are holding professional development sessions for teachers on blogging without doing it themselves? The bottom line is you need to experience blogging if you are going to teach it not just assign it.
Comments
I totally agree with your comments. I have never been exposed to blogging. I have heard other teachers talk about blogging but have never participated until now. I think the only way to experience what another person is going through it to "walk a mile in their shoes", and this is exactly what you are proposing. I am very new to the world of blogging, it's very frustrating at first, but I'm starting to get the hang of it. Just wanted to say I agree all teachers should blog before sending their studets blogging.
Posted by: Steve | November 4, 2007 8:34 PM
Hi Steve:
Thanks for the comments and welcome to the world of blogging. I look forward to reading your insights and contribution to this great network.
Posted by: Ryan Bretag | November 4, 2007 9:44 PM
Teachers should try any project they give their students prior to assigning one whether it is tech related or not. I think that is just good practice.
On the other side of the coin, I think we want teachers to learn along side their students sometimes as well. I think its ok for a teacher to say they are not an expert and they want the students to teach them some things as well.
Posted by: Scott Meech | November 6, 2007 2:02 PM
One of the fears students as well as teachers may have is adding more inane thoughts to the blogosphere. The second fear student or teachers may have is revealing themselves to the world. Fortunately, most schools have a secure server where classroom assignments such as discussion boards or blogs can safely be experienced by all.
Next, whether the student is K-12 or post-secondary, they need to know what the learning outcome is for the discussion board or blogging assignment. Students will comply if they know why, or so it has been my experience.
Posted by: Nettie | November 6, 2007 8:13 PM
I had a teacher begin blogging today side by side with his students. To me, this is great! He spent time reading and discussing the concepts of blogging but he will begin the process with students.
This is excellent and will be quite powerful I'm sure. For me, this teacher is blogging and is experiencing it in a way that allows him to extend the students learning as well as his own.
As for you initial comment, you are right. This is just good practice to go through the process of something you are assigning. However, I think this is often forgotten when it comes to technology.
Posted by: Ryan Bretag | November 7, 2007 10:35 PM
Ryan, spot on! This is just what we all need to hear. I started out by reading blogs. Then I commented on blogs. Then some gracious bloggers started checking out my blog and commenting on my blog,now I am blogging here with you. Find your own purpose, and take a chance with your voice. It is about having conversations, join in. Cheryl Oakes
Posted by: Cheryl Oakes | November 8, 2007 12:37 AM