Educational Discourse

That is the question I ran into over at The Learning Ciruits Blog. Actually, the question is Should all Learning Professionals be Blogging?

This is not an easy question to answer, even though I blog. My blogging is an extension of my Professional Development. It is where I try on ideas, reflect on how what I do affects who I am which in turn impacts on those I meet. Now, I visited the blog of Sunny Williams whose blog is very different from mine in it’s content and audience. I like how the students respond to what is asked and there is a real dialogue that is going on that is very important as schools and teachers move into the Web2.0. It’s more like my MrChristie website that I use for information about the town, school, my classes and blog about school-related issues. I don’t spend the time with this as I should, probably because I’m working at developing ideas and lessons for my classes using the web2.0 tools, reconfiguring my assignments and trying to learn as much as I can about using various tools. I’m also trying to develop assessment tools that I can use and adapt as I do more work with the various tools.
As an administrator, I am encouraging my teachers to adopt blogging as an extension of their PD. In this avenue, I believe that it can be a very powerful tool. With the number of teachers blogging, the ability to connect with other teachers who are exploring similar issues grows. Finding them can be a bit tricky (still like my wiki idea to gather information regarding teachers, blogs and interests ) Also, as Miguel suggests, we need to be the light for others as we lead the way in these new uncharted waters.

However, I’ve read a few blogs that introduce those teachers who are blogging anonymously and using the blog like the kids who slammed the principal in Ontario. Now, it was a big deal, the kids ended up being suspended and people were very upset at the use of blogs in this manner. So, if kids are being suspended, I guess an adult who uses a blog in this manner should expect to lose their job, at the least. I don’t believe blogs are a place for teachers to take shots at their district, superintendent, director, principal, other teachers, kids, parents or anyone else. Once a teacher, always a teacher - a role model 24/7 like it or not. I know younger teachers have some trouble with this but, in our NA society, that is the way it is and, if we want to be treated like professionals, then there is a certain level of decorum that is expected. Can’t roll with the pigs on the weekend and hope to smell like a prince/cess on Monday morning.

I bring this up because I know that we are in a very uncertain time. There are many people who are wary of blogging and the whole online environment. What many people are forgetting is that the youth that are using these tools are not looking at it in the same manner as most people who are older are viewing it. They are comfortable with expressing themselves online because it is a part of their social norms. Many people are worried that something that goes online today may be used in a negative in the future years. Although this may be the case, it may also be the case that society will change how it views online data and privacy may become something totally different than it is today. As I mentioned in a recent online conference in which I am taking part, I also know that if we do nothing out of fear of tomorrow, we will be incapcitated forever. This is something that really does have a huge effect on how teachers use and embrace new technologies.  The fear of tommorrow, which is really the fear of the unknown,  is given as a reason for not going forward and for resisting the use of many of the online tools.

As I’ve mentioned in other enteries, we have just gone through a very large amalgamation, brining together 6 school divisions into 1. There have been some bumps along the way but, before we even got to being one, the fear of the unknown really affected some people to the point that they could only see negative outcomes. As we have moved forward in the amalgamation, we have seen many changes and many new things. However, I cannot think of anything that we now have that I would want to give  up. Seeing this as a positive change has allowed our school to embrace the changes, work through some of the bumps and grow as a learning community. For others, it has not been this way. The difference is the attitude of the people involved - nothing more.  As teachers are presented with these new tools, I believe that a positive outlook and a positive embracing will encourage teachers to use the tools in a positive manner. In education we already take enough from society, doing it to ourselves is just ridiculous - if you can’t be positive maybe you had better look for somewhere that you can be.

So, where do I sit on this issue? Well, as a PD tool, blogging is awesome. The dialogue and discussion that one can have is true professional development - especially when you must get your ideas together because someone disagrees with you. There is no room for those who use it as a venting and blaming space. If one is going to do that, then at least sign your name - anonymous entries aren’t worth reading. As a way to build professional contacts and grow professional networks, I can’t think of  a better format. My personal network now stretches the globe from Susan Funk to missprofe,  Sunny Williams to David Truss,  Scott McLeod to mscofino to Carolyn Foote. Some are teachers, some are professors and some are administrators. All of them, plus the many more whose blogs I visit and who drop by to comment, have expanded my network beyond where I ever thought it could go. I know that Miguel has a post on this same issue and it is something that we do need to discuss. Let’s not let fear, the fear of the unknown, hold us back from what could possibly be the greatest PD and learning tool we have encountered since PowerPoint became the app of choice and thousands began to squirm under yet another ppt presentation.