I’ve been really busy of late with all the things that go on in the life of a parent, principal, coach and community member. My senior boys basketball team is showing signs of becoming a real contender - which means that we have to play more - with more nights away. I’ve also been working very hard on getting some of the policies for our school ready - reworking areas that just don’t seem to fit. I’ve been expanding my use of various web2.0 tools including such things as Jing, VoiceThread, Animoto and other tools. Now this is because I’m hoping to do a session at the upcoming Tlt Conference in Saskatoon in May. I am focusing on tools that can help administrators to become more familiar with what is available and begin to use the tools in their own lives. I’m hoping to use Jing to create a Jingcast of some of the tools I hope to use plus add to my admin wiki some of the things that I am learning and working on during this time.
Tonight, after reffing and coaching a bball game, I was able to sit in on Alec Couros university class using Ustream. During this time, one of the participants, nnoakes, asked a really good question about the whole networking idea. George Siemens, who was guest presenting on Connectivism, had just mentioned some of the major educational bloggers in his presentation. The question posed was something like:
How does the network open up for new people as most of the people mentioned refer to one another in their writing and their own network includes one another.
I also wonder this. I recall a commment that once directed me to some advice on becoming more widely read. It included commenting on other bogs, writing regularly, keeping the topics current, referring to what you’ve read and so on. Well, I must say that it’s a lie, as far as I’m concerned. Many of the big names were there at the start and continue to grow their readerships because they were there at the start - and rightly so. Some have done some great work with connecting classrooms and including technology in their teaching and this has grown their readership. Some have interesting comments and make controversial comments which brings them readership. The rest, well, we write on, sometimes having a good post that draws attention from readers or we manage to be noticed by a blogger with a large reader list which brings in readers.
As the number of teachers who enter different networks grows, it will be interesting to see how things pan out. I know that I’ve seen the frustration in a number of bloggers who find it very disappointing that it is so hard to get comments or interaction. Having commented on a number of blogs, I know that it takes a great deal of time to do this. Some say it pays off in attracting readers. I’m not convinced. I’m not convinced that, like all other areas of our society, there won’t be just a few major players whose writing is followed by many while many of rest will continue with a very small readership, occasionally attracting readers because of this or that.
My reasons vary but mostly come down to this: most of the big name bloggers are not full-time teachers or school building administrators and are outside looking in. There, I said it. There is only so much time in a day, there is only so much time to do reading and commenting and many are finding that to be committed to a network requires time that many teachers do not have. So, if you are a well known figure, you can pop in and out of twitter and leave a few posts and then not appear for a day or two and people will respond to you. The rest need to build and nuture our networks - commenting and building, building and discussing, discussing and sharing. Any time away and our network moves on - not really leaving us but not allowing us to just drop in.
Now, we do make some personal connections, especially if we can meet f2f with people from our network. This really adds to the relationships, strengthening the bonds but, like most teachers, the chance of attending a major national conference and meeting these people is, well, not that likely. Those who do get this chance, appear to build and strengthen their network in ways that are different than others. With many of well known names, they meet one another at these conferences to get reaquainted and reconnected. Their conversations have references and such that those not attending cannot share. It may not create an exclusive network but it does affect those who are involved. So for others trying to get involved, it becomes even more difficult as they try to make sense of it all.
Maybe we need to really go out of our way to help those just joining the community and network. Mentor them and introduce them to different educators. Really share ourselves with them instead of allowing them to find their own way. The idea similar to what happens with new teachers. Those who have mentors tend to develop in a much different way than those who learn by trial-by-fire. Education, unfortunately, is know for the latter and not the former. For so long, we have not opened the doors to new people but instead allowed them to make it on their own. Maybe, as we explore these new venues and tools, we need to toss open the doors and do more than just invite them in. We need to meet them at the door and help them find their way. We need to check in on them and see how they are doing and share cool ideas or tools with them. Those of us who have some experience, need to share that with others and maybe go beyond just our blog sharing. Maybe we need to meet them at the door, welcome them and help them with what they are doing. It’s one thing that does work in school.
5 responses so far ↓
Kelly, you make excellent points in your post! I am particularly amused that I did not find your post in twitter or my rss feed (which I rarely look at these days), but in my Facebook connection to you. I think I need to add that little blogfriend widget!
Which made me wonder - is this the new networking trend for bloggers?? Facebook growth has been viral. It has put we edubloggers (who have been accused of being in the echo chamber) right into the mainstream. Now all of our friends from all of those different spheres of influence will see that we blog and perhaps read and comment!
I have been blogging less and less recently due to my own constraints on time and perhaps my own sense that if readership is what I am looking for it is not worth the effort. I receive much more spam (in spite of my spam blocker) than real comments these days! The bottom line is one of motivation - do I write for me or do I write for others? We all write for different reasons and even each blog post may have a different underlying motivation. You are absolutely right on about meeting the newcomers at the door and welcoming them in. We should challenge ourselves to read at least one new blogger every week. And comment. And link to them.
Thanks for saying a few things out loud.
Sharon, I’m not sure if Facebook will become the new trend - I’m finding that all those add-ons are becoming a bit of a turnoff. I like a few but there are just too many.
As for the readership, I guess it could be actual readers or it could be just getting feedback on ideas or input or just sharing our ideas and having someone validate us by offering a comment or looking for some more information. We don’t live in isolation yet so many teachers struggle on, not making connections and not seeing what the big deal is all about. Maybe we need a FB network for educators! Should submit that one to the powers that be.
As for the writing, you’re right about each entry but I’ve come to write for me, trying to express how I feel and how I see things that are going on around me. I mean, it’s tough being full-time educator and doing other things never mind entering the everchanging world of technology. I like your challenge. Maybe we need to do that and then challenge each person who reads to link to them and comment. As the circle grows, we’ll include more and more.
You’re welcome. It’s one thing I do well;)
I found this to be a thought provoking post. I’ve read the same things that you have about growing your readership, which is honestly something I never tried to do. It grew and grew and then I quit. Now that I’m back I notice only a few people reading every day, usually less than 100. When I send my teachers to workshops on blogs, I wonder if they’ll really get it? Those who have started in our school use blogs to have on-line conversations with their students, but I’m not sure anyone from “out there” has ever commented on their class blogs. I know they’ll never catch the excitement or the connection that way. It doesn’t enhance their own learning.
Reading and writing on the blogs, for me, is still my very best thinking time. It’s also where I connect with excellent educators who are familiar commentors, like YOU. It’s also a good place for me to put my word out there, because too often what’s perceived to be what I think or said is SO different from the truth.
I heard you were back. I’ll be around again to check things out. It is important for teachers to get outside of the walls and experience the world where there is so much more. The whole idea of blogging may not be to grow the readership but it is to have connection with others, to discuss and get feedback on what you are doing, thinking or feeling. It is to connect and that’s why I’m so glad you’re back!
hm. the comment i left two days ago isn’t here. i’ll try again:
1. I don’t know where I stand in the grand edublogging heirarchy, but do know that I blogged for a good six months before feeling like anybody noticed. Now I do feel at least heard, and also gain from comments that help me think and do, so that persistence did pay off.
2. I also blog as much to reflect and think and envision for myself, as much as anything else. In that sense, readership doesn’t much matter.
3. This may be wrong, but do I perceive an assumption that recognition by some “elite” or “established” bloggers is necessary for any newer blogger to be effective (however we define that)? If so, I’d suggest barking up a different tree. Network and create noteworthy things with other newer bloggers, and let the aristocracy eat cake. Nobody needs anybody’s recognition in order to have good ideas and do shifting things. And what better way to energize and “welcome” the newer entries than to invite them to participate in such projects?
Make things happen, and the world will notice.
4. I tweeted you about this, but for anybody else reading: I have two students doing web-based project on “future basketball stars of the world.” The premise is simple: connect the star HS basketball players in your area with these two Korean students for an interview (Skype works) for a feature article on their blog. If your stars have highlight videos that college scouts might find worthy, my students can include those in the feature.
I throw that out there because you’re a basketball coach. You can make this happen with a simple “here’s the contact info for some students who want to write about, and maybe podcast with, you.”
I hope this comment makes it, darn it.
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