That! is a blog post

This blog post has been in draft mode since I attended the CASA13 conference in July. Every time I sit down to work on it, I think of another angle, write a bit more, and things stay in draft mode. Today, I read Choose to Write by Angela Maiers via Facebook. I would call that synchronicity given the topic. So, finally, here we go.

I had the pleasure of seeing presentations at the CASA13 conference by George Couros and Dean Shareski as well as having personal conversations with them – always interesting and enjoyable. Dean raised a great point in his closing keynote. “Is the best PD process as simple as choosing something to learn and blogging about your experience?” WOW – great question, great insight.

Relating to his Huffington Post article “Want to create better teachers?” Dean states that ” The reflective writing has been valuable but definitely the nearly 4,000 comments have been even more of a learning experience. This is the single best professional development experience I’ve had. Dan Meyer, a Mathematics teacher in California writes: … blogging was the cheapest, most risk-free investment I could have made of my personal time into my job.” I suggest you read the full article here.

Next, I decided that I would gather material related to this topic by watching what my online professional learning network (PLN) was writing about it. I have selected a variety of blog posts related to the value of online writing that I became aware of over the 2013 summer. Please take a moment to check out the insightful comments they shared about blogging and the learning that resulted from the process.

1. What’s the big deal about blogs by @ColleenKR.

2. The Reach of Education Blogging by @SheilaSpeaking

3. What are you Thinking by @fryed (Donna Miller Fry)

4. The Benefits of Blogging by @PeterMDeWitt

5. Challenge: Five things I’ve Learned by @fryed (Donna Miller Fry)

6. Why My Six Year Olds Blog and Yours Should Too by @KathyCassidy

7. How Blogging Can Help Reluctant Writers/ by @DRPconsultants (Patricia Fioriello)

Now, coming full circle, the conversations around the value of blogging come to life again with the beginning of another school year. But, what does it take? There is a journey for each of us to travel:

finding your ‘online voice’
being comfortable with who you are online (you must be yourself)
settling on your own writing style
recognizing that you have experiences and insights to share
you never know who you might help

As we settle in for the 13/14 school I challenge you to be observant, look for that opportunity to reflect and share, dig in, find your online voice and BLOG!