Why Blog?

One of my summer professional development goals is to start a blog before attending ISTE13 in San Antonio at the end of the month. Here it is!

1.  PLN Depth

My PLN transformed my classroom this year.   Thank you to everyone who is reading this blog right now.  After my first year on twitter, the next step for me is to build stronger relationships with my PLN.  I am connected to a plethora of talented educators and leaders, and I want to deepen those connections.  I hope that blogging will help me share more of my teaching life with my PLN, so we can keep learning from each other.

2.  Transparency

Transparency is a central tenant of my classroom management strategy.  When students know and understand the why behind assignments, routines, and discussions they participate willingly.  I want to take the transparency that I have with my students and translate it to my PLN.  From my colleagues that I work with everyday, to the teachers who meet with me online, I want to share what I do and why I do it. Blogging opens my classroom door to the world.

3.  Reflection

I use twitter for daily reflections about my teaching and classroom, but I am ready to dig deeper and explore the larger themes in my success and failures in the classroom. Blogging gives me the space for more comprehensive pondering.  I love the lightning paced pinging of ideas and feedback on twitter, but I also need to slow down and think deeply about my practices.

4.  Modeling

In the spirit of Penny Kittle’s Write Beside Them, I need to rediscover my own identity as a writer and model my writing process for my students (follow her on twitter @pennykittle).  In my first three years of teaching, I couldn’t find the time to write.  Now, I am making time.