A blog.

It seems like everyone has one these days. A blog to share one’s favorite recipes and kitchen adventures. A blog about being a mom. A blog to discuss the newest fashion trends. The list goes on…

But, can a blog really be a resource for an educator aside from a space to promote his/her Teachers Pay Teachers account? Definitely.

As a current middle school Language Arts teacher with a desire to use the most current technology to give my students engaging and authentic learning experiences, a blog might be my most valuable professional development experience yet. Starting a blog gives me the opportunity to develop a professional learning community that spans beyond the walls of my school and perimeter of my school district. This platform will allow me to interact with fellow educators near and far to exchange best practices and new ideas on a more in-depth scale than other forms of social media–Twitter, Instagram, etc.

In order to really take advantage of the full potential of a blog and form those digital connections, I’ll need to develop a plan to produce engaging content. While there’s no exact science to this, it might be best to focus each of my posts on

• specific aspects of the English Language Arts content area
• newly discovered tools/resources (ELA specific or general to ed tech)
• ways to integrate technology into specific content areas
• solutions to the problems or situations of my followers

That last one assumes I have some followers after they read my engaging content. Fingers crossed!

The idea of others reading my thoughts via a blog does make me feel a little uncomfortable. An academic type piece of writing, no problem! But, a blog is more open-ended and creative, and I wouldn’t say that’s one of my strengths. I like having a specific format to follow and particular elements to incorporate into my writing. So, blogging will definitely push me out of my comfort zone a bit.

But, I have to admit, I really do enjoy commenting on the thoughts of others and engaging with the content others share. I’m a pretty loyal follower of a number of educators via Instagram and Twitter, and I love being able to participate in a professional digital dialogue about our field. Truthfully, I have found some the best ideas for lessons, classroom management, and overall teaching practice just by taking ten minutes of my day to do some scrolling, read, and think creatively about what I see.

I could see myself mentioning a couple different blogs in future posts of mine. I might reflect on the implementation in my own classroom of one of Miss G’s unique first day of school activities. Or, I might refer to some of Alice Keeler’s tips for using Google Apps for Education most efficiently in the classroom after some trial and error of my own. I also would hope I would develop digital relationships with other bloggers who focus their content on English Language Arts, ed tech, or, ideally, a combination of the two, and mention their work as well.

The possibilities are definitely endless, and I am looking forward to seeing how this blog will help me grow as an educator.