So it seems the “why” conversation is spreading. I wish I’d seen Nancy McKeand’s post earlier, but as has been the case of late, I’m way behind on my reading and feeling the familiar nose above water feeling. She’s doing a workshop today and asked readers of her blog to chime in with why we use blogs in our classrooms. The answers (11 at this moment) make me feel pretty positive of where we’re at with this. They’re all about conversations and connections, about thinking and learning. And I was struck by how much of what the commenters highlighted was about reading which, as I’ve said many times before, is where blogging must start. That has me especially optimistic.
I’m getting the sense that we are, at last, at a turning point. David Warlick is talking about telling new stories. This morning, I must have spent an hour just wading through a whole bunch of edublogs that I never knew existed, and they all linked to others which linked to others. (BTW, there are a bunch of Australian edublogs that absolutely blew my mind…here’s a thread from just one of them.) In my presentations, people know what blogs are, and what they are really seeking now is pedagogy, not training. It feels like, finally, this is no longer a technology as it is another way to connect and communicate. It’s feeling like in some places, at least, blog thinking is becoming embedded.
Now I know there is still a great deal of blog angst out there. All that MySpace stuff. All the just a new way of doing old stuff, stuff. Heck, I have to admit that when I read that Dave Winer, who is about as close to Adam in the blog world as you’ll find, has given notice that he will soon give up blogging, I was a bit taken aback. Could I give up blogging? Could I just walk away, cold turkey? (This is, after all, some sort of addiction, let’s face it.) I’ve become so intertwined in this space that it’s hard to imagine. And to be clear, even though I have been fortunate to build a comparatively sizeable audience for my ideas through the blog, I still feel like this is my space (two words) to do my thinking and supposing and, ultimately, learning. This process of reading, thinking, writing is how I learn. Sometimes it’s reading, talking, thinking, writing, but it’s almost always learning. I can’t see that stopping at this point.
So maybe it is time to reinvent this conversation. Maybe we’re moving out of the how to and into the why. And when we get down that road a stretch, we’ll get back to the how again, only this time with an eye on best practice teaching and learning. Then it should get really, really fun.
Will, I was so excited to read this post this morning. I really beleive that “telling the new story” is the first step in the “conversion” process. And that is what this about. Its about a conversion in perspectives and in practices. People have to understand the why before you can convince them to change the way they have taught for a lifetime. Only then can the how truly follow. And like me, once people understand the why, they will begin to demand the how. You can’t think one personally and work another way professionally. They will demand services and platforms that fill those needs.
Greetings Will and other interested educators-
First, thank you to all of you who have provided me with so much food for thought. Will your blog and some of those you are linked to like Susan’s blog are helping me to formulate and envision both the why and how. I am new to all of this but I have been given a new excitement and enthusiasm for the future from reading all of your blogs.
I am an administrator of a Prek to 8 school. We have had computers and internet access for a while but we are now in possession of a vision. We will be fully integrating technology in the classrooms for grade 5 to 8 and I have high hopes for the impact on student learning. AUP’s will never solve the My space issues …only education and modeling will change practice.
Through your blogs I have come to see the deep levels of thinking and reflecting that come from the collaboration and communication facilitated by bloging. I look forward to modeling for my staff and in turn the students. I can attest first hand to the motivational power of the conversation.
As an administrator I was burning out, loosing will and vision, but delving into this conversation has given me new energy and drive. It is incredibly exciting to connect with educators across the country and the world and tap into their passion and experience. I couldn’t stop talking for days when I made contact with Clarence in Canada. Just the simple act of entering into conversation about what he is doing and what I want to do gave me a renewed commitment to move forward. Together we will develop the best practice and the students will be the winners….