Tom Hoffman and Chris Lehmann post about the limitations of what we can write about in these spaces. Tom says
Classroom teachers can’t publically admit in real time their fears and failures without having it thrown back in their face sooner or later by a parent, administrator or student.
And Chris ends his follow up with
The question for me always is, can we write about enough of our thoughts on schools to make blogging a useful and important tool for both ourselves and others in education. Is there enough we can share that blogging really is good for thinking about schools?
While there are many risks that we have to consider regarding the content that our students and we ourselves post to our Web logs, I think I’ve always felt that the potential rewards were worth it. Tom’s concern about making our thoughts public only to be used against us is legitemate. It’s one of the reasons I have stopped posting about my political opinions here because I know that they would raise more than a few hackles among the primarily conservative parents in my district. I tread that line very carefully in my classroom as well, obviously; journalism is a tough subject to teach without letting my opinions seep into my discussions. But even if I do occasionaly let my leanings be known, I’m also careful not to do it in a “you have to believe what I believe way.” I do it to challenge their thinking and their use and response to media. Still, it’s not the same as airing those same ideas here, because of the reasons Tom cites (although I wonder if any parents of my students have ever visited this site.)
I hope the answer to Chris’s quesiton is yes, we have enough that we can write about to make this a worthwhile effort. More than enough. I think the sharing that our group of eduBloggers has done over the past couple of years, even if it hasn’t been gut wrenching and provacative classroom narrative, has done much to advance our understanding of technology and teaching of writing. And it’s opened some new doors of thinking that I think will lead to great things. Yes, we have to be careful, but we also need to keep finding ways to write about what we’re doing in ways that can help one another grow.
Hey Will,
I agree, the answer is a resounding yes, but hey, it’s still worth asking the question, methinks.
Absolutely…I’m glad you did Chris. It made me think about my own practice, which is what reading other good Web logs tends to do. Thanks for your efforts.
I think there’s lots to blog about. I have only been blogging for only 8 weeks but the information, support, and opportunities for collaboration that I have received during this short time is amazing. I think there is much to share as our classroom practices evolve to include opportunities for students to write collaboratively and for multiple audiences on the web. As we struggle against the middle of the road realities in our schools in order to take the risks new classroom practices require, we need to dialogue. BTW, here’s a future blog topic–ink enabled sites. I’ve been using a couple of tablet pc’s at school and with blogging. Yesterday I read that ink blogging is making its way onto the scene. Imagine not having the real time headaches that many of us suffer: trying to cycle a group of 30 students, who can only hunt and peck on the keyboards, through only two working classroom computers! I can bet that with two tablet pc’s and ink enabled sites, time required to publish and to search the web could be cut in half. Pictures, text, and student diagrams can be seamlessly and intuitively interwoven. Tech evolves so quickly and to make it work for us our classroom practices must evolve. So, yep, I really do think there’s alot to blog about.
P.S. Just read Tom and Chris’ posts. While I agree, personally I don’t think it’s a problem. We always have to keep our humanity in focus when we discuss our students. None of us would want our children’s issues put out there for all to see without being asked first. Everyone has to be careful about posting about their employers, not just educators. As for posting our world views, we know that historically, educator’s necks are the first ones on the chopping block because of the inherent power we wield as we touch people’s lives. So, we have to think about the value we create with that power. If we keep our humanity foremost, and are prudent and thoughtful, there’s still alot to blog about.
My post starting this thread wasn’t so much intended to ask “should we do it,” but “is this what we should be advocating.” That is, I’d tell anyone that if seems interesting to them, they should try blogging. But I wouldn’t tell a principal or superintendent that getting weblogs for all their teachers should be a centerpiece of their professional development strategy. Not that anyone else is saying that either… that’s just the kind of thing I’ve got going in my “On My Mind” dept.