I don't have an answer. Ultimately I am looking for an answer or a better phrased question to describe a situation that I have seen. I see schools of teachers each week, each with mastery of their content and a certain skill in delivery that comes from experience and the dedication to the skill of teaching (art). 

Why don't these teachers blog about their experiences, sharing them with others as a way to create a community. Is it fear? Is it that they are unsure of how good they are? Is it that there is just not enough time in the day to do so?

For me, the act of blogging about my teaching context provides an opportunity to reflect on current issues as well as invite in thoughtful discussion. 

What do you think? Why do you blog OR NOT blog? What is the catch? Include your blog URL in the comments so we can see what teachers around the country are doing.

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Comments

Teachers should blog, in fact, when a teacher is tech-savvy and creative enough, she'll boost her students' grades exponentially. Blogging is a great tool to convey information, and students, who have a lot of time on their hands, can consume these information to better their education.

These teachers, with the right amount of creativity, could engage their students within the social media sphere. If only the administrators would know how that could benefit their education.

Yeah, it is disappointing how some schools restricted teachers from getting active in social media. But if you really have a passion for blogging and writing, I suggest writing using a pen name.

well some teacher do blog of course!!! :))

Thanks for sharing. This website is to I too have to help. Very good.

If they gonna blog then you are not gonna present here to blog or for comment because they are gonna say now you are on internet use it for your studies why waste time on this blogging thing , they still don't know the meaning of blog.

Patti,the situation sounds very sad. Does the administrator have something to fear? Personal time and conversations that could lead to improving education need to be allowed. There are so many important topics that need to be discussed and people find comfort in sharing at times.

Patti, you pointed out a very sad situation. Playing on semantics, you said specifically "blogging about his or her work at the school." It would be very easy to write about something so specific that even without names or identifying information, identities would be obvious. Blogging in generalities and situations unrelated to specifics at school would be pretty hard to control, so long as the work was found to be within bounds of the public concern test. Blog posts related to political, social, or other public community concern is protected. Discussing internal affairs, people, conversations intended to be private, and certainly anything vulgar or pertaining to students would not be protected.

I'm more concerned about the admins and teachers who don't understand the value of communicating and sharing with appropriate levels of openness. How can we educate them?

Simply threatening the teachers is probably enough to keep them from sticking a toe into blogging waters for a time. I think we're probably in a transition phase with blogging right now. Only a principal who didn't truly understand the power of blogging--or social networking-- would think that threats would shut down virtual communication. Inevitably, schools will be forced to deal with the fact that anybody can say anything, with some impunity, and the schools who try to get out ahead of the transformation rather than resisting will be doing the right thing for their students and teachers.

Back in the 80s, calculators were forbidden at my school. Any kid caught with a calculator was assumed to be cheating--the calculator was confiscated, and the kid was punished. Now, of course, at the HS, kids are expected to provide their own $100 graphing calculators--the teachers pass out a list of acceptable calculators on the first day of class. The shock-resistance-capitulation--adoption cycle applies to almost every innovation that's come down the pike.

I am sure it is not something that can be enforced. However, the idea behind it is frightening.