My blog and I happen to share the same birthday. Although the day has officially finished, the early morning hours find me still at my computer. Until an hour ago Google was still displaying the Happy Birthday, Natasa doodle:
Awfully nice of Google if you ask me.
Traditionally on this day I look back at the year behind me and create a "sneeze post" where I list everything I wrote the year before. I didn't write that much last year, but I somehow managed to create 12 posts. Here they are:
As always, the beginning of the year is devoted to EVO sessions. Like this year, in 2013 I also attended five. In Time to Fess Up I tried to explain how I was planning to "juggle five balls" and why I thought this was a good way to learn. This blog was what kept it all together. It helped me see connections between courses. I am doing the same thing again and I am going to blog about my experience.
By providing the link to My Blog is Five Years Old I am trying to cheat you into reading last year's retrospective of my 2012 posts.
Week 2 - Declare, Where is (you guessed) about Week 2 of 2013 EVO sessions. In the meantime I had thrown into the mix a couple of very interesting MOOCs and I had made my mind where I wanted to participate actively and where I just wanted to sample.
In Tales of the Unexpected I had already started to synthetise my various learning experiences. One course that got most of my attention was E-learning and Digital Cultures. If you go to my post, you will be able to get a glimpse of what this course was like. I also shared this Prezi that was to serve as my mini portfolio:
On Metaphors, the Future and the Way We Are Wired is a fun post to read (even if I am saying so) because it contains a couple of digital stories I created that week, a great SF short video (from E-learning and Digital Cultures), Gardner Campbell's inspiring keynote and a Slideshare on edupunk that I found in the MultiMOOC wiki archives. I somehow mixed it all together.
What Makes Us Human is the last installment of my exciting five week learning journey. Again there are digital stories I created that week - several images and an Animoto SF story that I am very proud of.
Then interesting things started happening to me. In March I was sent to Slovenia as one of the two official representatives of ELTA Serbia. There I met two of my online friends face to face for the first time - Shelly Terrell and Sasa Sirk. Here's my account of the conference. I tried to go into as much detail as possible to give the people who were not present an idea about what it was like.
Seven Reasons Why Educators Should Blog is a post I wrote as homework for a writing MOOC I participated in. I worked very hard on this post to make it as presentable as possible and I did a lot of research. I also put my heart into it.
How I Became a Teacher is (of course) a story about how I became a teacher. It was an answer to a blogging challenge.
In October I presented at the Reform Symposium and I announced it here. Here's the link to my Reform Symposium profile.
Probably the most important post I wrote last year is this one. It announces the beginning of a blogging project that a couple of us started on SEETA. At the moment we have a small but active community of bloggers there and the seeds of an ebook that should, if all goes as planned, be of some help to new and wannabe bloggers.
As you can see, a lot of things have been happening outside this blog - the online conferences, various MOOCs, the seeds of my SEETA project. However, I believe that this blog, this six-year-old child of mine has made a lot of this possible. Not only did it hold everything together by helping me think and reflect, but it provided new opportunities and new connections.
Last spring I participated in a SEETA Webchat. The topic I chose to talk about was blogging for reflection and the way it can help in teacher development. SEETA webchats are just what they say they are - chats. The people who join the chat can ask questions and contribute to the discussion any way they want.
Participating in the webchat was a fun thing to do, but it also gave me food for thought. I was under the impression that there were people out there who wanted to start blogging, but were not quite sure how to do it. Others have tried blogging, found it solitary, time-consuming and unrewarding and given up. I went to my summer holiday thinking about what I could do to help them.
Anna Parisi (the founder of SEETA) was kind enough to help and that was the beginning of our little blogging forum. A fellow blogger, Merve Oflaz, joined and soon we had a forum bustling with activity. Still, all the teachers who joined us were experienced bloggers. There were no new or wannabe bloggers in the forum and those were the teachers we were trying to reach. That's when Anna suggested that we write a booklet for new bloggers and post it on SEETA. This booklet would lead new bloggers through the initial stages of blogging and help them connect with other educators who blog.
I loved the idea of a booklet. I thought how cool it would be if I could reach out to the wider blogging community and people in my PLN. What if every chapter was written by a different blogger?
This is where you come in. For, I need your help. Would any of you good people reading this post like to contribute a booklet chapter? If you are wondering what to write about, then think about what you wish you had known when you started blogging. Or something others shared with you and you found very useful. How did you find blogging ideas? What should a blog post look like? And a comment? How did you find readers and build your PLN? How do you use Twitter and Facebook to connect to other bloggers? Also, we need technical help. How do you set up a blog? Which widgets do you find useful? Or none of the above, but something else you would like to share with new bloggers.
Choose a topic, or I will suggest a topic for you.
If you are interested, please get in touch with me via email, or leave a comment under this post. Or, you can go straight to this Google Doc and choose a topic for yourself.
Click to go to my RSCON4 page
This is just to let you know that I will be presenting at the 2013 Reform Symposium. Here's the information from their website:
Teachers now have access to free quality professional development via current online technologies. Experience this live with thousands of educators from around the globe by attending the 4th annual Reform Symposium Online Conference, RSCON, which takes place October 11th to 13th in conjunction with Connected Educator Month. Attend this free online conference from anywhere that has Internet access.
Plenaries- Sugata Mitra, 2013 Ted prize winner and instigator of the Hole-in-the Wall experiment and Salome Thomas-EL, Principal EL of the Dr. Oz Show.
3 Panel discussions featuring Dr. Alec Couros, Ozge Karaoglu, Nicholas Provenzano, Jackie Gerstein, Steven Anderson, Silvia Tolisano, Joe Dale, Tom Whitby, Pam Moran, Lisa Dabbs, Erin Klein, and Tom Murray.
100+ sessions. Topics include genius hour, the flipped classroom, global projects, mobile learning, game based learning, web 2.0 tools, integrating iPads, e-portfolios, and more. The activities meet Common Core objectives and cover all subjects and age groups.
Keynotes include Angela Maiers (US), Mark Moran (US), Steve Wheeler (UK), Chuck Sandy (Japan), Rafael Parente (Brazil), John Spencer (US), Chris Lehmann (US), Sue Waters (Australia), Jose Vilson (US), Barbara Hoskins Sakamoto (Japan), Mark Barnes (US), Josh Stumpenhorst (US), Nicky Hockly (Sp), German Doin (Argentina), and 13 year-old humanitarian Mallory Fundora (founder of Project Yesu)
As you can see, the program is too good to miss. The symposium is free of charge and all it takes to join is a bit of free time and a working Internet connection. Here's the link to my profile on The Future of Education. You will find all relevant information there, including my presentation slides and the links to all sites and tools mentioned in the presentation.
I am really excited about this (and quite nervous at the same time). I am grateful to Shelly Terrell for the invitation and for believing in me. My presentation is on Saturday 12th October 11.00 - 12.00 CST, or 17.00 - 18.00. GMT. (If you are like me and time zones confuse you, then go here and choose your time zone to see the times for all presentations.) Hope to see you there.
I didn't plan for this to happen. When I was a child, I didn't dream about becoming a teacher one day. My mother was a teacher, my two uncles were teachers and I was going to be something else. Anything else. Period.
So, how come that I have spent twenty-four years in the classroom and enjoyed every moment of it?
Well, it is very simple. Remember - my two uncles were teachers, my mother was a teacher... I am not sure whether it is genetics or destiny or something different altogether. I like to believe that, although I didn't choose teaching, teaching chose me.
I am probably lying to you, the way I was lying to myself back when I decided to study languages, just like my mother. I knew then that most language students end up as teachers (at least here in Serbia they do). I told myself that I was studying languages because it was a fun thing to do and I was good at English. Because I liked talking to people and because I liked reading. Nowadays I find it hard to believe that I never thought about what I was going to do one day I graduated.
True, though I kept resisting to teaching children in state schools, I made one small exception: I was willing to try teaching adults in a language school. And not just any school - I had my eye on the school where I now work. Because it was excellent and because I myself had been a student there and loved every moment of it.
After I graduated, I accepted the job of a substitute teacher in a state grammar school. I didn't like it there and I was glad when my colleague returned from her sick leave. I was now positive that I wanted to do something else, anything else. When the call from my dream school came, I was not too happy. It seemed to me that Destiny had its claws all around me again. Still, I was flattered. Not anyone could get into the Kolarac School of Foreign Languages. I decided to give it a try. One class, one week, or one month (if I could last that long) and then I would start looking for something else.
I would love to tell you more about my first two classes, about how one of my students (a total beginner) brought her two children to class because she had nowhere to leave them, about how the children sat silently in the corner drawing. I would love to tell you more about the discussions we had that evening in the upper-intermediate class and about all the clever, funny, deep things my students said. I would love to talk about the freedom my new boss gave me when he refused to give me any detailed instructions, but instead said: "Just show us what you can do."
Well, maybe another time.
I will just say that it was love at first sight. Destiny was laughing at me, but the laughter wasn't mean or ironic. I laughed back.
I have recently participated in one of the Seeta monthly webchats. You can listen to the chat here:
When they asked me to suggest a topic for the chat, it didn't take me long to suggest blogging for reflection. As you might know, I have been blogging for five years now. Preparing for the webchat gave me some time to reflect on why I blog. I have to say that I failed to come up with a rational answer to this question.
I blog because I like blogging.
I know, this doesn't lead anywhere. Especially since, in the chat, quite a few teachers expressed their concerns related to blogging. A few have tried this activity, only to stop after a while, disappointed. Nobody left comments in their blogs and they seemed to be talking to themselves. Blogging was time-consuming and left them with less time for classroom preparation. Teachers are too busy already. Why should they add blogging to their list of duties?
Although for me blogging is a passion, I have decided to try and look at some rational reasons why blogging for reflection might be something educators should do. I will also try to address the concerns that were expressed during the chat.
1.Blogging helps you reflect on what you do in class.
This one is rather obvious, since I am advocating blogging for reflection. Steve Wheeler says that teachers naturally think back on
what has happened in their classroom, and often wonder what they could have
done better. Blogging can help with this process, enabling teachers to keep an
ongoing personal record of their actions, decisions, though processes,
successes and failures, and issues they have to deal with. Wheeler also observes that “Blogging can crystalise your
thinking.”
Yet, blogging shouldn't be the same as sharing your teaching journal with the world. If you are one of those teachers who reflect on their practices through a journal, then you are probably not ready to share those thoughts with the world. Nor should you. A journal has to be the place where you can be completely honest with yourself, without worrying about what others might think. It is also not the right place to worry about punctuation, spelling and style. Just keep writing and keep your thoughts private. However, every now and then, there will be a journal entry that will make you stop and reflect. If you sit down and work hard on it until it is presentable, you can share it with the world and make other teachers benefit from your experience.
The teachers in the chat were worried about revealing too much about themselves in their blog and sharing something that wasn't appropriate. Now, remember the golden rule - you should never share anything you wouldn't want your mom, your boss or your child to see. Amy Dominello quotes blogger Renee Moore who says teachers should be careful
about what they say on their blogs. She also quotes Anthony Cody: “Make sure your
boss is aware of your blogging.”
2. Writing helps you generate ideas
Richard E. Ferdig says: "Drawing on Vygotsky's educational theory (1978), educators
highlight the "knowledge construction" processes of the learner and suggest that
"meaning making" develops through the social process of language use
over time. As such, knowledge construction is discursive, relational and
conversational in nature." What I have discovered since I started blogging is that just thinking about what I might post and freewriting for a while will give me an idea for a lesson plan. These ideas might come from anywhere - I might take a walk in the park or see an image on Flickr and words will start forming in my head. What starts as a blog post idea will end up as a set of activities that I can try on Monday.
One of the biggest concerns of the teachers I talked to was that they might have nothing new or original to say, that they might end up regurgitating something others have said. And why not? By all means, read other blogs and join the conversation. But don't regurgitate. Instead, you can summarise, question, expand and share. That's what I am trying to do in this post. The conversation among bloggers has been on for a very long time. A new voice is more than welcome. Sometimes people who know how to ask questions are invaluable because they make us think and re-evaluate our opinions. Which brings me to my next point.
3. Care to share
There are hundreds of busy teachers out there. They are troubled by the same self-doubts as you. Some of them are rookies, others might be suffering from teacher burnout. Reading your post might help them get through the working week. And if you share lesson ideas, you are genuinely helping. So, if you have nothing to say, say it anyway. Maybe it is new to me, or I just might be glad that you are doing or seeing things the same way I do. Teaching is a lonely job and you are never quite sure you are getting it right, are you? But, if you start blogging, you will never be lonely again because you will interact with other bloggers. Which brings me to my next point and that is
4.The virtual staffroom Gabrielle Deschamps says: "In a really weird way, I no longer feel like my staffroom is
limited to the four walls around me at school. My horizons have widened, and
now I feel like the music teacher in Iceland I spoke with yesterday is
just over there by the window.” You will connect with the teachers who share your interests, be it project work or CALL or material development. I suppose the main difference between blogging and sharing in a forum is that you will interact with these people through their work, rather than share on a common, pre-assigned topic. Blogging gives you more freedom than forums and bulletin boards. As Sam Patterson says: "I blog for myself, but with a clear sense of my
audience, I hope. So I try to 'be useful' ...". Which brings me to
5. Your own space on the web
I see my blog as a home. I can close the door behind me and let my hair down. I can be who I am. Maybe no one is reading this right now, but that is OK. Because, by the time I am done with this post, I will be the one who understands better my own reasons for blogging. And if no one leaves a comment, that's fine too. Don't do it for others, do it to please yourself. Write about what interests you. Ask questions, then come back a week later and answer them. Come back a year later and give different answers. Whatever you do, don't take yourself or your blog too seriously. Blogging should be fun.
6. Your e-portfolio
Blogging will help you keep track of what you are doing online and in the classroom. This is, again, something I feel you should be doing for yourself rather than for others (your boss, your future employer, etc.). All your thoughts and discussions, all your links and ideas, all your digital artifacts will remain there for you to reread and reflect upon. Blogging about conferences and online workshops you attend will challenge you to try out the new approaches you have heard about. George Couros shares the example of a teacher called Kendra, who "shared what she was learning not only with her students and
parents, but with the entire world." He adds: "She didn’t even wait until she returned before she started
implementing the practice and starting asking questions of her students, while
sharing her own learning." You can read Kendra's post here.
7. Because you can
I am not going to lie to you - blogging takes time. Yet, if you treat it as a hobby rather than a chore, you will feel free to post as often (or as rarely) as you wish. Says Ray Salazar: "“There are bloggers who post something every day (some post
a few times a day). But I’ve learned that posting once a month is
good—considering our workload. Setting
aside 20-30 minutes a week to draft some ideas will help craft meaningful
posts.“
And it is easy to set up your own blog. Blogging platforms are very user-friendly and require no prior technical skills. Follow this tutorial by Sue Waters.
I am sure I could go on and find more reasons why blogging is good for you. However, I am going to stop here. Seven is such a nice number and, besides, no amount of reading why you should blog will convince you unless you try it yourself. And don't give up too soon. Because, as Dean Shareski says: "The only people allowed to criticize or
challenge this idea are people who have blogged for at least one year and
written at least 50 posts. The rest of you can ask questions but you can't
dismiss it."
I challenge you - if you still have second thoughts about blogging, write a blog post in which you will list 7 reasons why you feel blogging is not right for you. Post the link in the comments area and I'll be happy to respond.
So, what are you waiting for? Join the conversation.
I am writing this very short blog post to invite you to my first ever webinar. This year I am participating in the Virtual Round Table Conference, which is taking place this weekend. Conference programme is here. As you can see, there are loads of great presentations, so join any time you can. And even if you miss something, the sessions will be recorded and archived, so that you can listen later.
My presentation is on Sunday and I am sharing the 11.00 am GMT slot with Janet Bianchini, Merve Oflaz and Marisa Constantinides. This will be a short version of the presentation I gave in Slovenia. I am excited, but also a bit nervous.
Then, on May 31st, I will be participating in a SEETA Webchat. The topic will be something that is very dear to my heart - self-reflection through blogging.
