Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Gasp!

From a comment left on David Warlick's post, "It Isn't Easy":

In my district, We want our teachers to use blogs BUT we as instructional
technology leaders in the district don’t blog so what are we saying to the
teachers? … I need to lead by doing and after NECC I am more willing and
invigorated to continue the ‘discussions’ with the district gate keepers.

If this were written in 2003 or 2004, I would have been excited.

If it were written in 2005 or 2006, I would have been encouraged.

But this was written in the last half of 2007, and I am flat out shaking my head in dismay and anger. So far to go and so little horsepower to get there...

must work outside the system

4 comments:

Monica Edinger said...

Good teachers, to my mind, do what they are teaching. That is, we classroom teachers need to read and write for ourselves just as we ask our students to do. Similarly, if we are going to use blogs with students, we should be blogging ourselves.

I love and greatly appreciate the techies at my school, but they are not pushing the self-blogging at all. I think blogs are relatively new to many of them and so they are helping teachers set up blogs that encourage student action. Great, but I do think blogging themselves would help them a lot.

I started my own blog (after reading them for years) a few months before starting my students on their own. I think it has been critical to the success of both mine and my students.

Jane in Java said...

Hi Mark,
I'm Jane. I live in Java, Indonesia and I have introduced blogs to my Grade 3 class with much success. You can visit my blog and student links via www.janeinjava.blogspot.com. I am an Australian teacher here in Indonesia currently teaching at an IBO school. I am currently completing a Masters in Educational Technology online from Australia and writing a book 'Learning Online With Blogs' in Indonesian for the local scene here. I'm a big fan of Marc Prensky and try to encourage my students to make their blogs visually stimulating and interactive.

Sarah said...

I agree completely. I am blogging the me. Because ultimately as I fumble around figuring out what it is to me and how to connect and be a "me" there I'm figuring out this thing that children will be able to use too. And I try to find fun, a laugh, a thrill in doing this honoring the things I value.
Blogging is very cool.
Better yet i learn things everyday and make connections to meanings.

And....

My District not only blocks, they insist we might get an 'executable', this their constant terminology, a virus will invade. But it's really the freedom to learn self-directed. it's a challenging construct I think.

Scott McLeod said...

Mark, I think most folks 1) don't think they have time, and 2) don't perceive the benefits even if they do have time. I've had numerous teachers, for example, say to me, "Why would I want to write (on a blog) on the Internet so others could read it?"

Take a look at Rogers' perceived characteristics of innovations:

http://tinyurl.com/2533fm

You've got to address as many of those 5 as possible to get folks moving, whether they be ed tech leaders, teachers, administrators, or whomever...

Good luck!