Not My First Blog

Although I am not new to setting up a blog, I am new to using a blog as something other than a glorified journal. None of the other two blogs that I have set up have amounted to anything beyond a three post site that have since faded into the vastness that is cyberspace. I chose blogger.com as my host for my blog because I am familiar with the layout and find that it is very user friendly.

I have high hopes for this blog as it already has a clear focus and purpose. I am going to use this blog to explore new web tools, reflect on my experiments, and share my experiences with fellow teachers. I have used websites to communicate with my students and their parents, but it has only been a read only experience for them. My concept of blogging has been greatly altered by reading Will Richardson's thoughts on their purpose. In the past, the weblogs that I have followed have been online journals of friends. Although reading their blogs has given me insight into their experiences and beliefs, it has not lead me to new experiences or grow personally or professionally.

In my professional life, I am proud to say that I take my professional development seriously and am always looking to take extra coursework or go to workshops to further develop as a teacher. I am ashamed to say that I have overlooked perhaps one of the most accessible resources for professional development. I did not realize that so many teachers out there had professional weblogs that I could access at any time of the day or night, for FREE! To tell you the truth, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by the amount of weblogs out there and am having trouble choosing a few to follow. I am one of those people that tends to get lost, following link after link until I have forgotten what I was originally looking for! My goal is to find a balance between trying new things and being able to keep these tools organized and updated so that they don't float away, forgotten with my past blogs.........