In Learning with Blogs and Wikis, Bill Ferriter discusses an aspect in the benefits and advances of the digital age that have not occurred to me – that technology can be an essential educational tool for teachers. When we discuss technology in the realm of the classroom, I automatically think about enhancing learning by providing technology for my students, not professional development for the teacher.
As a first year teacher last September, I relied heavily on Joanna Powell’s blog (http://web.me.com/joannapowell86/Site/Welcome.html) to help me set up my entire classroom. While I spent the summer learning how to teach and lesson plan, I did not learn how to set up my classroom – a crucial task for any teacher. When I saw the piles of boxes and stacks of tables and chairs in my classroom for the first time – the day before I would meet my students – I did not know where to begin. For me, this moment greatly speaks to Ferriter’s point that the learning that occurs through blogs and wikis are “uniquely authentic, driven by personal interests and connected to classroom realities.” I will be the first to admit that Joanna's blog saved me that day.
I really did not realize the impact that blogs have had on my professional development until reading Ferriter’s article. Unlike journal articles, books, newspaper articles, etc., I’ve found that blogs provide a straightforward, honest account of the realities of teaching that I can easily connect with that I've seldom found in other resources. Plus, there is a blog for practically everything! In many aspects, it's comforting to know that somewhere out there, someone is also interested and thinking about the same issues that I am!
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