Why did you get into blogging in the first place?

A LOT of us here at cr20 are bloggers. How inspirational would it be to find out how we all got our start?

Here is mine.

In the fall of my third year of teaching high school I had already become "that guy". It was a title I picked up in college for being that guy that people would ask all of their computer relate questions to. Though back then it revolved more around getting around the extremely strict filters our school had in place, but a few also asked questions about educational things. Now being a teacher, I was being asked simple questions about PowerPoint, projectors, email and such. I was advising a lot of my colleagues and decided on a whim one night to buy a domain name and begin putting all of educational tips on a website. It's seven months later and I have learned a great deal more than I had ever expected. It has introduced me to a lot of great people around the world, and has taken me to some very great places. I can only imagine what the coming months will bring.

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Permalink Reply by Kevin H. on April 25, 2008 at 1:44pm

Does that mean that every teacher blogs?
Interesting, if so.
Are they open or closed?
And what kind of policies does the district put into place (ie, can you criticize the administration?)
Thanks
Kevin

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Permalink Reply by Scott Walker on April 25, 2008 at 2:15pm

Sorry, I meant that no we aren't allowed to blog.. I wish we could though.. neither teacher nor student can blog

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Permalink Reply by Kevin H. on April 25, 2008 at 11:53am

I got into blogging first through the National Writing Project, which provided me with a classroom blog (the Manila platform, which was not that great for what I was trying to do) and then a fellow NWP colleague told me, "How come you are not blogging?" and that set me into motion towards Edublogs.
That was about two years ago and blogging has become part of my reflective practice -- as a teacher, as a writer, as an explorer of new tools, and blogging has connected me to an entire world of fellow teachers who are eager and ready to share.

http://dogtrax.edublogs.org/

Thanks for asking
Kevin

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Permalink Reply by Mike on April 25, 2008 at 7:52pm

I have always enjoyed writing, but never put much stock in blogs until I got on CR 2.0. The collaborative power of this network turned me on to the "relevance" of blogs in education. I'd subscribed to several blogs, but never thought of doing my own until I realized how it could enhance the classroom experience for my students. I started my class blog in January and it's been a hit. The students enjoy watching sketchcasts and checking out pictures and stories. It's a quick and efficient way to post class lessons and news. Earlier this month I started a second blog as a reference point for other teachers who ask how I used a Web 2.0 tool or wonder about a project. Though I don't update it as regularly, it's a fun project for me to work on.

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Permalink Reply by Kevin H. on April 26, 2008 at 3:22am

I like the sketchcasts at your blog.
I need to get back to that program and think of ways to get kids using it.
I had tried, but then found (I think) that you can't quite moderate and/or edit once the sketch is completed, so I decided against it.
Still, I love the concept -- particularly for the math.
Kevin

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Permalink Reply by Colette Cassinelli on April 25, 2008 at 8:44pm

I started blogging the summer of 2006 in my Masters of Educational Technology program [online] through Pepperdine. I blogged my classroom observations for documentation for my Action Research Project. I started my own blog as a continuation of that process. I found the reflective process of sharing what I do in my classroom helpful for myself but also as a place to document online resources. I also use my blog as my "online presence" for professional contacts for conference presentations. You can learn more at http://www.edtechvision.org or use this link to subscribe to my blog http://feeds.feedburner.com/EdtechVision

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Permalink Reply by Scott Walker on April 27, 2008 at 7:58pm

It's amazing how once I started blogging and realized its relevance, I immediately wanted to take it to my students and get them blogging. Our school won't let us do it yet. But I can totally see my kids getting stoked about checking out the analytics and rankings, and then writing(with a purpose) to get more readers and think more analytically.