There has been a massive push of late, of which we are all a part, for students to engage in writing on the web. Whilst this is great, there needs to be an even bigger push for teachers to embrace this type of interaction.
It has taken me some time to develop any sense of being a 'blogger', and I'm sure that I still have much need of growth. As I become more comfortable with this mode of communication, self-reflection and learning though, I realize even more the need for teachers to engage in blogging, or other forms of web authorship.
We have been pushing very hard for teachers to include professional development reflection posts in their own eportfolio blogs. Little by little this is starting to happen, and the posts are slowly developing more substance. By the end of the school year, those who have invested fully in this activity will have a tremendous timeline of their own development.
In addition, it really helps when the Principal and the Dean of Instruction lead by example with their own blogs.
There are also teachers who have launched class blogs - despite having low levels of 'tech comfort' themselves. It will be interesting to see how they encourage and enjoy the students' writing, and whether or not they develop as well in terms of their own posts.
The bottom line, I guess, is that we have to go beyond our own levels of discomfort when it comes to using technology or publishing our thinking in order to enrich our own experiences and provide positive role models for the students.
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