Vacation is Over

I’m embarrassed to admit that I haven’t blogged (in any substantive form) for more than a year. Main reason was because of a flip comment I made about a school practice that I thought was getting out of hand.
I learned my lesson on that one and even though I blog without identifying my school it wasn’t hard for someone to figure what school I was talking about. Okay, maybe it was easier than I thought it was. So bravo on the detective work. I try to teach my students that same research skills during the school year so it was good to see those same tools put to use.
The school practice in question still goes on largely unchanged. My attitude towards it has since changed….simply because I believe we do whatever we can to make learners take ownership of their learning….be it internal or external motivators. The “experts” will tell you it is best and most long lasting when the motivation comes from inside. However, a treat or status symbol such as the honor roll can also provide motivation for a child.
With that in mind I will go back to my blogging not because I feel I have anything earth shattering to share but because I need to keep practicing my writing by trying to put my thoughts in writing.

Blog: What is it all about?

So why all the talk about blogs? Is it really the most innovative publishing tool since the the printing press? Did you know that when it first started to take off in 2004 Webster’s dictionary made Blog the word of the year?

Read this post at Teacher’s First to start getting an idea about what a blog is and what it can allow you and your students to do.

Teacher's First