Teacher Blogging (with a hint of UDL)

Before discussing what stood out for me most about this week’s readings, I just want to briefly discuss Universal Design for Learning, which immediately brings me back to my student teaching days (although this was only last year) when I worked in a 5^th grade classroom. In this classroom, there were 36 students. Yes, 36! Students came from all different backgrounds with different learning styles and needs. To accommodate all the students, it was important, if not necessary to incorporate universal design and the specific strategies that Firchow mentions in her article. In doing so, I also learned that while some of these strategies may have been initially intended for the select few, they actually ended up benefiting most, if not all, of the students in the classroom... a win-win situation.

One of the points in the readings that stood out for me was the discussion of teachers incorporating blogs on a daily basis. In the article, Learning with Blogs and Wikis, Ferriter states that that the general purpose of blogs is to provide a forum that would allow teachers to grow as professionals. I am always interested in the many ways of how the internet can be used as a resource, so I decided to look into this more and check out the blogs mentioned. I originally had some difficulty opening some of sites mentioned onto my computer (hooray for technical difficulties!) but I was finally able to open up the “pageflakes” blog that Ferriter specifically mentioned in her article. As one that is completely new to blog sites, I was a little overwhelmed at the amount of information on the site. There was so much that I am not sure where I should start… After looking through, I can understand what Ferriter was trying to say. This blog can certainly be used as a resource by teachers, for teachers, to reflect and learn about their profession, learn about new practices and ultimately become better educators.

While I am currently not a teacher in a classroom, I was a student teacher in two different settings last year. Throughout my experience, I have found that while teachers may look to their colleagues for support, depending on the environment, that it may not readily be accessible. It may be for a number of reasons; perhaps there aren't colleagues you feel you are comfortable with and can connect and I may be wrong but please comment if you do, but I found that some teachers can be competitive with one another and may not want to provide support and additional resources to their colleagues. It can all become very political… But here, with blogging, working with peers (however distant they may be and while it may not be face-to-face) is extended to a new level. Comments, questions, fears and worries can all be discussed in an open, honest and supportive forum.

If I was a first year teacher, I would seriously contemplate using blogs on a daily basis. I find that it will allow me to voice my opinions and concerns without the fear of embarrassment, while also being given support from others who may be or have been in my position. In doing so, I may even assist others who may be in a similar position . Essentially, I believe that if used in the right way, blogs can certainly be used by teachers to grow as professionals and one that all teachers should consider using.