Today I was fortunate to be part of a group of Ontario leaders* learning through a series of webcasts sponsored by CPCO/ADFO/OPC. George Couros returned to talk further about how we can use blogs as a personal portfolio.
I was particularly interested in the kinds of questions people were asking about blogging, and how we might be able to provide some more robust responses without the time constraints of the webcast.
Here are a few.
1. How do I get started?
#OSSEMOOC has prepared an extensive outline to help leaders start blogging here: https://ossemooc.wordpress.com/2014/11/22/ten-minutes-of-connecting-day-22-making-thinking-visible-through-blogging/
2. How do I know what the best site is for blogging?
#OSSEMOOC has posted a comparison of blogging sites for educators here: https://ossemooc.wordpress.com/2014/11/23/ten-minutes-of-connecting-day-23-yes-its-time-to-start-your-own-blog/
3. Aren’t you afraid of making your opinions public and then having them online forever?
Why not start with blogging facts instead of opinions? When we scaffolded the blogging process for Ontario leaders last year, we asked them to simply share, “What did you learn today?“. Are you reading a book? Share what you are reading. Did you go to a conference, or sit through a webinar? What did you learn? There is nothing controversial about simply sharing what you learn with others.
*NOTE: Nicole Hamilton wrote this post last night after attending an OSSEMOOC open mic session. It is the story of her learning at the session. If we all told the stories of our learning, imagine how much more learning everyone would have access to!
4. How do you possibly have enough time in the day to do this?
Do you have 10 minutes to devote to your own personal growth? OSSEMOOC has a series devoted to becoming a connected leader in only 10 minutes a day. Start here, and stick with it!
5. How do we get more followers?
Write your blog for yourself. Post your learning so that it is searchable. You will never lose your notes again! Then, share it with OSSEMOOC to post on our site, and share it through other social media.
6. How do I keep my blogging from becoming essay-writing?
Check out other blogs. See what style works for you. You can see school and system leader and teacher blogs on the OSSEMOOC website – all in one place.
7. Why do I need to do this?
That requires a post all of its own: https://fryed.wordpress.com/2014/11/25/why-do-we-need-connected-leaders/
Leaders in the webcast were also asked these questions. What do you think?
*leader in the informal sense of the word, not the formal “title”. If you are working to move your practice forward in education and to model the learning you want to see, you are a leader. Some questions about the use of the term “instructional leader” can be found here.
