Fine lines; to blog or not to blog

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Do you blog, and if so, why? For me, blogging is an extension of talking through an issue or a problem. Yes, I am pleased when my visitor count spikes up. Yes, I am pleased when someone leaves a positive comment. But ultimately, blogging is one of the ways for me to make sense of the world around me and what I am learning, and I like putting this out there publicly as others might be interested in it.

You obviously read blogs if you are reading this post, why do you read them? I have many blogs in my Feedly, and while I don't always get to read everything, I pick up on bloggers' ideas, tips, links and resources, and I surely have learnt lots from them.

Many educators take to Google+, Twitter, Facebook etc. and voice their opinions and concerns there. I visit many of them on occasions, and in addition to my private FB account have a professional one (simply a second FB profile, connected to a different email) which I use infrequently only, but amongst many other things I have recently read about NZ teachers fearing they might get restricted in what they say online, similar to restrictions some other occupations seem to have.

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There is a fine line between being a private person and a professional and the things we can and cannot say. It is not always easy to distinguish between the two of them, e.g. I have blogged previously about being a parent and a teacher. I have been in professional roles where everything I sent out or posted online has been scrutinised as to how it might affect my employer's image. This had a marked effect on what I was blogging about, and the amount of posts. There was no option to be a 'private professional' without association to that particular organisation as in our networked world connections are made with ease. Having returned in the classroom, everything I write about my thoughts and questions in relation to my role can easily be connected back to my school (to save you the search, it's Mangonui School, one of the coolest little schools in the Far North of New Zealand). But I don't think there is anything wrong with thinking and asking questions, as teachers we are inquiring professionals.

I am strong believer that social media is fundamentally just another form of communication; just as a conscientious professional would not speak inappropriately of their employers or their clients in public, the same ought to apply online. I doubt that in New Zealand a profession would be restricted on voicing their opinion, thoughts and questions on a matter if it was done in a thoughtful and courteous way (and I hope I'm not wrong there). The thoughts and discussions created by such posts can be extremely rich and can help lift the whole profession. There is another fine line though: If we only blog about 'appropriate' matters, potentially where goes debate, discussion and healthy disagreement? 

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Often young people are accused of using social media inappropriately but I don't believe it is an issue of age. We all need to think about how we word what we say - no matter what the medium is. I am afraid though that some professionals could remove themselves from social media in fear or misunderstanding of what they can and cannot say online and how to say it. I for myself have to say that I would be a much poorer learner and educator in a world without the rich online discussions.

I will continue to blog about my thoughts, questions, about what puzzles me, because to paraphrase the amazing +Manu Faaea-Semeatu unless you give something to the online world, there is nothing for you to take. How about you?

New year, new challenges (as well as some ponderings and navel gazing)

The new year is 20 days old, so not all that new anymore. Many people use New Year as the time to make resolutions - and quickly abandon these. Resolutions can be made at any time, but people seem to like to hook them onto a particular date (e.g. we celebrate 'round birthdays', but isn't every birthday worth celebrating?). I don't believe in making NY resolutions, they don't tend to work for me, but I still have some resolutions - believe in yourself, and look after yourself so you can look after others, too.

This year will be a new chapter in my learning journey, I am joining the team at Mangonui School, a fabulous school in the Doubtless Bay, Far North of New Zealand. I will be what I call a 'lead learner' in the Taniwha MLE (years 3-5), and believe me, I have LOTS to learn. It brought me to the realisation that while I have been talking about learning with and from each other for a few years now, my biggest worry is that I am not the expert, that I don't think I know everything I need to know. How do I change my own mindset??? It also made me ponder whether in my work with teachers I have done enough of the learning with & from them, or did I model 'listen to the expert and do as she says, not as she does'?? 

A couple of years ago #hackyrclass was prominent on Twitter in NZ Ed, from memory started by Steve Mouldey (@GeoMouldey). At that time I was thinking about #hackyrPLD; how can we expect teachers to change their practise if the PLD they receive perpetuates the 'sit in rows and listen to the expert at the front' approach to education? Take this the next step up and think about the PLD that facilitators receive - how can we change professional development / learning for them so they can applies this in their work with teachers?

Admittedly, traditional education has been well ingrained in society, and it takes time to change attitudes - which might lead to blending traditional with more innovative approaches to learning esp. for adults. However, this considerably slows down the change I believe is necessary in our children's education now, trickling down to them. What would students say that teachers need to know / do? The lovely +Hazel Owen and I recently pondered what would happen if students were running teacher PLD or even facilitator PLD? Wouldn't teachers benefit from all the things we always talk about, understanding the purpose of meetings / hui, workshops etc. beforehand, directing their own learning, receiving feedback, collaborating? What support would students require to set this up with teachers as their learners?

These thoughts don't extinguish my anxieties about my possible shortcomings completely, but they help me remember that I don't want to be the Sage on the Stage. I'm looking forward to the new challenges, and I'll work on believing in myself. Where are you at? What are you pondering? Are you working on changing your mindset?