ConnectedTalk

Last night I sat in on a meetup at EdubloggerWorld with about a dozen others from around the world. It was great to listen to and be part of the conversation, although I say that loosely since my microphone was not working. One of the requests was for those of there to post a picture of what we look at while blogging.
Where do I blog? I have two pictures, when I blog at work and when I blog at home and here they are. This one from work, I like to look at the world map and dream of  the possibilities that exist for connections for all of us with others around the world.
The next one the view out of my kitchen window.

How often do I blog?
I blog as often as I can, sometimes once a week, this summer with so much to do at work less even than that. I am hoping to get back into a routine now that students are returning.  In the world of blogging I know I don’t hold a candle to those who post daily, but that is ok with me.
What do I blog about?
I blog about issues in education as I see them from my space in the world.  I blog about questions I have, thoughts spinning around in my head, ideas I have for using technology in best practices and in ways that hopefully will interest students and increase their level of engagement when at school. I love feeling as though I am part of the conversations going on about change in schools, teaching, learning and feeling as though I can contribute in a positive way through sharing experiences I have had. I like to make others aware of what has been successful in the district where I work and what challenges we have faced as well and asking for and receiving thoughts and ideas from others.
Why is blogging important to me?
Blogging is important to me because it gives me the opportunity to be part of the conversations taking place around the world in education. I love to learn and this has been the most exciting learning I have done in a long time. Blogging has afforded me the opportunity to meet people from around the world that I never would have otherwise. It is a wonderful way to build your own learning community and have a network of colleagues who will become friends through the writing process. I don’t have many people where I work or friends outside of work who truly understand what I do as an instructional technology specialist. In that respect I am rather isolated in terms of my thoughts and vision and having anyone to bounce ideas off of and get feedback or suggestions from. Through the world of blogging all of that changes for me, the read/write web becomes a lifeline to others who I can learn from, who teach me and stretch my thinking. In turn I like to think I can do the same for others.