I was looking for something that I remember reading somewhere ….
But I can’t figure out where is was …
Luckily on my searching journey, I came across some other interesting tidbits that really made me think …
While looking through The Creative License: Giving yourself permission to be the artist you truly are by Danny Gregory, I came across a couple of pages that really stood out to me today. Here is one of the passages:
- Your journal shouldn’t be a dumping ground, but a place to create, recognize, and celebrate beauty and joy, that which is in all things. It should be a friend you have a great time with, not a shoulder you whine on. Commemorate the positive. Eliminate the negative. (page 74)
Create …
Recognize ..
Celebrate …
It is nice to have a place to give myself permission to do those things. In many ways I feel like my blog is my journal for these things.
It is one place that I can pull things together, reflect on what I have created to recognize and celebrate uniqueness and individuality.
That is not necessarily what my blog started out being but that is what it has developed into!
Someone recently asked me how I get ideas for my blog. She would like to start a blog but was afraid she would not be able to post everyday. I assured her that there is no blogging requirement to post every day. In fact, I blog when I have an idea that I want to share or remember myself. I shared with her that when I started blogging, I told myself that I was going to try to blog about something at least once a week.
I guess I started blogging for selfish reasons. My memory is not the best, and writing about things helps me remember them better (and it gives me a place to go back and look at the great things I have found). When I started, I used my blog to keep track of information I found when I was reading a book about writing (Notebook Know-how: Strategies for the writer’s notebook). Then when I started using Problem-Based Learning Activities in the classroom, I used my blog to keep track of the lessons I had done and what did or did not work. I was a reflective practitioner (I guess). I used the blog then as a record to show what I had done and what I had learned for my Individual Growth Plan.
I made a new goal involving incorporating technology into my instructional practices. When I would attend workshops and read blogs, I found so many great ideas that I could not keep up with all. I decided instead of filling up a notebook with notes about all the things I was learning about, I would write blog posts and link to those great sites and tools. For that purpose, I created a blog.
It was and still is a way for me to keep track of my learning and learn even more!
Like I said before, starting my blog was selfish. Then I figured out that I could use blog posts to share what I had found. Knowing that some people look at my blog to find ideas is exciting for me and encourages me to write blog posts more often, but writing so that people will read is not the reason I blog. I don’t pressure myself into feeling like I have to write a post every day. When the idea comes, then I write. I have found that even if I don’t really feel like writing, if I can just make myself start then it all flows out!
The lady who asked me about ideas for my blog began telling us about some of the projects she was doing with her students (going on “plane trips” using google earth and lots of engaging activities). I shared that those things would be great to blog about.
Blog posts don’t have to be long and formal research papers. They can be simple “hey look what I did today” or “look what found” messages. Like I said, for me my blog posts are often “look what I want to remember” messages.
Do you have a place where you feel you can create, recognize, and celebrate?
Does it call for courage to have a space and be willing to share?
Sharing is just as valuable as creating, recognizing, and celebrating …
How can we help others have those types of places?
About Melissa Edwards
I believe that for technology to be most effectively used in the classroom, there has to be a curriculum reason. Based on that, I enjoy helping teachers find ways to connect curriculum and technology using instructional resources. I use my experience as a classroom teacher combined with my background in literacy, the arts, and learning to guide what I share.
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