3 ways one can use a blog for professional development.
Blog’s are new and emerging field of information gathering that provides important tools both in and outside of the class room. Blogs provide a way for anyone to create, control, and connect to other blogs for various reasons. One use of blog’s is for professional development or to better one’s self to become a peek performer in their industry.
I use industry to describe all careers including instruction for in teaching there is the notion of ‘produce or perish.’ This concept we see more and more everyday; from news about government reform of schools to teachers getting dismissed for failing their own report card standards. Hence, one can see how a teacher is the same as any other person in any industry. They need to produce and to constantly keep on producing. To do this they need to improve and keep up to date.
Blogs can help instructors from perishing. Instructors can use blogs as tool to improve. By taking advantage of reading other instructor’s blogs a person can gain new and valuable information, ranging from on how to handle difficult situations to new ways/methods to instruct different lessons. Personally, I have explored numerous blogs about international TESOL. These blogs provided me with ideas that I found useful as a future instructor and also on a personal level. Another useful way blogs could be used by instructors is to provide an area where others can come and discuss ideas and problems with one another. Working together as a community on can become even greater.
Beside these reasons which helps one with their professional development blogs can also be used as an evaluative environment. One could post a copy of their lesson plan or a video of a lesson and allow fellow colleagues to critique and evaluate them. Providing a great source of information on how one is coming along in their professional development. Furthermore, at times it will be a great source for motivation and confidence building.
I hope these ideas can provide some of you with a new view on blogs.
Thank you for your ideas, Shawn. They are quite useful, and I personally like the notion of 'produce or perish'. We do need to keep up to date and never stop learning. Don't wanna perish, do we? :3
ReplyDeleteNo I belive we all want to become the best instructor we can. Thanks Shawn
ReplyDeleteBlogs are excellent resources for professional development and in the next mod you will add some edublogs to the sidebar of your own blog. Be sure to check out other participants' blogs, as you may find some you aren't familiar with.
ReplyDeleteDr. Burgos