EduBlog Insights

written an excellent overview of blogs in this month’s American School

Board Journal. The article is “What’s in a Blog?”. In his short history of blogging he begins with this:

That really made my day. It is a story of potential and this author

told it well. I thought, “At last, an article that focuses on the

possibilities blogs can provide in education.” He covers a broad range

of topics in the blogging world in education. He gives examples

of “how blogging puts give-and-take into web publishing.” He

writes about how teens are leading the way, how most educators

have not even discovered this tool, and even

provides tips on how to become a blogger. He paints a picture that

shows the

possibilities and the unrealized potential.

He tells the story of a superintendent blogging from Florida’s Pinellas County

Schools. This school system has had a year full of tragedies with two students dying

and then the handcuffing of an unruly 5-year old. Other issues

have played out and the superintendent has asked the

community to react. He does this through his blog, The Classroom.

Clayton Wilcox is the superintendent. Wilcox says, “It has been

powerful.” The superintendent is using his blog to engage the community

and foster discussion. I sure hope more superintendents follow suit.

Check out a few quotes in the story:

Will Richardson (supervisor of instructional technology and communications at Hunterdon Central Regional High School in Flemington, N.J.):

“The key question is whether schools want to speak to

constituents, or speak with them using this technology. One strength of

blogs is the ability to carry on asynchronous conversations.”

Jeff Weiner (senior vice president of Yahoo!):

“I’m amazed people don’t get it. Never in the history of market research has there been a tool like this.”

Thor Prichard (president and CEO of blog developer Clarity Innovations):

“Weblogs enable the ‘read-write Web’ to happen.”

Anne Davis: (Information

Systems Training Specialist of Georgia State University)

“Blogs can be

places to have honest, open dialogue about issues of the day.”

Florence Johnson (president of the Buffalo, N.Y., school board):

“Because real educational reform doesn’t just happen

at weekly school board meetings. We need a continual dialogue to effect

dramatic change.”

Joyce Hooper

(principal of J. H. House Elementary School in Conyers, GA):

“Although

I greet the students and chat with many of them every morning and wave

good-bye every afternoon as they board the buses to go home, I don’t

feel that I really know how they feel about things or what some of

their concerns might be. Blogging is another avenue of communication

with them.”

Tim Lauer (principal of

Lewis Elementary School in Portland, Oregon):

“The weblog gives me the

opportunity to share content with my community and at the same time

keep an archive of that content. It’s just one of many ways that

schools can work to be more connected with their communities.”

Colgan writes that blogs have broken the chain of the one way street. I

like his way with words! You have got to read the whole article.

Articles like this just may spark other educators to explore the

possibilities of the compelling tool of blogging. Craig Colgan