technology enhances practice: blogging as teachers

Technology Enhances Practice

Jeffrey Mattison, La Paz Middle School, Salinas, California

Jennifer Uhler, Georgetown University, Washington, DC

44th Annual TESOL Convention

Boston, Massachusetts

25 March 2010

The Context

The Project

The Reflective Device

The Set Up

The Future

� Personal Journals� http://teacherdudebbq.blogspot.com/

� Master Teacher Demonstrations� http://apprendre-anglais.blogspot.com/

� Knowledge/Skill Sharing� http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/

� Invisible� Privacy settings limit viewing to select audience

� Reflective

The Context: Teacher Blogs

Teacher Connections, Global Reflections

www.teachingwithoutborders.blogspot.com

� Time: 3 years

� Purpose:

� Reflect for professional development

� Discover features of teaching practice

� Have meaningful correspondence with colleagues

� Overcome professional isolation

� Outcomes:

� Increased self-awareness of teaching practice

� Increased connection with fellow blogging teachers

The Project

March 23, 2007 – January 1, 2010

� 100 posts: Jenn (49); Jeff (45); Others (6)

� Averages:

2007 43 posts

2008 27 posts

2009 30 posts� Comments

� Visitor Traffic

The Facts

What worked

What didn’t

Gap in reflective blogs

Why this worked in this format

The Outcomes

MonologueDialogue

Portable accessAccessible with Internet connection

Titles for each entryThematic using tags

Scannable artifactSearchable artifact

One authorMultiple authors

Private audiencePotential public audience

BLOGS JOURNALS

Interactive Static

Considerations:

� Ethics� Platform

� Structure

� Format, frequency, commenting, commitment

� Multimedia

Ethics

� Maintain confidentiality of

� School

� Students

� Colleagues

� Separate school and personal access to

� Comply with district/institute AUP

� Limit liability for inappropriate access

� Respect others’ intellectual property

� Linking to web content

� Posting student work

(Ray and Hocutt, 2006)

Platform

Platform

Descriptive of event or issue <objective>

Commentary & Reaction <subjective>

Questions to focus the response <dialogical>

The Structure

Reinforcing Academic Vocabulary (Jeff)

Tuesday, October 13, 2007

� Prologue: “I tried a gallery walk…”

� The Lesson: “First period was able to review… Then, I orally reviewed words… Next…

� Reflection: “I knew I did something right because 1st period’s

students had smiles… Was I just not doing enough handholding example-giving for the 5th period kids?”

� Questions: “ Once again, behavior management is the first and biggest hurdle. Do you have any tips for instruction

giving?”

� Ranting vs. deep reflection

� Equal commitment

� Clear purpose of blogging

� Frequency & length

� Supportive, constructive, timely comments

Multimedia

� Potential to add

� Youtube video of teaching

� Audio recording

� Slide shows

� Hotlink to other teacher blogs

� Illustrations

Finding community in the public sphere

… and then more privately

New Address

Use pseudonyms

More peer authors

The Semi Private Option

(2010)

The Public Option (2006-

2009)

The Private Option (2009-

2010)

Wider potential audience

TESOL Community Building

Search-able

Motivation

Also available to Colleagues,

Students, Supervisors,

Parents, Community

Professionalism

Safety

Safer

Invited (Known)

Community

Less motivation?

Interested teachers cannot

find

Can you imagine participating in a reflective teaching blog? Why or why not?

Jeffrey Mattison

jsmattison@gmail.com

Jennifer Uhler

jenniferuhler@gmail.com

*For a list of selected reflective teaching and blogging references,

please email us!

*For more details on the reflective outcome of our teaching blog,

visit our presentation on March 27 at 3:00 PM in Room 204B.