Welcome to the fifth step in our free professional learning series on building your PLN.

The aim of this step is to:

  1. Explain what a blog is.
  2. Unpack the benefits of using blogs as part of your PLN.
  3. Describe some of the ways people keep up to date with blogs.
  4. Explore how to use blogs as part of your PLN.

Blogs play an important role in most educators’ PLNs and making blogs part of your PLN is more than just publishing posts on your own blog. If you don’t see yourself setting up your own blog, there are many benefits to simply reading, commenting, and sharing other people’s blogs.

What Is A Blog?

Blogs have been mainstream for well over a decade, so you might be very familiar with what a blog is (you’re reading a blog right now!).

However, let’s take a moment to define what exactly a blog is as the term continues to evolve.

Over recent year, the lines between blogs, websites, ePortfolios, and other online spaces have been blurring.

BLOG WEBSITE PORTFOLIO

Dynamic Community

Feedback and interaction (comments, sharing, RSS, and subscription)

Typically journal-like

Static information 

General term for online space — complex or simple

Scaffolding, showcasing or organization of student work

Typically over a period of time (years)

A blog is simply a website, although traditionally a website will have been more of a static space.

What makes a blog different than a simple website?

  • A blog traditionally would be updated fairly regularly and display posts in reverse chronological order.
  • Comments have always been a key feature of blogs, providing an interactive space.
  • Most blogs have pages where some key information is housed that isn’t updated very frequently (for example, an About Me page).

Nowadays, some people have a website that has a blog component; the home page doesn’t change but readers can click on a tab to view a regularly updated blog.

An example of this is Langwitches’ “Online Hub”. This is a website that displays Silvia Tolisano’s professional portfolio and there is a blog section that readers can navigate to from the front page.

Langwtiches Online Hub

An Introduction To Blogging Video

This video also provides a simple overview of what a blog is.

Reasons Why Educators Blog

The main reasons why educators have personal/professional blogs include to:

  • Share information and tips with other educators.
  • Collaborate with a global audience. Increased collaboration with others leads to greater innovation and new perspectives.
  • Reflect on their learning or their teaching/work practices.
  • Learn how to blog themselves so they can use blogs effectively with their students.

Refer to The State of Educational blogging in 2017/2018 for more information on why educators use blogs.

Your personal blog extends your relationships outside of your school and allows you to connect with global educators who all willingly help each other.

Using Blogs As Part Of Your PLN

Sue Waters, who is the backbone of Edublogs has reflected on her own experiences of blogging.

I’m sure that lots of people would be totally surprised by the fact that initially I really struggled with the concept of blogging — ‘Why would anyone blog and why would anyone read their blogs?’

It took almost a year from being shown what a blog was to becoming a blogger.

The online tools I used before blogging were excellent for sharing information. But blogging gave me what they lacked; the ability to reflect, collaborate, exchange ideas, and connect with other people.

Ultimately, blogging completely changed my life; it’s the reason why I’m now employed to do the work I do and blogging helped me build a strong PLN.

It’s also important to remember that not everyone who makes blogs part of their PLN are bloggers themselves. It’s really up to you!

Some educators prefer to read and comment on other people’s posts while other educators also have their own personal blog.

If you have a vague thought in the back of your mind about starting your own blog but you’re not sure if it’s for you, hopefully Sue’s words above remind you that you can jump into blogging with some reluctance and you may be pleasantly surprised.

What have you got to lose?

Tips For Building Your PLN Via Blogs

The key components to making blogs part of your PLN are really simple:

  • Read and comment on other people’s blog posts. Then share anything that resonates with you with your PLN (e.g. on Twitter).
  • Publish posts on your own blog to reflect your thoughts, ideas, and/or to share resources. Remember, this is optional but keep it in mind!

Like everything, there are tips that’ll both save you time and make you more effective.

Reading Blog Posts

There are thousands of educators out there who are regularly publishing on their own blogs. Many of these blogs revolve around specific topics, interests, or subjects areas. Others are more general reflections on all areas of education.

Reading blog posts is an important part of connecting with other educators. But how do you keep up to date with your favorite blogs and know if something new has been published?

There are three main ways you can keep up with your favorite blogs:

  1. Email subscription or email newsletter if available
  2. RSS feed (using a tool like Feedly)
  3. Social media and curation tools like Flipboard

Interestingly, when we did a quick poll of our Edublogs community in July 2018, 61% of respondents indicated that their favorite way to keep up to date with the blogs they like to read is via social media.

Poll showing 61% people keep up to date with blogs via social media

This might demonstrate that people are okay with consuming information serendipitously (there’s no guarantees they’ll see posts on social media). To avoid being swamped by emails, perhaps people choose to subscribe to only their very favorite blogs in this way. Feel free to tell us what you think in the comments!

Email Subscription

Many bloggers have an option to be notified via email when they publish something new. This might be via a simple email subscription widget on the sidebar of their blog. In this case, you’ll receive an email automatically to alert you to new posts.

It’s also becoming more common to see educators (and bloggers in general) create their own personal email newsletter to keep readers up to date. This might be sent out every time they publish something new, or there might be a weekly or monthly summary email.

Check out the sidebar of your favorite blog and look for a sign-up box.

RSS Feed (Feedly)

One of the easiest ways to keep updated with posts from your favorite blogs is to subscribe to their RSS feed using Feedly. The free version of Feedly allows you to follow up to 100 sources which should be enough to keep you busy!

Refer to these step-by-step instructions on how to set up Feedly.

This short video by Joshua Essary explains how to get started with Feedly.

There are other similar tools, but Feedly is one of the most popular.

Here are just a few popular education blogs you can subscribe to using Feedly.

Click here to open this spreadsheet in a new window.

Social Media And Flipboard

If you follow your favorite bloggers on Twitter, no doubt you will see them announcing when they have something new on their blog. Of course, there are no guarantees that you will always see this.

Another option Sue Waters uses on her mobile devices is subscribing to her Twitter timeline and Twitter hashtags using Flipboard.

This pulls all the links shared on Twitter into her Flipboard account in a magazine format where it’s easy to read, share, and comment on articles shared by her network.

You’ll find detailed step by step instructions on how to set up Flipboard here.

Watch this video to see how Sue uses Flipboard.

Commenting On Posts

Your commenting skills and how you engage in comments with others on blogs posts is one of the most important, and often overlooked, aspects of using blogs as part of your PLN.

The comment section is where the deep learning, questioning, and reflection can occur. Comments turn your blog from a static space into an interactive conversation.

Commenting Tips For Bloggers

1.  Don’t just lurk — comment!

Of course you’re probably not going to comment on every blog post you read, but every now and then make the concerted effort to scroll down to that comment box and type a response, ask a question, or share your own insights. Your comments don’t have to be long to make an impact.

Remember, being part of a PLN is about giving as well as receiving. Taking the time to begin conversations will pay off!

2. Approve comments quickly

If you’re a blogger and someone leaves a comment on your post, make sure you approve the comment quickly (if you moderate comments).

There’s nothing more annoying to a reader to see that their comments haven’t been published. They might forget about it and not check back to see your response.

3.  Always respond back to readers on your own posts

If readers have made time to comment on your posts the very minimum you should do is respond back to your readers (ideally each reader) in the comments on your post.

This is very important for building your blog’s community; it demonstrates that you value your readers and their input.

Below is an example of replying back to a comment using threaded comments:

Comment on a post

4.  Use the Subscribe to Comments option

If a blogger provides a subscribe to comment option, then make sure you select this option when leaving a comment, so you’re notified by email of any follow up comments.

It’ll make your life easier. 🙂

Notify of follow up comments

Set Up Your Own Blog

If you’ve never blogged before, hopefully you’re reading this with the open mind to consider starting a blog now or even in the future.

But there are so many blogs out there! Why should I start one?

This is a common concern for people contemplating whether to start their own blog. They might feel like there is so much noise and so many blogs that are already established. They wonder what they could possibly have to add to the community?

We can assure you, you do have something worthwhile to share!

You are the only you. Your unique perspectives could be exactly what someone else needs to hear.

As George Couros has said,

My best advice…write for you and don’t overthink. See every blog post as a rough draft to something you are building over time, not a college term paper.

The more you do it, the better you will become.

The better you become, the easier it will be.

Be kind, be thoughtful, but don’t overthink. It is probably holding you back for inspiring someone else, and probably surprising yourself.

Still not convinced?

Check out Obvious To You, Amazing To Others by Derek Sivers.

A Blog Is Your Online Home

There are many advantages to blogging.

George Couros’ three reasons for blogging are shared by thousands of educators worldwide.

Reasons George Couros Blogs To share my thinking. To develop my thinking. To archive my thinking.

One of the great advantages of having your own blog when you’re setting up your PLN, is that it’s your online home.

Maybe you’ll discover a really cool tool, article, or resource. You could write about it (and share your learning with others).

Perhaps you’ll connect with some like minded teachers and possibly start some sort of collaboration. This would be perfect to blog about.

Even if your blog doesn’t really have an audience, a blog can be a fantastic place to keep track of all the work you’re doing both online and offline.

Your blog can also become an excellent professional portfolio. This can be an advantage when you’re trying to demonstrate who you are and what you’re passionate about for future career opportunities.

As Stephanie Thompson pointed out on her blog, 

An effective personal learning network and a willingness to share has enabled me to enjoy some incredible learning opportunities both inside and outside the classroom in the last few years. When I look back, even getting that first job offer in a market saturated with teaching graduates was directly attributable to an online professional presence.

What Platform Should I Blog On?

If you’re still reading, hopefully you’re thinking that setting up a blog is a possibility.

So you might be wondering where to set up your blog?

There are many choices.

Edublogs and CampusPress are powered by a customized version of WordPress. WordPress is the tool of choice for the large majority of professional bloggers and online publishers. In fact, over one-third of the entire web is powered by WordPress.

It’s highly customizable, export-friendly, and it works!

It’s free to sign up for a blog at Edublogs and it’s the world’s most popular platform for educational blogging. Just go to https://edublogs.org/ to sign up!

Read more about the advantages of using a WordPress based platform like Edublogs in this post. 

How Do I Start A Blog?

Ready to start your blog? We can help with that.

Our Personal Blogging Series takes you step-by-step through the process of setting up your own personal educator blog. It includes links to other educators’ blogs so you can see how they use their blogs.

Already dabbling with blogging? You’ll find our tips for writing more effective blog posts here.

Conclusion: Why Blog When You Can Microblog?

There’s a lot you can learn from getting involved in the blogging community whether that’s writing your own posts, or simply reading and commenting on other blogs.

However, this takes a certain amount of time. So what is the benefit of using blogs as a part of your PLN, as opposed to a tool like Twitter or other forms of social media?

Simply put, the more you put in the more you get out. Blogging allows you to dig deeper and really form strong connections with others. You’re not limited to 280 characters like on Twitter. You can write thousands of words if you like! Or at other times a few short sentences might suffice. The choice is powerful.

Tom Barrett created the following diagram for a post where he explored the impact of microblogging.

Tom Barrett Microblogging
Image by Tom Barrett

Tom Barrett said,

There is nothing wrong with the amber lit retweeting and sharing, but for many people we are sharing in an attempt to have the most impact on others. The micro engagement that occurs as people share without reading and, reposting content without engaging any further, is much more prevalent than the more in depth discussions of 10 years ago.

There’s definitely room for the amber, but think about the benefits that the green could bring to your professional life too.

Like all other aspects of building a PLN — what you get back is directly related to what you put in!

In an article for EdTech Review, Saomya Saxena explained how blogs are an essential part of an educator’s PLN,

Hence, blogs are one of the most significant online tools that can help you build your professional and personal learning networks. There’s no limit to the people we can connect with, be inspired by and stretch our professional wings with and blogging offers a great opportunity to do that. I feel that, blogs will be a must for anyone who wants to develop a PLN for himself, since it is the most open, creative and free way of sharing knowledge and expressing oneself. So embrace blogging in your daily lives and grow your learning networks personally as well as professionally.

Definitely food for thought.

Your Task

We’d like you to add your voice and ideas to our ongoing conversation about PLNs by undertaking one or more of these challenges:

  1. Share a link to an educator’s blog that you enjoy reading. Tell us what the blog is about what you get out of following the blog. Also, mention how you stay updated with the blog. Do you just check from time to time? Do you have an email subscription? Or do you use a tool like Feedly or Flipboard?
  2. Set up Feedly and/or Flipboard, referring to the instructions in this post. Leave a comment to tell us how you went setting up the tool. Let us know who you subscribed to and why.
  3. Write a post on your blog with your own thoughts about using blogs as part of your PLN. Please include @edublogs if you tweet your post so we can share your post with our network. Leave a comment with a link to your post so we can read it! In your blog post, you might like to cover topics like:
    • How do you use blogs as part of your PLN?
    • What tips do you have for newbies?
    • What did you learn about using blogs for building a PLN that you didn’t know?
    • What do you like/not like about Feedly, Flipboard, email subscriptions, or blogs?

Also feel free to leave a comment to ask any questions or share your tips.

How to leave a comment: Scroll down to find the comment box. Write your comment, then enter your name and email address (email addresses are not published). Enter the anti-spam word. Press submit and we will moderate your comment ASAP.

617 thoughts on “Step 5: Using Blogs As Part Of Your PLN

  1. While I don’t personally read or keep up with any blogs, for this assignment I have found a blog that I am interested in potentially keeping up with and checking in on in the future. The blog, teachgreenblog.com, is run by a National Geographic certified educator who shares her ideas about how to teach environmental topics to children in a classroom setting, alongside sharing ideas for lesson plans and activities that you can use to teach your students in addition to reading material that she recommends. If I were to follow the blog I would likely get a range of helpful ideas out of it like how to go about teaching environmental topics to kids in my class or helpful lesson plans that I could potentially implement in the classroom. If I were to stay updated with the blog I would likely just check it from time to time, whenever I feel like I want her insight or might be curious about a potential lesson plan she has to share.

  2. After scrolling through twitter, I came across @HelenAW_SEND who is an ADHD teacher. She has so many incredible blogs about her journey in teaching and different things she may encounter during the school day. It was also really great to check out the different things other teachers and parents were commenting on her posts.

  3. I set up a feedly account and followed The Smithsonian Mag, History News Network, and World History Encyclopedia. All seemed to be good sources for historical information, and they also seem to be popular with other people using feedly. Setting everything up was easy and the website really walks you through all the steps, so I never felt like I was confused on what to do.

  4. I find Colorín colorado to be good online resource for bilingual education topics. However, I prefer not to be attached to blogs via any kind of feed or subscription. I tend to feel overly tied to online media, so prefer to browse when I have the bandwidth as opposed to feeling obligated to flip through something that is delivered straight to me. I should follow them on twitter, though…

  5. One blog I found myself coming upon multiple time is: http://www.thefriendlyteacher.com/blog. Her blog is very warming and provides plenty of activities for educators to use in their classroom. There are also plenty of resources you will find on the website. I don’t subscribe or anything, I just find myself going to it from time to time.

  6. I love the Cult of Pedagogy for their blog! They have so many relevant resources and topics for future teachers and veterans alike. They talk about everything from classroom management to how you should decorate your classroom to set your students up to succeed. The layout of the blog is organized and clear which I appreciate. I read the blog in my free time and I feel like I get so much insight from what all of the different featured teachers have to offer, especially since I am starting my own teaching career so soon. Here is the link: https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/blog/

  7. https://www.simplyspecialed.com/category/blog/ Simply Special Ed is a blog that I enjoy reading. I do not currently teach special ed, but their activities always are differentiated for skill sets and are creative, relevant, and adaptable. Their content is not just for Special Education teachers, the information and content in the blog posts are engaging for all students regardless of ability. I check from time to time to see if the blog is updated since I don’t prefer to clutter my inbox.

  8. I went and set up a free trial to use Feedly. It appears to be a very good tool to use for all types of educational purposes in and outside the classroom. I also feel it can be a way to connect with other teachers and expand your knowledge on different concepts and events happening in the world.

  9. https://blogs.sussex.ac.uk/tel/ The blog I took a look at is called Education Enhancement. I took an interest in this blog because it is run by a team of educators out of Sussex making it seem very credible. Its purpose is to produce content on using technology to enhance teaching and student learning which is also the focus of many of my classes and what education in general seems to be shifting to.

  10. https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/blog/ I really enjoy the Cult of Pedagogy blog because it is chock full of teaching strategies, classroom management ideas, and so much more. If it has to do with teaching it is in this blog (or on their podcast). I have gotten so many ideas on how to be a better teacher and tips for how to stay a teacher for the long haul. I listen to the podcast a few times a month and check the blog when I have specific issues or just to peruse once a month or so.

  11. https://www.coolcatteacher.com/
    I don’t really read blogs that much, but while perusing this particular blog, I found a lot of the information to be something that caught my attention. It has a lot of posts that give useful tips and ideas, and one post discusses how AI Assistance may not be a good idea in the long run. Other than that, I found this to be a good resource for teachers.

  12. An educator’s blog that is super fun and interesting to read is La Maestra Loca blog. This blog is about a Spanish teacher and is translated to “ The crazy teacher” I love blogs like these since I hope to become a Spanish teacher and she has amazing resources and Spanish-related content to look at. I only stay updated with the blog with free use of her blog such as just having it bookmarked and I keep looking at what new things she posts about every so often. She doesn’t have a subscription so just checking it from time to time works.
    https://www.lamaestraloca.com/blog/

  13. https://specialedandme.wordpress.com/ This is a special education teachers blog which talks about being a special educator. I really enjoy looking at her website and reading about her experiences. The things she talks about in her posts, I feel like I am getting more information about what I will be doing.

  14. https://specialedandme.wordpress.com/ This is a special education teachers blog which talks about being a special educator. I really enjoy looking at her website and reading about her experiences. The things she talks about in her posts, I feel like I am getting more information about what I will be doing.

  15. Theatre Folk Blog https://www.feedspot.com/infiniterss.php?_src=feed_title&followfeedid=4700317&q=site:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theatrefolk.com%2Fblog%2Ffeed%2F

    This blog has many tips and tricks for actors, directors, playwriters, and teachers. They come up with new topics to discuss twice a week which is always nice because you’re seeing new ideas quite often. I usually check in on it from time to time but I also like knowing that they do come out twice a week because I’m able to pick and choose which days I want to review the site.

  16. Task #1 – Share a link to an educator’s blog that you enjoy reading. Tell us what the blog is about what you get out of following the blog. Also, mention how you stay updated with the blog. Do you just check from time to time? Do you have an email subscription? Or do you use a tool like Feedly or Flipboard?
    Blog: The Teacher Toolkit (Link: https://www.theteachertoolkit.com/)
    This blog provides tools for teachers, such as graphic organizers. It contains a lot of ideas for classroom management, student engagement, lessons, and more. I check it from time to time.

  17. I chose to browse through Bored Teacher blog and podcast because I love listening to their podcasts. They are very relatable and helps me feel better as a teacher that others are experiencing similar situations as I am. They also provide some materials and lessons that work and did not work.

  18. https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/blog/ What the Cult of Pedagogy is about is for teachers to gain access to different viewpoints and resources to become a more well rounded teacher and educator. It offers a lot of different topics from classroom management to inclusion. I enjoy the blog because I currently use it in a few of my other classes and I have learned a lot of new things and activities for my classroom. I stay updated with the blog by checking it on a regular basis. I don’t have an email subscription or use Feedly or Flipboard.

  19. Blog: notanotherhistoryteacher.com

    This blog is run by a high school social studies teacher who gives readers tips, advice, and many resources for free. These are the types of resources that I can use in future classes. I keep up with the blog via email.

  20. My favorite blog is Cult of Pedagogy. Their page has blogs, podcasts, edutips, and videos. What I love about them is that they have a little bit of everything. My college professor recommended it to me and we use it a lot. I have used it for class management tips, online teaching, and learning about backward design. I use it frequently for some classes, but it is easy to stay updated. You can subscribe to their page using your email and once a week they send out new tips and tricks. I have subscribed because I know I will need it throughout my career.
    Link: https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/blog/

  21. https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/blog/. The blog has a variety of education related content. It discusses teaching practices, theories, and other profession related topics. I receive emails from them when new content is put out to stay updated, but I don’t always check it.

  22. This article makes some interesting points, but I confess that I find it hard to imagine I’ll have the time to be maintaining a blog in the early years of an education career. I can see the potential benefits, for sure, but classroom and lesson management are all-consuming activities, at least for new teachers. That being said, the reflective, journaling aspect of blogging could be really beneficial, I think…a ‘deeper dive’, as they say, into specific aspects of educational experience, and also something of a historical record of one’s own growth, which can be a really helpful thing to have.

  23. Blog: https://vcuwritingcenterblog.home.blog/
    One blog that I like to keep up with is my University’s Writing Center blog. I particularly enjoy this blog because it does not come from a singular person. Rather, the blog allows for Writing Consultants to provide a wide array of various tips and advice that can be utilized for the writing process. Being that I am an English teacher, these tips are very beneficial and can be translated into the classroom so that our students are able to learn them, as well. I stay updated with this blog by following the center’s Instagram, where they notify followers when a new blog post has been created.

  24. I found COOLCATTEACHER.COM. She posts 10 min blog podcasts on different resources for teachers to incorporate in the classroom. She discusses different grade levels, using technology, what’s trending, “cool” stuff, and more! I love the variety of what she shares, there is something for everyone to take away. She posts about 3 times a month so usually we can expect to check weekly for something new she has shared.

  25. iTeach2nd – This focused and earnest second grade teacher shares many lesson design ideas and other resources. The teacher understands the budget constraints that many schools face and often shares promotional codes for educational supply websites. I plan to stay up to date on blogs through email. I still be alerted to any blog updates as soon as they are uploaded.

  26. When setting up Flipboard you go through the registration process. Which is simple, and it pretty much walks you through the process. I subscribed to “Edublogs” because it’s about education.

  27. I really enjoyed looking of the https://www.weareteachers.com/category/teacher-life/ blog or website. It had lots of links and tools for teachers and also parents. The other blogs I found to be confusing, the titles of links and topics were not clear. I just found overall blogs to be a little scattered. This is the first time I have ever looked at blogs but this one has so much good information I probably will check it from time to time to get ideas, tips, etc. I wouldn’t use feedly or flipboard they were confusing. I have used Weebly before and I liked that. 

  28. https://kindergartenchaos.com/blog/ is a blog I like because the content is relevant to my life and I feel like it gives me fresh ideas to either use as is or helps me to brainstorm other activities/methods. I usually keep up with this blog just whenever it comes to mind by searching it up.

  29. I choose to subscribe to Flipboard. The sign up and set up was very easy. It had you enter an email address, username and password. After you were all signed in, it gave you a place to select three or more hashtags of your interests to follow. Some examples are #food, #travel and #music. The hashtags you follow are easy to access in the top right corner of the page. I choose flipboard because I like the set up and formatting of the website.

  30. I enjoy this blog, https://thekindergartensmorgasboard.com/. The blog covers art, classroom management, snacks, literacy, math, organization, science, social studies, and technology. I don’t have a subscription to the blog, I do check in from time to time. I do love the classroom management and organization areas.

  31. I perused weareteachers.com – the most recent article was posted today and was about taking middle school science outside, which I was definitely interested in! There are many contributors to this blog so it is representative of more views and also has lots of resources. I bookmarked one about creating “sense-making bookmarks” to use in students’ interactive notebooks.

  32. I read a blog on Edutopia titled “Creating a Classroom that is Student, not Teacher Driven”. https://www.edutopia.org/article/creating-classroom-student-not-teacher-driven
    I do not read blogs very often but this was a great tool and example of why I should read them more. The blog highlighted the importance of valuing student interaction and collaboration. This leads to confidence in the students and a greater understanding of material overall.

  33. I do not really go into teacher blogs or anything like that. I do however like to go onto youtube and watch what teachers are doing in their classroom. Through those I am able to see comments and posts on what teachers did with the activity or how they were able to change the activity to make it better or easier to do without some of the equipment they did not have.

    PhysEdGames on youtube! Love his videos and love the comments after the videos.

  34. The “Trendy Science Teacher” blog is a great resource for science teachers. She has some wonderfully engaging resources!

  35. The blog I read was Free Technology for Teachers posted by @rmbyrne. This blog was about using QR codes in school and what the advantages are of using QR codes. It also introduces us to a Geography game called Geo Geek AR which is a reality geography game. Technology resources for teachers are everywhere and teachers should be using these resources to enhance student learning.

  36. The blog I read about was Shake Up Learning:
    https://shakeuplearning.com/blog/
    This blog provides educators with different tips, tricks, and tools to change up the way of teaching and the learning environment. The website is up-to-date with the latest and greatest learning strategies to help keep students interested. I also like that the website provides a podcast link so that you can listen to different educators talk about all things teaching. I am new to blogging and the teaching world so this website is going to be an awesome tool for me to use.

  37. I follow Megan Mariano’s blog at https://www.readwriteteachela.com/. Initially, I was just following her on Instagram and Facebook, but I was not catching every single post, so I now have an email subscription to her blog. I find her posts to be extremely helpful because she is also using a Reading Workshop model with middle schoolers, so she has posts on everything from why independent choice reading is the backbone of middle school reading to how to provide student choice in holding them accountable for sharing about their reading.

  38. Through this activity I discovered Edutopia. This is a great resource for educators. It provides a number of topics that are beneficial for teachers. If you have a particular area that you would like to learn more about, this is a great resource to use.

  39. I find it very beneficial to read other educators’ blog because they may hold experiences and advice that you may not find in such a real and personal manner. I was unaware of where to find good blogs before completing this learning activity, and I have found many throughout this module and in the comments.

  40. I chose to complete task 2:
    Set up Feedly and/or Flipboard, referring to the instructions in this post. Leave a comment to tell us how you went about setting up the tool. Let us know who you subscribed to and why.
    I set up Flipboard so that I could browse recent news in the education world and have access to multiple sources in one convenient place. I subscribed to Chalkbeat because they cover educational news all over the country. I believe it is important to stay up to date on what is going on around us in education even if it is not in our state! I also am subscribed to a blog by Ben Landers called the PE specialist. I have been subscribed to his emailed newsletters for quite some time and I have implemented many of his lessons and classroom management techniques in my gym! https://www.thepespecialist.com/home/blog/

  41. The blog that I enjoy the most is edutopia. There are so many resources in this blog that are helpful to all content areas.

  42. A blog that I frequent is from Cult of Pedagogy (https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/blog/). I like this blog site because they offer a variety of topics from classroom management to book reviews to teacher motivation. Their blog is easy to navigate based on grade level, topic, or key word search. I usually just frequent the blog when I am seeking resources, so I don’t stay up with an email link or anything. However, there is an email subscription option if you are interested in it.

  43. The blog that I enjoy is Edutopia https://www.edutopia.org/blog-on. I really learn a lot hearing from the different educators. I also like the variety of topics that they have available. I just check from time to time. I am not much of a social media person, and I have to improve on that to expand my PLN. I am a busy educator too and it is easy to get caught up in the grind but taking time to blog and respond to other people’s blogs are a great way to strengthen your PLN.

  44. Here is the blog that I have recently subscribed to. https://www.thepespecialist.com/home/blog/
    It is a great resource for physical education teachers. It has year plans, fun lesson plans, teaching tips, and many other helpful resources. I subscribe to the blog using my email account and get emails when there is a new post. It is a great way to stay current on physical education material, assessments, and strategies. I like the fact that everything on the blog has to do with physical education and there are not distractions. I have just recently began using the blog but I plan to check the blog weekly. It will be helpful the get the emails to remind me.

Leave a Reply to Hayley Platt Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *