Why Blog? Then vs. Now

Screen Shot 2014-02-28 at 10.30.28 PMInspired by this post by Dan Meyer, an abrupt question from a colleague, and the fact that the ticker at the bottom of this page surpassed 1,000,000 earlier this week, the question of “why blog?” is a timely one.

Yes, recently I was asked by a fellow teacher, “So… why do you blog?  Don’t you have anything better to do?”

Ouch.

Why I Began Blogging

This blog was very bare-bones during my final year of teaching in Pennsylvania.  I didn’t post much, but I began the blog in the first place because I understood the value of learning from other teachers who weren’t conveniently a few classroom doors down, but were perhaps in a completely different part of the world.  I found myself regularly sharing and tweaking things with my (local) colleagues that I had run across on other teachers’ blogs.  I wanted to share my own ideas too, but didn’t feel that I had a lot to say.  I thought every blog post had to be earth-shattering or practice-changing… but realized in time that some of the blogs I found the most helpful simply shared authentic day-to-day classroom experiences and resources.

A New Purpose

Our family transitioned to Austin, Texas nearly 2 years ago and I joined a district with a 1:1 iPad initiative with gusto.  I wanted to try every app and revamp a lot of my lessons in light of this new tool.  Suddenly, I had a *LOT* to say and share.  Feeling extremely blessed to be a part of the trailblazing, I hoped my blog might help guide others who were on the brink of a 1:1 iPad math classroom experience.  To kickstart my blog, I needed a focus, and boy did I find it!  Thanks to some added encouragement and cheerleading from my pal Lisa Johnson, I felt inspired and frankly responsible to share what I was up to in my classroom with a potentially global audience, through blogging and sharing on Twitter.

Why Blog? Don’t I Have Anything Better To Do?

Blogging has become a regular part of my practice.  Being accountable to a blog forces me to do two very important things – to share and to reflect.  When folks who may not blog, or may not understand the value in reading blogs, ask why I bother, that is the simplest, purest response I can provide.  Through this blog, I’ve also “met” and connected with some amazing people, have received valuable feedback, and have stumbled upon some unique opportunities, like impacting and creating resources for my all-time favorite app.  Glancing at the ticker at the bottom of this page gives me at least a million reasons to continue sharing and reflecting.  I truly thank all of you who share and reflect through blogs – you’ve helped me grow and continue to inspire me!

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