It is becoming very apparent that one of the biggest benefits of committing time to creating a class blog is to the teachers involved.   The sharing of ideas by the showcasing of class work is a powerful professional learning tool.    The natural way with class blogging is that you seek to develop an audience and most class blogs are read by teachers who have their own blog and are seeking to broaden a network.     I cannot count the number of times I have read or heard, “I saw that on a blog….”, or seen comments written by teachers on blogs “What a great idea, can’t wait to try that with my kids”

Whilst our intentions are student centred, I accept that one powerful by-product of class blogs is the sharing of ideas amongst the adult readers.   Through blogging, teachers are sharing practical ideas and lesson content. Teaching methods are being modelled and exposed in a way that could not occur before the immediate tool of blogging became widespread.   I know that often the teachers are more excited than the students when they receive comments and I credit this to the affirmation that they receive from colleagues.      This affirmation is so important and has been lacking in schools where the doors are closed to outsiders – thankfully those days are over.

Do you have a class blog?  What have you learned from reading other blogs?  What have you gained as a teacher from your class blog?