The biggest blogging tip I would like to share is don't be afraid to do it. I used to think "why would anyone want to read what I think?"  "Who cares?"  "I don't have anything thought provoking to say."  I also had the misconception that blogs had to be deep, long drawn out thoughts.  I certainly wasn't going to do that.  Well then I continued to read other educator's blogs (which is another great tip) and I got to the point where I felt comfortable to share.  Somewhere, some teacher could will probably be able to put to use your ideas if you blog about things that go on in your classroom.  Your thoughts may spark action at another school, or promote good, professional development in the staff lounge.  I know blogs have done that at my school.  Lastly, and I think most importantly, blogging can help YOU grow as an educator.  Reflecting can promote growth and self improvement.  Every teacher has a story to tell, an idea to share or thought to give.  Share your ideas, help someone else grow and you'll probably end up helping yourself.  

Scott Akerson is a really inspiring and passionate educator. You can check out his blog: http://MrA47.blogspot.com/ and you can also follow him on twitter: http://twitter.com/MrA47

Clipped from: thinkersonline.wordpress.com (share this clip)

I have just spent a lovely half hour reading some posts by Debbie Smith from New Zealand, of thinkersonline. She comes across as a lovely, thoughtful teacher, not at all scary (!) as one male teacher recently confided to her. But then, he was not really talking about her, but how her special interest can make other teachers feel. Based on her own personal experiences with her loved one at first, this interest developed into a specialism for working with gifted and talented children. As this teacher elaborated, it’s something that we can often ignore. We are become so concerned about the progress of some weaker students, that these ones at the other end of the spectrum get ignored, and get restless, often throughout their school careers and into adulthood. Debbie offers lucid insights and practical tips. Here is my favourite: “It could be frustrating to an average student, but I love to answer the gifted’s questions with another question... An answer can be such a conversation stopper!” How true! Lovely work Debbie.

Debbie is a passionate educator. You can also follow her on twitter: http://twitter.com/dsmithnz

Reviewed by David Warr. You can check out his blog: http://languagegarden.wordpress.com  and you can also follow him on twitter: @DavidWarr

When we first start Blogging many of us tend to get caught up in the blog's appearance and what we are using for widgets in the sidebar. We are not satisfied with the theme we are using and when we find the next perfect theme (for the umpteenth time), we just have to use it on our blog immediately and the same thing happens when we find that great widget.  

I have the following tips:  

• Instead of using your primary blog to constantly experiment with new themes or widgets, set up a dummy blog site that mirrors your primary site.  That way you can experiment to your heart's content to see what works for you and what doesn't, without affecting your primary blog.  This will help protect your main blog site from themes that don't work right, widgets that really slow down loading times or themes that when you see them the next day - you go "what was I thinking?"
• Once you get your new blog setup the way you want it (usually after a couple of weeks) establish a schedule  for when you will review your blog and only make changes at that time, unless  an emergency occurs and put it on your calendar or task manager.  The time frame is dependent upon your needs, but the longer between major revisions/updates shows more stability on your part.  This also gives you time to stop and reflect on what changes you are thinking about, instead of making impulse changes that you may regret later
• Actually write out the things that you don't like about your blog's present appearance, what you can do to improve it and ask others to provide you with constructive criticism.
• Create a file folder or electronic notebook where you keep the ideas that you have tried first on your experimental blog site, that you still want to add to your blog.  This way you do not loose those great ideas to improve your blog and when your scheduled blog review comes up, you are ready for what you want to do.
• My last tip is to review your blog appearance and widgets, at least annually, to ensure that your blog is not stale or that the widgets you are using still meet your needs, that the links are all working and the overall appearance is pertinent to what you write about.

I have broken everyone one of the above tips and wished that I had used them over the course of the past three years.  I have learned from experience if you are constantly making changes to your blog's appearance, it does negatively affect your blogging and how others perceive your blog.

Remember people are not coming to your blog to see how great it looks, they are coming to read the words that you write.  

Clipped from: inspireyourlearners.blogspot.com (share this clip)

I love reading blog posts with descriptions of lessons and lesson ideas and how they’ve worked in class. However, every so often, I come across posts that remind me what an important job we do and how great it can feel when you really make a difference with a student. That’s the kind of post I found on a recent visit to Michelle Worgan’s blog in which she describes the moment one of the kids in her English language class came out with a sentence in English all by herself. Such moments are the best kind of feedback to let you know that your lessons are having the desired effect. They can brighten up a dull winter’s day, make a regular lesson special and provide motivation for both student and teacher and this is what Michelle captures so well in this post. These kind of moments are what langauge teachers as well as teachers of all other subjects should strive for! Michelle is a really passionate educator. You can also follow her on twitter: http://twitter.com/michelleworgan

Reviewed by Dave Dodgson. You can check out his blog: http://http://david-dodgson.blogspot.com/ and you can also follow him on twitter: http://twitter.com/davedodgson 



Many bloggers would like to expand their readership! If you are proud of your work, then this is only natural. Moreover, as a new blogger you might have some posts you are proud of, but hardly received the traffic you would have liked. Unfortunately, many of your new readers will probably never read through your former readings or archived posts. For this reason, I like to contribute to various blog carnivals.

A blog carnival is hosted on one person's blog. The blog post highlights a list of posts from other bloggers that usually follow a subject, theme, or content area. For example, I often contribute to the English Language Teaching carnival. Bloggers submit their previous posts through a form. The host will highlight favorite parts of the post. Sometimes, only a few are selected.

How to Submit to a Blog Carnival

To accomplish this task do the following:

• Visit the education category of the blog carnival. Browse through each to enter the ones you would like.
• Fill out the submission form with the necessary details.
• If you are in ESL then submit to the monthly ESL/EFL/ELL Blog Carnival by using this simple submission form.
• For more information or to host a future ESL/EFL/ELL Blog Carnival, please visit Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day!

written by Shelly Terrell

Clipped from: upsidedown.edublogs.org (share this clip)



This blog's message can be inspiration for sharing or motivation for other teachers to use social media.  Teachers do amazing things.  The best teachers take other's ideas and implement them appropriately in their own classrooms.  This blog encourages teacher sharing which in the end benefits our students.  This blog can also be used for motivation for other teachers to get into the world of social media.  There are so many, (countless), resources available because teachers share.  How can teachers not want to share after reading this blog post.

Amanda is a really passionate educator. You can also follow her on twitter: http://twitter.com/amandacdykes

Reviewed by Scott Akerson. You can check out his blog: http://MrA47.blogspot.com and you can also follow him on twitter: http://twitter.com/MrA47

Clipped from: mra47.blogspot.com (share this clip)

We have picked this post because apart from being wonderful it really reflects what we want to promote, the use of social media in the classroom for creating meaningful learning opportunities and it's use for developing a PLN. Scott Akerson is a really passionate educator. You can also follow him on twitter: http://twitter.com/MrA47

Written by Greta Sandler



You've created a digital footprint, but how do you keep track of it? Set a Google Alert for your name and your blog url. For example, I have Google Alerts set for Shelly Terrell, @shellterrell (my Twitter name), and my blog, http://teacherbootcamp.edublogs.org. Setting alerts only takes a few minutes to do and you can determine if you want them sent to your email as they happen, daily, or weekly. Watch this video to see how easy it is to set an alert! You can even set an alert for your favorite subjects. I used to set an alert for education technology, ICT, and elearning. This led me to incredible content that I began subscribing to in my Google reader.

post written by Shelly Terrell