I began this adventure in 2008 or 2009, which year I cannot exactly remember. I had amassed many links in different areas, and I was looking for an interesting way to house and organize them. I began a Google Site and I created pages for different topics in math, science, and technology. I was happy that the resources were organized, and eventually I made the site public. After time, I realized the limitations on Google Sites, and I was envious of how other sites looked. In 2010 I took the plunge, and with the help of my husband’s office tech support, I ventured over to WordPress. My site is not hosted on WordPress’s server, and so I was not restrained by the limitations of the free site. However, the WordPress platform is not as simple as Google Sites, and so I sometimes find myself wandering into the html side to “fix” (or sometimes break) the visual features on my site. The name of my site has also evolved over time, as I wanted to “get going” but I had difficulty finding a name that embodied my vision. The name that appears on the site right now was only finalized this summer.
At first, worried about privacy issues, I kept my name as far from my site as possible. Over time I realized that my name is already out there on the school website and through other things that I had done, and that for better or for worse, we live in a world where privacy is no more, and so I connected my name to my site.
Why WordPress? I found Google Sites limiting, and I wanted more options for the theme of my site. WordPress provided these options, and you have more control if you are not using one of their free sites. I was able to choose my own domain name, had an abundance of themes to choose from, and within the chosen theme I also had control over widgets, sidebars, pages, and other appearance settings. However, at times WordPress does glitch, and lack of html training can make it difficult to troubleshoot. I am sure there are those that figure it out on their own, but when I accidentally deleted a portion of my site by playing in the html, I was glad to have my husband’s tech gurus close by.
Over time, the purpose of my site has changed. While on Google Sites, my main purpose had been to help myself by organizing and categorizing resources. With the transition to WordPress I also opened a twitter account, and I became a blogger. I began to write. I didn’t know if I had an audience, but I wanted to share the many wonderful resources that I had found with the teaching world, at large. I was no longer just in it for myself. I felt that even if only a few benefitted, I had done some good, and that remains my purpose to this day. I share interesting and intriguing sites that can help teachers, mainly in the areas of math, science, and technology, as those are my specialties. Sometimes I share my lessons, those of which I am especially proud.
It is not an easy task. I have gone weeks on end where I write religiously for the site, and I have also gone many months without a word. I have found it challenging to balance a family, a full time job, and also manage to do what I want for myself, which includes writing. There aren’t enough hours in the day, and so priorities take place. There are those who say that if I cannot do what I want for myself, than my priorities need adjusting. I agree. It is a work in progress. I had not touched the site for the entire school year, but I am currently taking the IICT Part 2 course, and I have been motivated to reconnect with the blogging world.
But I am only one of many. There are so many bloggers and writers that are more known than I, and they inspire me. Some of them can be found on my blogroll to the side. The tech gurus (Free Technology for Teachers, Educational Technology and Mobile Learning) provide me with new tech tools for use with my lessons, and Common Sense Education adds ratings and reviews to that mix. I follow Mindshift on Facebook, and I enjoy reading many of their education articles. Dan Meyer is the king of three act math, and I have been following his dy/dan blog for quite a while. Musing Mathematically and Great Maths Teaching Ideas provide tried and tested math teaching ideas for the classroom, and The Middle School Science Blog offers a plethora of teaching resources for grades 5 to 8 science lessons.
Whether I write daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly, blogging allows me to feel connected with similar minded educators. I learn from others, and perhaps I can offer something in return.
Until next time…..
