It’s the last day of the year, so I’m feeling reflective. I also love statistics, so I’ve had a look at the 2008 stats for my blog. Among many other things, Google Analytics tells me that my blog has been visited nearly 30,000 times this year, and that those visits have come from 142 countries. Amazing! I think that qualifies as a significant “global audience”.
Sharing resources that are of value to learners has been the purpose of this blog from the outset. It has never been my purpose to try and build as wide a following as possible. Still, it is both gratifying and motivating to know that people actually take a look at what I share. It’s even more gratifying and motivating to receive feedback that lets me know that what I’ve shared has been appreciated and put to use.
I have complete ownership of my blog. It’s all mine, and I write my blog posts because I want to, not because someone else tells me I have to write them. I’m motivated because I’m doing something that matters to me; but I also value anything that boosts my motivation, especially when I’m feeling tired or pressed for time. My global audience and the positive feedback I receive make a huge difference then.
I suspect that I’m no different than the majority of learners in our classrooms. Whenever learners are given opportunities to work on learning activities that they choose and genuinely want to do, the odds are that they’ll be motivated and that they’ll take ownership of the learning. When the learners in our classrooms are also encouraged to share what they learn with a global audience via the internet, and when those learners can receive meaningful feedback from that global audience, motivation can only be enhanced.
A motivated learner, sharing his or her work with a global audience, stands in stark contrast to the traditional student whose learning is owned by the teacher who chooses the learning activity, where the teacher dictates precisely how the assigned work is to be completed, and where the work is undertaken for an audience of only one.
[Photo Credits: MarkyBon; Vern Hart; funkandJazz]
December 31, 2008 at 10:50 am
Great topic and a great explanation of why you blog. I think most of us that blog because we enjoy it and not because we’re paid, do it because we enjoy the global audience aspect of blogging. You’re right, we’re not that much different than our students in that regard.
Best wishes for a healthy and happy New Year.
Richard
December 31, 2008 at 11:34 am
Thanks Paul. Ownership of learning is so essential. I’m always reminded of the quote from Postman + Weingartner’s 1969 “Teaching as a Subversive Activity” – “Teachers should be prohibited from asking any question they already know the answer to.” That’s the difference between building an engaged community of learners (as we have here) and the mind-numbing uselessness of “learning the right answer” we so often see in our schools.
Happy New Year!
December 31, 2008 at 11:42 am
Paul,
I share your blog with everyone I meet that doesn’t already read it. Your commitment to children with special needs is so heartwarming and shine through every post. When I met you last year at CTG I had no idea what an incredible resource I was gaining. Thanks for being a part of my PLN! Keep up the good work! Looking forward to many more resources in 2009! Happy New Year!
~Anne
December 31, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Paul,
Your connection to what we are asking students to do in our classrooms really resonates with me. Our students are no different, they want to have an impact as well. I think it’s all about choices, equipping and empowerment; learning inevitably occurs. I know I have learned an incredible amount this year and had my thinking challenged in so many way.
Why would we want anything less for our students?
Thanks for all you do to share resources that challenge teachers to think in new ways, to empower the students with whom they work.
Happy New Year!
December 31, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Thanks to all for your responses. Feedback is always a welcome bonus!
Richard: Your prolific blogging has made my blog easier to write this year. You’ve saved me countless hours by finding and sharing many of the resources that I then go on to explore and share again. Many thanks!
Ira: You’ve challenged my thinking and encouraged me in countless ways this year. What stands out, and one of the things in my mind as I wrote this post, is your emphasis on the importance of learners having the opportunity to choose the tools that best support their own learning. Again, the key here is to empower ownership by the learner. Many thanks!
Anne: Your positive feedback and encouragement over the past year have also meant a great deal to me. I quite like the analogy of ripples that flow outward when a pebble is thrown into a pond. I’m delighted to know that you help to extend the ripples when I drop my blog posts into the blogosphere. Many thanks!
Karen: Your passionate commitment to supporting ALL learners, and especially the learners who are so often harmed by the ways that we typically do school, is an ongoing inspiration to me. I think you’ve nailed it when you say it’s all about choices, equipping, and empowerment. Many thanks!
Happy New Year to each of you!
December 31, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Paul, I’m late to the party, but quite pleased to have discovered your blog by way of Twitter. I appreciate your point of view about the purposes for blogging and usually, when I’m asked why I don’t write more, I say that it is because I don’t have anything to say at the time. Thanks for helping validate my thinking, and for providing me with more content for Google Reader.