Educational blogging seems like a pretty self-explanatory thing. It is when education professionals write blog posts about how to teach and things going on in their schools right? What if we took a deeper look into what educational blogging is as well as its benefits for teachers and parents alike. According to an article from the Center for Teaching Excellence & Learning Technologies at Fort Hays State University, educational blogging is being “used to communicate, as instructional resources, as collaborative tools, and showcases for student projects.” Not only do the blogs serve as a way for educators to talk about what is going on in their classroom, but it is also a way to communicate about pressing issues in the education world. Blogs can provide an outlet for educators to discuss current events in education as well as share some projects from their schools. It is a versatile way to show people what is going on in education.
One example of an issue that could be talked about in an educational blog is school safety. School safety is a hot topic in the United States every year due to the increasing number of violent crimes targeting schools. In her blog regarding school safety, my peer Mackenzie notes that school safety does mean the security and physical safety of students, but it also can cover more safety topics like cyberbullying and mental health. She writes that school security should be a top priority for schools across America because things like shootings and bullying have a major impact on students’ mental health. These events also impact the community and families of those students. In another blog regarding school safety, my classmate Maya notes that “immediate change in our schools is necessary.” She mentions how differences in opinions are holding America back from making a constructive change in school safety, but either way, something needs to be done. Another useful topic for an educational blog could be about something separate from the students, teacher’s salary. In her blog post, Sabrina discusses how important paying teachers a fair wage is to education. She states that overall educator’s salary has gone down 1.3% when since 2000 when inflation is taken into consideration. Even though it seems that an educator’s salary has nothing to do with their teaching, the stress of being able to afford rent or groceries can weigh on teachers and students notice. She writes that 82% of teachers work a second job. Sabrina ends her blog by asking some questions for the reader to consider regarding teaching salaries. The most compelling to me is “[h]ow can people expect parents to teach their children, and sometimes expect them to raise their children when they get an unfair and an insulting salary?”
image of an open laptop, cell phone, and coffee cup on a wooden desk
Educational blogs can serve as an effective way for teachers to express frustrations and joys about their jobs while also speaking on topics that impact the educational world. For me, I have only blogged for a couple months, but it has benefitted me greatly to research relevant education topics. Not only have I become more versed on issues within education, but I have also been able to have conversations with people outside of the education world regarding these issues. I think blogging is a great thing for teachers to do as long as they are being respectful of their students and administrators. Blogging can be used to vent, but I would hesitate to write about issues within my own classroom at length. Overall, I have enjoyed blogging about education and think educational blogging is beneficial to teachers and students.
