Nurturing the Network

As my kids start up their blogs again, I've been thinking about my role, about what I need to do to ensure that our classroom network is healthy and that their blogs continue to develop into safe, productive spaces.

As a teacher, my role is a fine line between taking over the network, leaving it too much alone, and nurturing it, helping it to build up. This can be dangerous territory, just as it can be in the classroom. As teachers we are blogging mentors, we are examples of how to use online spaces and we are proponents of learning, showing kids the possibilities of extended learning in these spaces. Through our comments and our own posts, we need to teach kids concepts of connectivist writing, bringing their ideas together with others, showing kids how to connect ideas and people. It does not matter where these people or their ideas are physically located; our job is to help a virtual network of kids and ideas grow.

Blogging can feel like working in an echo chamber. You write and write and if you are left few comments, you begin to wonder if you are throwing your words to the wind. This technology has the  potential to bring kids together from  across the globe, but with few readers or people commenting, kids can feel alone in the vast space of the Internet. They are writing, but is anyone listening?

This is why nurturing the network is a vital part of classroom blogging. Teachers need to begin as the leader of the network, but they also need to help it to grow, they need to bring kids and ideas together, showing kids they have readers, that their ideas matter, showing them the possibilities of connection.

As teachers we need to be the leaders, and the "tenders" of our classroom networks, but just as importantly, we need to teach our kids how to do this. We need to teach them how to support each other in their growth and their understanding of the possibilities opened up by blogging. New forms of writing, new forms of connection, new opportunities for knowledge growth are all possible, but it must be done with a clear purpose and with a clear plan; otherwise we might as well have kids put their thoughts on paper for our eyes only.

Comments

[Brian Mull]

Clarence,

I encourage you to continue to encourage your kids to blog even when it seems like nobody is listening. The truth is, we are.

I read way too many blogs in a day, and respond to only a few. But the ideas that I read in all of my blogs impact me in so many ways. They make me the educator that I am. While it always makes us feel good to hear from someone (I know I get excited about it), the changes I make in how I teach and how I learn are a direct result of everyone out there.

Keep up the good fight!

[Jo McLeay]

Like Brian said!

[Mike Hetherington]

Great post. You are so right about the balance needed in nurturing the class learning network vs. taking over. Too much direction can cause the students to relinquish blog ownership to the teacher, and thats the death knell for real learning. I struggle with that balance daily as a middle school teacher. Thanks for so eloquently addressing the balance and motivation issues.

[Joan Vinall-Cox]

Great post. I needed to hear what you said as I try to nuture my student's community blog.