PD-ICT: Experience in Using Blogs - to teach and for personal use

This is the task that's set for everybody... in preparation of the 2nd session when we move into the use of Web 2.0 tools for learning.

Yes, wanted everyone to experience blogging... Nothing beats experience... As Richard had shared, when we expect our students to blog... we should take the lead to experience it... Oh yes, when we talked about role-modeling, walking the talk... it means we are to make the very first move... the first step... Be it an experiment? or a learning journey...

What's more I believe that only when we know the system well, we are equipped with enough knowledge and skills to manage the kind of responses generated from the platform and understand the psyche of our learners.

Only started blogging 3 years ago... so, I'm a latecomer... initially driven by 'job function'... then slowly grew to become a passion. I must confess... the first couple of times to do posting was really a chore... yes, we were tasked to reflect on certain pedagogy or new initiatives and pen it down for sharing... and it was monitored! Ah! I hate that... for someone who read or write little... especially, to write??? It was really a tall order!!! What's more the piece of work would be virtually marked... That really put me off! Anyway, the very first blog was born... on 26 February 2006. It was a Sunday! See! Rushing to meet deadline... {sigh}... and it's this very blog!!! Certainly... it's when the learning journey begins...

Well, this sounds familiar... in one of the research presentations we listened to at London Knowledge Lab... one of the findings said, when getting children use ICT to complete a task, it does not necessary motivate them to use the tool as it's put in a different context... Well, it could backfire!!!

Anyway... it was also the time when I started thinking to pen down my thoughts of my Bhutan journey... Yes, the valuable experience... and lots of things to tell my students over there... then started the very first travelogue... and I could not stop... the emotion was stirred up... the more I wrote, the more I thought of the good times I had in this landlocked place... well, not all are pleasant... but it's through these encounters that I learnt and grew... and become more mature... Well, also discovered it's a pretty good platform where I could share the beauty of the country with people out there... the gallery! Yes, these are "self-directed" activities... the more I wrote and put up stuff in the blogs, the more I explored in this platform.... and potential began to uncover...

That's still very limited to personal use... The person really gave me a push to it was Timothy... was encouraged me to work on a new workshop module on blog! Ah! The typical mindset was, blog for Maths? Was I crazy??? It's a language tool!!! Hahaha... well, when there's pressure, something would be created... in chinese, sometimes is rather 骑虎难下! Of course, the first step is to translate it into something related to work... and in 2007, proud to say that "Using Blog to faciltiate workshop" became a signature practice of the Maths team in ETD!!! Of course, lots of hardwork and perseverence... It's not entirely smooth either... sometimes the team was chided for using the same old strategy, and not engaging participants in an interesting manner... Hm...

Through developing the workshop module, it has really put me into deep thinking how the platform could be used for Maths teaching & learning... and how to sell it to my workshop participants! Yes, have you heard of Singapore Maths teachers getting students to blog? Ha!!! What a breakthrough!!! So glad to take the courage to venture into this road less travelled!

For teaching & learning? It's really through the workshops where we got the participants to learn how to develop blog-enabled lessons for Maths learning! Yes... given the opportunities to practise... The responses and enthusiasm from the participants were encouraging!!! Oh yes, positivity generate positive energies!!!

Blogs has become a convenient place to put down my thoughts... yes... like it or not... however, also learnt to bcome more tactful!!! Maybe not fair to the platform... but have turned to it to pour my grievances too... This is certainly a good way to let out some stream, sometimes... It's also when I started making conversations to myself, clarifying my own thoughts...