My Window into Educational Blogging

As part of the EduBlogger World first ever virtual meetup and unofficial launch day on August 23 this blog post is a brief look into my educational blogging world.

Who am I and why do I blog?
I am an international educator who firmly believes the walls of the classroom should be lowered and/or flattened so that all participants in the process of learning can be part of the global community and share their experiences and thoughts as they feel inclined.

These are some of the reasons why I blog:

• I blog to share what I am doing with my students and with my own exploration of education and life
• I blog to clear my head and document new experiences, with a focus on educational technology
• I blog for fun and to be creative
  
• I blog to encourage interaction with other like-minded individuals
• I blog to synthesise and evaluate and reflect on my ideas and experiences

Right now I am blogging in Qatar, a country in the middle east found between United Arab Emirates (Dubai) and Bahrain. I have a new position at Qatar Academy, a K-12 international school. It is early in the year and I have not met any of the students yet. I have high expectations of my students including the following:

• I will expect all of my students to blog and develop an online learning environment
• I will expect them to collaborate and cooperate with other students in their class as well as students and teachers worldwide as the need arises
• I will expect them to be professional online and to embrace the new learning opportunities that blogging and other online activities provide them
• I will expect them to not only blog but also read alternative blogs (students and others) and to develop expertise in commenting on other blog posts in order to create an online dialogue

My Blogging Window
Right now I am blogging at the dining room table as we have been living in this new apartment in Qatar for less than one week. If it was daylight this is the image I would see outside the window I am sitting next to: The wall of our compound and over that the desert with occasional houses. Our Qatar Foundation Education City Housing, like many other places in Qatar, is surrounded by stretches of desert with clumps of houses.


Educational blogging is a valid and worthwhile method of communication and promotes and supports best practice approaches in the classroom as well as higher order thinking skills.
Are you an educational blogger? Join us at EduBlogger World. Don't forget the virtual meetups on August 23! Also don't forget we are looking for Global Greeters in every country.

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