I’ve created a new Blogs.06 category for those people that are trying out a blog as a result of the conference. Lynne is the first link over at Tobermory High School. I would love to link to any others who are exploring blog use. Leave a comment with your blog address.
This is a piece I wrote back in 2002/03 to document my firsthand experiences of using weblogs in my school. It gives you a flavour of why I personally find blogs so useful in education.
I would love to let you have your say on any of the specific points of my presentation. Just leave a comment on the relevant slide post and the conversation can start. Some people asked if I minded them using my blog posts from the presentation. Feel free! I would love to know if/how they have been helpful. The presentation posts start at the bottom of this page.
Thanks to John and Lynne for their excellent input in the blogging session yesterday.
For those of you that want a little refresher as to what we did yesterday then you can download a hard copy of my ‘Thinking about creativity… thinking about blogs’ article that covers what we did in the workshop as well as outlining the task that I set 
It might also be useful for peope who did not make it to the session but are interested in blogging.
It is in PDF format and is about 0.5 mb. Click below and it will take you to a page where you can download it. Leave a comment if you have a problem or find it helpful.
A number of people asked me about the Taylor Mali poem I used in my presentation. As I said he is a creative hero of mine. His website is at www.taylormali.com and the text of the poem can be found at http://taylormali.com/index.cfm?webid=13
If you want to see the true master performing it then have a look over at the Slam Channel Poetry site.
I had a brilliant time yesterday and went away inspired to try out something innovative in what I do. Thank you for your encouragement. I look forward to seeing the fruits of your Saturday labours.
David Muir is the winner of the photo to blog competition - £5 pounds is on its way via paypal - congratulations!
You will also notice that I have changed the look of this site. That is because I no longer need it as a presentation tool and I want the links to be more prominent. That is the beauty of blogging - it is flexible enough to be used easily for different purposes. I grabbed a picture of it though to remind myself what it looked like.
I chose the new grassroots picture to remind myself that it is teachers at the chalkface that will transform education ! 21-03 : Changed the look of the site again - can’t make up my mind. (about the site that is - not the role of teachers
In the education timeline blogs have only been around for a millimeter or so. The possibilities are endless and many still to be discovered. It seems to me far to early to decide what a blog should or should not be used for. Certainly no one should be laying down rules just yet.
John Johnston
The software is flexible and secure (and open) enough to reflect a range of teaching styles and visions for its use.
To transform schools we need networks and online communities of educators who are passionate about transferred innovation
Government would not take control of it, administer it or even pay for it. Government would help it flourish as a system that knows how to transfer innovation and best practice laterally and then simply gets on with the job.
Hargreaves, 2003
