Blogging for Educators: Writing for Professional Learning(Corwin Connected Educators Series)

Join the education blogosphere with this easy, go-to guide! This engaging, all-in-one resource from expert blogger Starr Sackstein takes educators by the hand and guides them through the easy, step-by-step process of blogging. You’ll quickly turn snippets of writing time into a tool for reflective and collaborative professional growth. With instructive sample blog posts from sites like Blogger and Wordpress and generous examples and resource listings, this guide helps busy educators learn: The value of blogging for professional learning Best practices for safe digital citizenship How to deal with the technical aspects of blogging Platform-building tips and writing ideas  The Corwin Connected Educators series is your key to unlocking the greatest resource available to all educators: other educators.  Being a Connected Educator is more than a set of actions: it’s a belief in the potential of technology to fuel lifelong learning. "Sackstein writes with a fresh voice on her popular blog, and that voice comes through clearly in her first book. Written like a personal coach for novice bloggers, Sackstein offers practical experience and invaluable insight into the whys, whens, hows and whos of building your very own professional learning network (PLN). This is a must-read for educators of all levels ready to expand their professional repertoire by taking the plunge into social media." —Walter McKenzie, Education Technology Author, Speaker, and Consultant SurfAquarium.com "Starr gives great advice on making blogging meaningful and answers the all-important question of ‘Why should I blog?’ when time is so precious. Clear and concise, this book will empower readers to write for an authentic audience and open a reflective conversation that facilitates growth." —Garnet Hillman, Instructional Coach Deerfield Public School District 109

Table of Contents:
Preface by Peter DeWitt Introduction 1. Why Blog? The Fear of Sounding Stupid (A Sample Post) Reasons Educators Blog It Started With Twitter Blogging to Connect: Thoughts and Musings (A Sample Post) So You′re Not a Writer What Teacher Has Nothing to Say? Not Enough Time in the Day for Reflection? 2. Ready to Start; Now What? Setting the Stage What Are My Platform Choices? Vanity URLs and Hosting Setting Up Your Blog Using Blogger 3. Let′s Get Technical, So You Can Hit Publish Dealing With the Technical Side Tips for Writing Engaging Posts 4. Connecting With an Audience How and Why Should We Provide Feedback Through Comments on Blogs What About My Privacy? Creating a Community of Bloggers Is Connecting Everything When It Comes to Blogging? (A Sample Post) Final Thoughts and Takeaways Appendix

About the Author :
Starr Sackstein currently works at World Journalism Preparatory School in Flushing, NY as a high school English and Journalism teacher and author of Teaching Mythology Exposed: Helping Teachers Create Visionary Classroom Perspective. This year she begins a new blog with Education Week Teacher called “Work in Progress” in addition to her personal blog StarrSackstein.com where she discusses all aspects of being a teacher. Sackstein co-moderates #jerdchat and #sunchat as well as contributes to #NYedChat. This year she has made the Bammy Awards finals for Secondary High School Educator. In speaking engagements, Sackstein speaks about blogging, journalism education and BYOD, helping people see technology doesn’t have to be feared.

Review :
"Starr Sackstein writes with a fresh voice on her popular blog, and that voice comes through clearly in her first book. Written like a personal coach for novice bloggers, Sackstein offers practical experience and invaluable insight into the whys, whens, hows and whos of building your very own professional learning network (PLN). This is a must-read for educators of all levels ready to expand their professional repertoire by taking the plunge into social media." "Starr Sackstein expertly helps you plant your very own blogging seed and then skillfully guides you through nurturing its growth through a clearly explained step-by-step process which removes any fear of failure while at the same time allowing you the freedom of your own fun, creative spin to blogging." "Starr Sackstein shows the importance of blogging in the classroom, breaking down the steps so every single teacher can get the most out of this often overlooked tech tool. Every teacher can be a blog-star in the classroom!" "Blogging for Educators is practical and useful for beginning and more seasoned bloggers alike. Starr gives great advice on making blogging meaningful and answers the all important question of ‘Why should I blog?’ when time is so precious. Clear and concise, this book will empower readers to write for an authentic audience and open a reflective conversation that facilitates growth." "This is a fantastic read for connected educators and educators interested in being connected. It is a succinct and friendly guide to blogging: why start, how to start, and how to succeed. Starr does a superb job in sharing her experience with becoming a connected educator and using blogging as a tool for professional development. She clearly outlines the benefits of blogging for teachers as a meta-cognitive self-reflection tool. Starr argues that it is through blogging that teachers are able to self-reflect on their teaching practices and improve them in the classroom.   The book also does a fantastic job in showing popular blogging platforms’ pros and cons, as well as how to get started with each one. This guide is very helpful for new bloggers, or people interested in blogging as all the information is outlined very clearly and allows the reader to easily make a choice. If you are a passionate educator and looking to adopt a new tool for professional development, then Starr’s book is a great start in helping you become a connected educator and a better teacher." "Starr Sackstein has written a smart, engaging, and useful book that can greatly help teachers at all levels in the 21st century. Technology and social media—when used in the ways she discusses—will benefit current and future teachers, students, and curricula. Sackstein speaks to new and current educators interested in blogging about important issues of pedagogy, accountability, collaboration, and creativity. Blogging for Educators is a relatable, thought-provoking read for educators from K-12 to academia. It should become a handbook for all teachers interested in connecting better with their students, each other, and other education bloggers and Tweeters. Readers will get both the How and the Why of engaging in public writing and public teaching as well as Starr herself does."  ′In Starr’s must read book, she clearly articulates the undeniable benefits of writing development and ties them together with progressive tools and strategies for a user-friendly look at how to take learning to the next level!" "Starr uses a practical approach to assist educators in entering the world of blogging. It is clear that the contents of the book reflect the trials and tribulations Starr has experienced along the way to become a very successful, active blogger. She recognizes the important of self-reflection in improving her teaching and her connectedness. She identifies seven reasons/benefits to educators’ blogging and then takes the reader into the technical side of blogging, helping us overcome our concerns and fears about publishing our thoughts, interests, successes, failures, and concerns." "As of now there are about 20 books in the Corwin Connected Educator Series, a seemingly ever-growing set of titles masterminded by Peter DeWitt and Corwin Press. Each book is short enough to be read in one sitting, which makes the collection ideal for book studies and professional development, both during the summer and throughout the school year. Also, each paperback is authored by one or two educators who speak (and blog, tweet, etc.) with a credible voice in the world of connected education. Some of the topics include: Flipped leadership Tools for connecting educators, parents, and communities Blogging for educators Best practices for establishing a makerspace Tools to connect and empower teachers Finally, all of the authors are active on social media, and they regularly present at local conferences, which helps in bringing to life the contents of these books."