Blogs - They're Not Just For Julia Child Wannabes

How educational leaders might use blogs?
Nancy Fichtman Dana quotes Harry Wolcott who stated that “the conventional wisdom is that writing reflects thinking.” Dana takes this a step further and declares that “writing is thinking.” Blogs represent the online version of a public journal. Educational leaders can and should use blogs for a variety of reasons. Certainly, blogs are a means of expression, but more importantly, they are an interactive and collaborative method to share information and “test the waters” with certain ideas. Within the context of my RESEARCH course, Blogs allow for reflection within the context of action research. “Writing about your research activities encourages thought and reflection, and perhaps creates new questions that are resolved, which shape and complete your research” (Dana, 2009, p. 149). Additionally, blogs may empower administrators to challenge the status quo. Another reason for their use is that blogs are an interactive, collaborative accomplishment that can be shared with professional colleagues, parents, and the community. Leaders can use blogs to explore and develop ideas while invoking responses from a larger audience of professionals. A final use mentioned by Dana is that it is an archive of thoughts, ideas, concepts, and inquiries that can be referenced over time. This revisiting may produce “critical insights“ or “new and deeper insights with each visit” (Dana, 2009, p. 88).