Blogging for Educators

Writing for Professional Learning
Blogging for Educators
January 2015 | 64 pages | Corwin
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eBook
ISBN: 9781483377803
Available from January 0001
Paperback
ISBN: 9781483377797
Available from January 0001

Description

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. To explore the other books in this series, visit the Corwin Connected Educators website.

Check out the Connected Educator Series matrix to find out which book is right for you.   

"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

Contents

Preface by Peter DeWitt

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

Final Thoughts and Takeaways

Appendix

Appendix

Resources

Connected Educators Website

http://www.corwin.com/connectededucators/

Additional materials

Description

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. To explore the other books in this series, visit the Corwin Connected Educators website.

Check out the Connected Educator Series matrix to find out which book is right for you.   

"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

Contents

Preface by Peter DeWitt

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

Final Thoughts and Takeaways

Appendix

Appendix

Resources

Connected Educators Website

http://www.corwin.com/connectededucators/

Additional materials

SAGE Publishing Logo

Blogging for Educators

Writing for Professional Learning


January 2015 | 64 pages | Corwin

Format Published Date ISBN Price
Paperback 01/02/2026 9781483377797 $37.95
Lifetime 01/02/2026 9781483377803 $35.00

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. To explore the other books in this series, visit the Corwin Connected Educators website.

Check out the Connected Educator Series matrix to find out which book is right for you.   

"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

Recent Product Reviews:

"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."
Walter McKenzie, Education Technology Author, Speaker, and Consultant, SurfAquarium.com
"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."
Barbara W. Madden, English and Math Teacher, North Kansas City Schools, Kansas City, Missouri
"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!"
Dawn Casey-Rowe, Blogger and Author, Cafecasey.com
"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."
Garnet Hillman, Instructional Coach, Deerfield Public School District 109
"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."
Rusul Alrubail, Professor, Seneca College, Toronto, ON, Canada

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