I’m entering the big, possibly scary world of blogging. Reflecting after my first TLLP meeting, I’m wondering what in the world have I signed up for? I feel like my students surely do, when I’m introducing brand new material and they are sitting there, staring up at me with blank stares or puzzled looks. Being, what I consider, a pretty technologically sound user, this task seems a little daunting. However, listening to the other experienced bloggers around the table, I can’t help but feel excitement about learning this new social media tool. The students I have this year are so keen and excited to begin this new project together. My first step is to go creep many other blogs so that I can get a feel of how I want my blog to look and what type of information I will share. My next step is to get some tech support to help with how to setup my blog. Finally, I’m going to ask the experts (fellow bloggers) for ideas of how to get our blog seen. It’s sure to be an interesting and informative adventure!
Leigh Cassell Consulting 
Thank you for sharing your reflection Allison. One of the things I love about blogging is that we all belong to a community. So many times we attempt to learn new things and it feels like we are on island in the middle of the ocean left to fend for ourselves and battle the elements . . . alone. But when you enter the world of blogging you are not alone. You realize that your island is actually connected to hundreds of other islands, and by hopping in your life boat, you can sail the rough seas to connect with others, share your experiences, and celebrate your successes. And soon your little life boat will become a cruise ship loaded with new friends and colleagues – kept afloat with bubbling ideas, a shared passion, and common goals.
Welcome aboard Allison! Our community is a better place because of you.
Leigh
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Today my class published their first blogs and it went fabulously well! We took pictures of our self portraits and then wrote a little bit about how we created them along with our feelings about our work. Some students were frustrated that they could not get their write up published and I reminded them that figuring out what was going wrong was half the fun of learning to “play” with blogging. Soon one of the students figured out that you have to remove the emojis to get your writing to post. That was an aha! moment for us all and proof positive that perservering in the face of new technological challenges, and sharing your discoveries with others, is the best way to learn! My class is now looking forward to creeping some other blogs before we set the themes to our own sites. Enjoy your blogging journey, it’s going to be an exciting one!
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