The Fishbowl

 In 2012, on the recommendation from a university professor, I started a blog to document my learning journey and connect with other educators.  That initial blog post started with, “I will admit that I am not the most tech-savvy person, but it’s a start!”.  If there was ever an example of foreshadowing, this introductory sentence would be it.  Little did I know that that start would swell to a 900+ post documentation of my journey from, “… not the most tech-savvy person” to the Coordinator of ICT; responsible for the technology programming and purchasing for over 3,000 stakeholders.  This journey has been, and continues to be, guided by both an internal motivation to seek out new information as well as the external support of an unwavering mentor.

So why a fishbowl?

Teaching, in general, is a practice that I believe needs to be transparent and educators should be sharing information beyond the classroom walls with other students, parents, families, collegues, etc. When a teacher chooses to share information online, their audience is expanded exponentially and it is as if they are in a fishbowl where the whole world can look in on them. Since I know that I want to continue to explore the role of technology in education I feel that “Teaching in a Fishbowl” was a title that would match my educational experience for the foreseeable future. I’ve actually written an article about this topic under the same title, check it out at: Teaching in a Fishbowl – What Can Happen When Teachers Are Online.

Blogging Timeline

This blog has grown and evolved as I became more comfortable with publishing in the online space and gained more experience in the area of educational technology. As I transitioned through different options I consciously chose to import any existing content into the new platform so, despite making a few shifts, this current version continues to hold the entire catalogue of content back to January 2012.

• January 2012
  • Hosted through Weebly
  • Was familiar with the platform already as I used it to create my professional portfolio
  • I later used this platform for my classroom website when I taught in Ste Rose
• February 2012 – July 2015
  • Miss L’s Whole Brain Teaching
  • Hosted through Blogger to utilize the Google integration to gain followers
  • I later used this platform for my rebrand (see next) as well as the 2 classroom blogs my classes maintained:
    • Mrs. T’s Classroom
    • Canadian History Told By Us
• July 2015 – July 2020
  • Teaching In A Fishbowl
  • Hosted through Blogger but rebranded
• July 2020 – Present
  • Teaching In A Fishbowl
  • Purchased my own domain and hosted through WordPress

Benefits

Despite my initial hesitancy about sharing online, I could have never imagined what a positive experience I would have as a result of blogging:

• reflect on my learning through my courses and PD sessions
  • this blog has followed me through my B.Ed, M.Ed and now Ph.D programs
• grow my PLN and connect with amazing educators from around the world
• build a running record of my experiences
  • classroom, maternity, student, and (now) as a coordinator
• learn about different teaching methods/practices
  (both from a theoretical and personal standpoint)
• share my experiences & thoughts with a global network
• find opportunities off-line to connect with other educators and present at a variety of different venues
• and so much more!

Blogging Outreach

If blogging is something you are interested in learning more about, the following resources I have created may assist:

• Principals on Social Media: Why Should You Get Online
  • Article for the Canadian Association of Principals
  • The importance of transparency through communication
  • Why should you use social media (including blogging)
  • The case for digital literacy
• Blogging in the Classroom: Knocking Down Walls & Expanding Opportunities
  • Education & Technology: Manitoba Action & Reflection (e-book chapter)
  • Classroom blogging experience
  • “Learning Scribe” author system
  • What should we write about
  • How does blogging fit into the class schedule
  • Benefits
• Dial I.T Up Podcast Episode
  • Reflecting on my experiences blogging and using social media with students
• Blogging Package for Students
  • This is what was provided to my Gr 11 students who blogged as part of their Canadian History class
  • Blogging and commenting requirements
  • How to get started and use Blogger
  • Blogging prompts
  • Marking rubrics
  • Tutorials (current as of 2017)
  • Parental Consent Form
• Connecting, Reflecting & Creating: Why We Blog
  • Created in conjunction with Tyler Letkeman
  • SlideDeck from a 2013 presentation at BYTE

I also categorize the posts of this blog; the following search terms may assist you in finding other posts about this topic:

• blogging
• social media
• PLN
• digital footprint
• digital identity