The Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) recently sent out an email celebrating the end of term. In it they shared some ideas for some professional learning over the holidays, ranging from the most popular AITSL reports to suggestions for education videos. One of the things that stood out though was the list of ‘best blogs’ provided.
Now I don’t wish to questions the quality of any of the blogs, but for an ‘Australian’ institute it was strange that of the five blogs included, none of them were actually Australian? This subsequently got me thinking about which blogs are missing from the list, which ‘local’ bloggers I would recommend dipping into over the holiday period:
- What Ed Said – Along with Kath Murdoch’s Just Wondering, I love delving into Edna Sackson’s own inquiry into inquiry. Always open, always sharing, I feel I come away from each post with a different perspective of my own practises.
- My Mind’s Museum – A little bit practical, a little bit personal, the one thing that is guaranteed in reading Matt Esterman’s blog is that I always leave thinking a little bit more deeply about things. Along with Cameron Paterson’s It’s About Learning, Esterman’s blog provides a great mixture of practical examples and personal musings, covering everything from educational spaces to digital identity to what constitutes history.
- About Teaching – I think that the title sums it up best, Corinne Campbell’s blog reflects on everything relating to teaching from managing stress to engaging learners through project based learning. What I like is that she not only offers a honest and personal insight into things, but she also tackles topics that others often overlook.
- Dan Haesler – This is another one of those blogs that is hard to categorise. It is a little bit about wellbeing, a little bit about engagement, a little bit about leadership, but a lot bit about improving education across the board. Haesler provides commentary on all things, from class sizes to interviewing prospective staff to gifted and talented programs.
- On an e-Journey with Generation Y – Every time I start making excuses about why I can’t do something, I remind myself of Anne Mirtchen. She seems to manage so much with her students that goes far beyond the traditional classroom.
- ReconfigurED – Along with Ross Halliday’s Making Learning Fizz, Anthony Speranza touches on all things learning to drive innovation in education. Whether it be introducing Genius Hour or implementing Chromebooks, Speranza’s continual push to disrupt the traditional learning space is always both interesting and inspiring.
- Miss Spink on Tech – From using Twitter to connect beyond the classroom to publishing student work through iTunes, Spink is always writing something about how technology can make learning more meaningful. In addition to this, if there is anything to know about Evernote, she has spoken about it.
- Transformative Learning – The strength of Steve Brophy’s blog is that it is usually purposeful and practical. Like Corrie Barclay’s Learn + Lead + Inspire, Brophy provides endless reflections on the way in which technology can and is already improving learning.
- Bianca Hewes – I initially came upon Hewes’ blog looking for more information and ideas associated with Project Based Learning, but what I found was so much more. Whether it be the highs or lows, Hewes is always honest about all things life’s learning journey.
- Betchablog – It would be easy to label Chris Betcher’s blog as ‘just another tech’ blog, but to do so really misses the strength of it. Betcher not only writes about all things technological, like Hewes, he does it in such an open manner that it forces you to confront many challenges that we more often than not choose to ignore.
It seems wrong to have only included ten as there are so many other great blogs out there. There are some who I love to read – such as Richard Olsen, Jason Borton, Richard Lambert and Mel Cashen – who just do not write often enough for my own liking. While there are some that I feel bad about missing, such as those by Eric Jensen and Dale Pearce. All in all, there are just so many great blogs out there jam packed with great ideas and resources. This is exemplified by Corrine Campbell’s fantastic list of Australian blogs that she has started curating: http://list.ly/list/WsG-australian-education-blogs-worth-reading.
At the end of the day though, it is not the ‘ideas’ the necessarily keep me coming back, although they are important, but the connections that I feel that I have engaging in an online environment. So what are the connections that you have formed, those blogs that you go back to continuously? I would love to you.
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Looking for a Local Perspective on Blogging by Aaron Davis is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Great point about AITSL supporting Australian bloggers, and I agree wholeheartedly with your choices – I too have learned a lot from reading through the thoughts of others. I have promised myself that in the new year I will get back to it as it affords such a wonderful opportunity to reflect. Thanks for writing, so I can respond! Merry Christmas!
Thanks for the response Anne. I wonder if choosing ‘one’ or even five is that productive at times. I think that it needs to be about context. I would like to think that I read widely, but I do not really have any Maths / Science blogs in my list. Are they out there? Am I just oblivious, not sure. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
A very good point about the wealth of informative and thought provoking Australian blogs available. I totally agree with the list you have included Edna’s blog has long been a favourite of mine and has inspired me to rethink Andre-evaluate my pracitice. I also use Anne’s blog as a grounding to remind me that you don’t always need the latest technology, and lots of it, to make a difference and provide great opportunities for students to be innovative and collaborative.
Great post!
Thanks for the response Pam. I must admit, I love the power of perspective and how it encourages us to continually check and rethink. That drive for growth and improvement is what keeps me coming back again and again.
Thanks very much for the inclusion! It’s wonderful to be included alongside some great bloggers.
It’s great to know that not only people occasionally take the time to read what I write, but that it also – on occasion – resonates!
And don’t worry, I find it hard to categorise what I’m about also… it’s a nightmare when people ask me!
Cheers again, and all the best for 2015.
Thank you for mentioning and sharing my blog. I agree wholeheartedly with you that there are some wonderful Australian bloggers and it is indeed a shame that none were highlighted by our own Australian Institute. I have enjoyed reading your list and researching some of them further, as they are new to me and provide some wonderful reading materials. Hope the new year has started well for you.
Anne