Adventures in Teaching and Learning

Just a short one since it’s getting late and I have a lot to do in the morning. I have spent some time today reading a variety of blog posts on improving blogs and getting more comments. For example, Problogger had a challenge in September: 31 Days to Building a Better Blog. Every day there were tips posted, and I am making my way through them, although I have not followed all the advice yet! I did do Day 8: Comment on a Blog you’ve never commented on before, and have just being following the advice given on Day 11: Dig into your Blog’s statistics. I realised I have Google Analytics installed, so had a nosey around to see what I could discover. Well, I learnt that there had been 119 visits where the person only visited once and did not return, compared to 34 visitors who apparently have visited over 201 times … could this be me, with a roaming ISP address or something? These figures don’t seem to tally with other figures I have … 56.41% of my visits are from returning visitors (welcome back, over half of you reading this!), with the remainder (obviously) being the first time visitors mentioned above (welcome, to those of you just popping by today - please do call again soon!). The average time a visitor spends on the site is 4:16 minutes, which I suppose is long enough to read a couple of posts! My bounce rate is 55.31%, which I presume is the number of people who call by accident and immediately hit the return key. As to content, other than the home page, the most commonly read posts and pages were:

1) What’s the difference between blogging and writing? (33 pageviews) (6:59 mins average on page)
2) About Me (25) (2:07)
3) The Jive Talker or How to Get a British Passport (14) (1:55)
4) A List of the Software I’ve Used (14) (0:45)
5) Trying to use ICT in the Classroom (11) (3:48)

As for referring sites, I’m delighted to announce that the top source for referrals to my blog goes to … (drum roll) … Ben Annett, so thanks for that, Ben! Twitter is also up there, and I got 5 visits via Terry Freedman’s comments site, which is also why the post on blogging and writing is so high up. I presume.

So, what should I do with all those statistics? Well, I think I’ll need to spend some time later on following ProBlogger’s advice on How to Keep First Time Readers to Your Blog! However, I think many of his tips are aimed more at people who are professional bloggers and therefore in some way “need” to have more visitors, whereas I am probably more interested in “quality” rather than “quantity”! (Anyone reading this obviously counts as quality!) Although these statistics are interesting, I am more interested in the social aspect of blogging, and the sharing aspect, rather than the numbers. Which brings me round in a circle to the starting point, which is by far the most interesting: commenting.

The blog which lead me to ProBlogger was the Bamboo Project, more specifically the post, Six Reasons People aren’t Commenting on Your Blog. In turn, Michele Martin was inspired by Chris Brogan’s commenting challenge, where instead of writing a post, he encouraged his readers to read and comment on the comments in the comments box. I have to say, it is inspiring reading the comments on other people’s blogs … it would be lovely to have just a few of them (thanks Ben and Zak for your comments today on my animation!), but I understand it is a perennial blogger’s problem. (On the other hand, occasionally on a popular blog there seem to be too many, and I don’t read them all!) (Oh dear, I’ve just started browsing Chris’ site a bit more and found a post featuring 50 Online Applications - just my sort of post!) Right. Sorry for that interruption. (As you can see, this is more stream of consciousness blogging rather than planned and edited writing, Terry, if you’re reading!!) Back to Michele Martin. I found her blog through Diigo, and bookmarked it for future reference. These are her reasons why people don’t comment on blogs, as well as my reflections on my own blog:

1) You sound like a press release. Well, of all the things I sound like, I hope it’s not a press release! Except, perhaps, when I add to Samson’s book reviews.

2) You sound like an infomercial. Hmmm. Perhaps at times I post short posts with links to interesting sites … but I don’t think I sound as if I am trying to get any money out of them, for example!

3) You sound like a know-it-all. Well, I certainly don’t know it all, which is why I post here - I like finding new things then sharing them probably mainly so that I can come back and find them later! However, perhaps I don’t ask enough questions do engage the reader and show that I need your advice, feedback and comments - what do you think?

4) You haven’t shown them how. This one might be true. After all, I started blogging on a course which most of the other participants also had to blog on, and many only put up a few posts and haven’t written anything since. So perhaps my other readers have enough knowledge and understanding of the web to find my site, but the comments button (well, it’s hardly a button) is too small to be obvious. So I’ll need to think about making the commenting easier. Perhaps I could start by posting a link to Tessa’s excellent and clear instructions on how to post a comment? This might also be an appropriate place to point out that I do moderate comments, so please don’t be put off if your comment does not appear immediately. Also, I think - I must check this out! - that you have to enter an email address. Don’t worry, this won’t appear on the blog, although I may send you an email depending on the nature of the enquiry!

5) You haven’t created the right atmosphere. I’d like to apologise if anyone has felt put off commenting because you thought you shouldn’t! I would love to hear from anyone who drops by - whether or not you are involved in education, in ICT, enjoy reading books, have an interest in Malawi, like reflecting on life … Whoever you are, please let me know that you dropped in, perhaps tell me how you found the blog or the post, and add any questions you might have, comments or reflections on what I have written, share examples of how you might have used the applications I talk about, agree or disagree with my views … You are welcome! (Oh dear, I hope I haven’t gone over the top now and sounded all needy!)

6) You just don’t seem that into it. Apparently the blogger needs to sound passionate about their subject. That’s a tough one … do I get that passion and enthusiasm for ICT in eduction, for RE and for life in general across in my posts? I hope so, but I need you, my faithful readers, to let me know if I am succeeding or not!

Michele’s readers have left many comments on her post in relation to these suggestions. I think I may go and leave one of my own now … and hope that some of you might do the same here! I look forward to being overwhelmed with comments!

(Finally … I have also signed up to CoComment which should track my own comments in order to see the conversations I am involved in. You could probably find me there or follow me on Twitter, if you are interested. I quite like Twitter! More on that later, though!)

NOTE: I’ve just realised that I started this post by saying “Just a short one” … I think it may be my longest so far!! Really must go to bed now …

I’ve been exploring Twitter, looking for new people to follow that I might be able to learn from or be inspired by. I came across an RE teacher’s blog, and have decided to follow some other links and share them with you (and with me, for the future). Unfortunately some of the bloggers have not blogged recently; however, perhaps getting a mention here might encourage them to have another go! And we can always learn and be inspired by any posts already posted. So here goes …

Intellectual Bohemian - another Catholic RE teacher based in London.

Catholic Teachers Online - I’ve just added myself to this. Hope other Catholic RE teachers add themselves here. In fact, the site is for all Catholic teachers.

Simon O’Carroll - The first teacher I found on Twitter.

I feel I ought to add a short reflection on this. Some people might wonder why Catholic teachers, whether RE or not, might want to particularly identify themselves as such. I mean, I don’t think I often go on about being a Catholic RE teacher on my blog, although I am sure it comes up from time to time, and is probably obvious on my school blogs. I have taught in both a state school and a Catholic school. The thing is, as an RE teacher, the content is - for me, anyway! - quite different in a Catholic school from a non-Catholic school; I also find that my delivery is a bit different too. So it would be interesting to be able to share ideas with other teachers in a similar context!

That is the question that Terry Freedman is asking on his blog, and he is asking bloggers / writers to complete a survey which can be found here, with their views on the difference. So first of all, I thought I’d put up the link in case any of my readers would like to complete the survey to help Terry with his research.

Anyway, it’s an interesting question. I enjoy blogging, but some of the topics I blog about aren’t exactly what I would choose to write about if I were writing fiction, for example. Last November I took part in NaNoWriMo, and the resulting writing was quite different from my posts here. A lot of stream-of-consciousness, for example, which, although I do a little of it from time to time here, might not always get across the main point or link that I want to share.

Also, Samson’s book is completely different from his blogging style. I’m sure there are many other people who would be able to give such examples. After all, the purposes of a book, essay, short story or blog can be very different.

I suppose for me, the big question in relation to Terry’s article is, what is a writer? What makes a writer different from a blogger? Is a writer a novelist, an author, a journalist, a blogger? Are they interchangeable? Am I blogger on here, but a writer when I’m taking part in NaNoWriMo? If my blog were more literary, would I be a writer who blogs, or still a blogger who writes?

Well, it’s getting late now and I wouldn’t want to reflect too much this late at night! But I would look forward to any responses … (That could be another difference … a blogger should be able to get quicker feedback, presumably? If we have any readers? Whereas a writer might have to wait for longer and look for letters in the feedback pages of newspapers or hold their breath for reviews?)

It’s always nice to share ideas and get ideas from others. I came across Box of Tricks when I began using Wordle; today I thought I would revisit and discovered that the blogger has been using Voki in his classroom, with Year 9 boys. Having listened to some of them on his school blog, I have been very impressed (and reminded of my years living in Nottingham!) Then I discovered Senor Picardo’s Animoto challenge - and an entry produced by a student. These are certainly very good ways of using ICT in the classroom, and I have found them quite inspiring. I hope you do too!

I hardly ever forget to write a title on my posts, but I was so determined to write about the National Year of Reading in my last post, that I forgot to write a title. I noticed a bit later that something looked odd, went back and changed it, and thought nothing of it. Until now. When I received a message from the International Edubloggers Directory wiki letting me know that posts from those registered on the directory could now all be found in one place using the RSS feed. So I thought I would go and have a look at what other people are blogging about in the world of education today, and also, while I was at it, check that my own offering was there.

Which it wasn’t. Only a blank space, with no link, to mark the place where my post would have been! All because I forgot to add a title! How foolish. I’ll try not to do it again! At least it gives me an excuse to point readers in the direction of the International Edubloggers Directory - check out some of the other bloggers, and, while you are there, why not sign up yourself?

It was nice to get out of school and work related stuff and have a lovely meal out meeting up with some old schoolmates of Samson’s last night. And I was able to meet Laura, who works for the National Year of Reading. So I thought I would dedicate a post to what is one of my most enjoyable (and worthwhile) pursuits. Reading. And this time I mean, mostly, reading real, live, paper-paged books. It might surprise some of you to know that in between writing blog posts, experimenting on the internet, planning and executing lessons etc, I have also managed to read 18 books this year (since 1 January). I have just finished “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight” by Alexandra Fuller. And, of course, I have read The Jive Talker a number of times, but that goes without saying! Anyway, enough about me. You want links!! And news about reading in education. So here goes.

First up, I would like to mention Katrina, a year 9 student in my school, who has read about 49 books this academic year. Other students were not far behind her, in the thirties. Which, considering holidays, and bearing in mind those are only the books that the pupils have borrowed from the library, is not bad. And those books include long tomes such as Brick Lane, as well as the more teenage books.

So our students love reading. Some of them. And more should! So here are some links that will hopefully encourage all of us to read more, to incorporate more reading into our lessons, and to encourage our students to read more.

The National Year of Reading
- the official National Year of Reading site, with info on key reading events that are happening around the country.

We Tell Stories - Digital Fiction from Penguin.

Radio 4 Book Club

Lost for Words - Channel 4 website based on the series of programmes earlier this year.

National Literacy Trust

APS Book Week Blog

APS Readathon

Parkview Reviews

The Big Green Bookshop’s Blog - a local bookshop in Haringey that is encouraging young people to read (and also shares the community atmosphere by sharing events in the lives of the founders!)

Classic Book Club

Haringey Libraries

Please let me know if you can recommend any other good sites or blogs, especially if there are any other good school reading blogs out there that we can read in order to be inspired! Thanks - and happy reading!

Now, where’s my latest book?

I have signed up to the International Edubloggers Directory. Only problem is … I’m having difficulty attaching my badge (.jpg) to my blog! It’s not html so I can’t add it that way, and it’s not my avatar so I can’t add it like that. Any suggestions which widget I should use?! Thanks!

I’ve been presenting on blogging at the Sixth Form Conference. More later!

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Here’s my Web 2.0 page with my favourite applications highlighted, courtesy of Awesome Highlighter, which I found out about via Tim Rylands blog, which I found about via Ewan McIntosh’s links, which I receive now that I’ve signed up to receive a regular update of Ewan’s blog. Ah, this is why I love blogging! Isn’t sharing great?!