Apparently its Day 18 in the comment challenge.  I don’t feel like I have done anywhere near 17 tasks though.  I feel like maybe I have hit a hump in the middle, but maybe for different reasons than some that have been mentioned across the challenge.  One of the common themes in the responses about the challenge has apparently been a reaction from participants about feeling uncomfortable commenting. Maybe not valuing thier response, not wanting to ‘butt’ into a conversation etc etc. 

 My motives in participating in this challenge were perhaps a bit different.  I feel very comfortable commenting in many different types of blogs. I didn’t feel I needed encouragement to pursue some of the areas raised in the tasks. I joined the challenge to make myself go back to spending more time reading blogs, and to network with a group primarily consisting of edubloggers, who may read and participate in my blog.

I guess sometimes, like when I was considering completing the ‘31 Days to a Better Blog challenge’ its offputting to feel that there are very few people reading, and certainly commenting on your blog.  It all starts to feel a bit pointless sometimes.

In Day 17 we were supposed to analyse the comments on your own blog.  So very many of my posts have 0 comments - the most independant comments is 3 (I have 6 on a post, but 3 are my replies). The most responses are definitely related either to this challenge, or post I have written in direct response to another blog post. I feel like I want to do much more than rehash or highlight or even respond to what others have written, yet it is so hard to get some momentum on your blog.

Most days when I spend time on the comment challenge, I start by checking the participants page on the wiki, and picking a few new blogs to click on, that I havent read before.  It seems that with over 120 participants, a few more people would be getting regular comments.  Having said that, thanks to the die-hard folks who have been regularly commenting on as many blogs as possible. En masse you deserve the commenting award!

So, what has the challenge meant to you?

…by those edubloggers who are classroom teachers, and still find time, not only to incorporate an engaging and inspirational use of technology in their curriculum, but also to blog about it.  Since I have returned to classroom teaching, it appears that the majority of my energy is consumed in keeping on top of curriculum planning and settling into a new school, and my blogging  (and blog reading) has fallen by the wayside. 

I must also adjust to the change, from a classroom environment with access to technology such as laptops in every Year 7 & 8 classroom, to one that is just starting to build its ICT infrastructure. At this present point in time, I cannot implement many of the ICT activities I would like to, due to a lack of access to technology in the classroom.

I am confident that the coming year will see a great improvement in those areas - we have plans to purchase IWB’s, Data Projectors - hopefully even new laptops.  And I will be working to encourage and educate teachers as to the possibilities of ICT, and hopefully removing some of the potential barriers, such as overzealous Internet filtration.

Unfortunately, I foresee a change in how I will need to direct my energies.  While the end goal of my work as an educational technologist has always been an improvement in student learning and engagement, that has become a much more real and practical priority when I am dealing with my own classes. I am concerned that I will not be able to keep momentum on my personal reading and reflection through the blogosphere.

Hopefully, once I am more settled in my current role and have a handle on the experiential program I am teaching in, I will have more time to explore in writing some of the issues we are facing.  At this current stage, even if we did have easy access to computers in class, it would be hard to include resources such as Web 2.0 publishing capabilities, when the details of the curriculum are, by necessity, being planned only a day or so in advance.

So, I tip my hat to those who, while working on the coal face of education, have also continued to contribute meaningfully to the global conversation about ICT in education.  I hope to be able to follow in their footsteps… eventually.