I have chosen to analyze the blog, A Dixie Diary. I actually hadn't originally included it in my PLN on Feedly, but I came across a piece written by the "Dixie Diarist" on Edutopia (which is in my PLN on Feedly). I found the piece (entitled "What Teaching Teaches the Teacher") engaging, so I went to A Dixie Diary to learn more.
The Dixie Diarist is a Special Education teacher in Georgia. He came to the teaching profession later in life and chronicled his first year of teaching very thoroughly on his blog (there he calls it his "Rookie Year"). He has done a lot outside of the immediate realm of teaching, including writing, comedy, art, and more. His teaching has been specifically in the field of History in a Special Education setting (he teaches at a specialized school).
His posts are very engaging, in part because they are all written with a very humorous style. They are mostly about the teaching profession and primarily focus on: words of wisdom, empathy, and anecdotes. The relaxed style could lead one to question the credibility of the author, until one reads further and realizes that this style belies the serious and deep nature of the content of the blog. The piece on Edutopia is slightly more formal and polished, which also supports the credibility of the author.
The use of technology is very limited. He does briefly discuss using technology in his post "Why you teach. Or not." He explains that he used technology as a way to engage students. For example, he would have a movie playing when the students were walking in each period. This would begin the class very engaged and focused (without the standard beginning of the period issues) and then they would stop the video until tomorrow and begin class. This is an interesting use of technology, but I'm skeptical about what would happen after the video was stopped - would the students really remain focused?
I do think some of the tips the Dixie Diarist offers are helpful. For example, in a post written on one of his first days as a teacher he explains his principal's response to a policy he set up for his classroom. The policy was that students would receive an automatic F if they didn't have a writing utensil on the day of a quiz or test. The principal took issue with this policy and pointed out that if he needed a pencil, she would just hand him one without penalizing him. I like the idea of stepping outside of the situation and thinking about it as two adults. Obviously this cannot always work, but it's a good perspective to keep in mind when creating policies.
I also think it was very interesting to see how willing he was to explain his logic and admit its weaknesses. We will all make mistakes when teaching (even some that may seem very obvious in retrospect) so it's nice to see that we are not alone in this.
Hey Mary,
ReplyDeleteI went and checked out a few of his posts as well and found them to be very interesting! I did like, as you pointed out, that he mentions weaknesses as well as strength, and is very open to critique. Do you think some of his strategies would be applicable in a less specialized classroom? I thought having a five minute ted ed video related to the topic of the day playing as the students walk in would be incredibly helpful, but I also did not like the idea of stopping the movie to continue the next day.
Mary,
ReplyDeleteGreat reflection on the credibility of the author of the "A Dixie Diary" post. It can be helpful when starting a new profession to learn about the nitty gritty details from someone who shared the same experience. I do wonder, as Erika mentioned, whether the ideas can be adapted to other classrooms. What do you think? Also, in response to the video idea, I interviewed a teacher who would show the first half of a short video at the beginning of class and if the students were well-behaved, he'd show the second part of the video at the end of class. He said that his students' behaviors changed significantly. Of course the videos were mostly fun and engaging, not necessarily TED talks.
I love the informal format of of A Dixie Diary. The blogger's writing style is inviting and endearing. I do have a few questions on blogging about teaching however. While it might be fun to write informally about students and teaching experiences, how much is to much? What are the paradigms for blogging as a teacher? Our blogger is open about his failings--but could that hurt your reputation as an educator? What if your principle or a parent read your blog? I'm all for being open, but I am still wondering and struggling with this question: as a future classroom teacher, how do you share your learning without compromising your position or your students? As a teacher, can I share my failures publicly?
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