Your post struck a chord with me on many levels and I feel I shall need to revisit it a few more times in order to fully digest it and consider the implications – both to my teaching practice and as a mother.
One part which I feel I can comment on now is where you wrote –

“But what about the other teachers in the building? The ones without their own blogs? What about the teachers in my son’s school who have never ever read a blog?”

For some reason over the last few weeks as I have been exploring the educational blogosphere as well as infusing my classroom programme with technology ( hoping to enhance their learning and develop engaged, motivated learners who are able to think deeply, apply previous learning to new situations, reflect, question and dream), I have been constantly reminded of the Latin motto from my high school – Lumen Accipe Et Imperti – Take (or receive) the light and pass it on. As a teenager, with an already clear intention of becoming a teacher, this really resonated with me. I love to learn, explore, create, question, debate and dream. For me, the opportunity to share these things that I love and pass them on to others was what I wanted to do. (helped in part by a healthy diet of movies like “Dead Poet’s Society”, “To Sir With Love”, “Goodbye Mr Chips”, “Lean on Me”,”Dangerous Minds” and the like). I knew that I wanted to make a difference, to pass that light on. This is what drives and motivates me as a teacher.
What I have also discovered, however; is that the light I have to pass on is not just to my students, I pass it on to the teacher down the hall, to my son’s teachers, to any teacher (or for that matter, parent) who will listen. I show them what I do and do what I can to kindle that flame within them. Sometimes just the tiniest spark will take off with a vengeance. At other times it smolders for a while and I take every opportunity to add kindling, until finally, one day, it takes hold. Other times the light is extinguished or it sparks briefly and then it’s gone. No matter what happens I continue to share the light that I have, always appreciating that not everyone is ready to accept what I have to offer. I keep on sharing. I also hope that the little lights my students take with them will help to ignite the flame.

I need to reflect on your post some more, you have raised so many important and thought provoking points. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and questions with us – you have certainly challenged this teacher and made her really think.

A great, thought-provoking post.

Lisa, that question bothers me a lot which is why I wrote it in the first place. I also worry that the energy and time expended on ventures like a classroom blogging program might not have reaped more substantial benefits elsewhere.

But then we have Kerry’s comment. Thank you for articulating perfectly what drives the innovative teacher – it kept evading me all through the writing of that post but you’ve nailed it. I guess what always sows the seeds of doubt is when you look back and see many colleagues just wondering what on earth you are doing. When you try to explain the rationale, you get looked at like you are some frothy mouthed geek with too much time on your hands.

Because it’s not easy to shrug your shoulders and walk away from other educators thinking, “It’s your loss…”

Because that means that it’s their students’ loss as well.

I’ll preface my remarks by disclosing that I am not a classroom teacher and I am childless. I help teachers use technology and deliver training, but am not a classroom teacher.

Okay. That done –

I love the fact that you and Lisa are worried about the future of your students at the base of it all. At work we always try to question ourselves when planning new tools “Will this help teachers teach?”

So is it selfishness to use innovative tools, knowing that in all likelihood the kids won’t have access in future? Are you opening a door that will remain shut for them in future and only serve to frustrate them?

We’ve all read countless articles about how bored kids are and are going to be in school. They won’t necessarily be able to articulate why their time on the internet with friends is so much fun and schoolwork is boring. If they tried, most people in authority would roll their eyes.

But if your students say to subsequent teachers “We had blogs. We learned to interact with other kids, how to stay safe on the net, my writing/English skills improved and I LOVED learning that way — how long are they going to be ignored?” Especially if their parents can see a difference.

Parents are the missing links in all of this because they have the greatest influence on administrators and systems. The problem isn’t that one parent complains and moves to get a program shut down. The problem is that dozens of others haven’t praised and demanded that more teachers innovate so that the one parent who is worried doesn’t have others to talk to.

What’s the answer then for teachers like you who are afraid you’re only serving to create frustrated students? It is about ensuring that parents and administrators and the students themselves recognise and can identify the value in what you do. It is about creating a body of evidence that cannot be ignored and is backed by parent and student demand.

Speaking as a concerned Auntie, I’ve got to say that watching my two and a half year old nephew learn on his computer at his desk — I tremble for him when he is old enough to go off to a school system that celebrates a kid to computer ratio of 5 to 1 and has to be concerned about risk management because of litigious parents.

“Occasionally, however, it doesn’t hurt to remember that the students of innovative teachers don’t get a say in coming along for the ride.”

I work hard to be innovative…not for me but for my students. I recognize the reality of needing to be in touch with new technology and needing to be more…entertaining…in the classroom. And I realize that I can make learning very authentic and use blogs, etc. and keep the students engaged. All positives.

But then, they leave me and head off to a middle school with no blogs, no podcasts, no wikis, no collaborations. And they come back to tell me how bored they are. I wonder what will happen in two years, three. Will they forget the power of a network? And are they worse off for being with me for a year…knowing what’s out there and not having access to it?