Public reflection through a blogging medium has been productive in as much as it has helped me to organize my thoughts and present ideas in a more concise fashion than the essays I wrote for the majority of my university career. Upon entering the arena of public education, the immediacy of learning moments coming from a failed lesson or discussion with a mentor proved much more useful to a new educator trying to balance lesson planning, classroom management, the challenges of teaching to all levels of learners, and have some small form of a life outside of work.
The posts in my blogs are evidence of some of the challenges I grappled with as a student of History and Education during the last years of my own university education; however, these blogs in their present form do not seem suitable for reflection on my professional practice now that I have left the safe confines of the university campus. I imagine that successful reflection in a web-based medium would more likely come from sharing projects posted in a digital portfolio for review and discussion with like-minded colleagues. In the future, I hope that I can be a participating member of such a community.
For the time being, it seems a responsible choice to prioritize my professional responsibilities and the knowledge to be gained from mentors and colleagues above the creation of an intentional, thoughtful online presence. Though control of one's online presence will doubtless continue to be of increasing important in the coming years, I must content myself with the initials forays into such a goal that my blogs represent.
Thank you for reading.
