Six months to the day since I started blogging here. I have to say it’s been interesting and rewarding so far.
Here’s a brief summary of what I’ve learnt or things that have happened while I’ve been blogging and reading blogs in the last 6 months (along with some useful posts where appropriate):
- about various applications and tools, including:
- Wallwisher an online noticeboard - My 2010 Birthday Memories – Wallwishers are great! (Marisa Constantinides / @Marisa_C in Athens); Wallwisher – 105 Classroom Ideas (Sean Banville /@SeanBanville)
- Sketchcast an application for drawing pictures online and recording a commentary - Exploiting Famous Photos (Ian James / @ij64 in Barcelona); The doodle-story CONTEST – (Andy Webster / @mrcabezamagica in Japan)
- Wordle – Word Clouds and various posts (Jamie Keddie / @cheimi10)
- Audacity free audio recording and editing software – various posts (Sean Banville / as above for Twitter ID)
- I’ve written 4 lesson plans – something that I didn’t do at all last year (I stuck with things that I had done before and using other materials) and that I can almost safely say would not have happened, were I not blogging and reading others’ blogs. I really think that being here blogging has developed my creativity as a teacher and made me aware of the resources that are out there if you just look.
- I’ve written some guest posts (and had one written for my blog – thank you, Karenne)! Some fab bloggers (Anita, Barbara, Karenne again, Berni, the people at the OUP ELT Global blog) have been kind enough to let me write something to post on their sites. I really appreciate this, and I think writing guest posts is great as it allows me to write something that might not necessarily fit here.
- In total I’ve written 26 posts (is there any way to traslate this into a qualification??) and fielded 218 comments. Thanks to everyone who has got involved with discussion on the blog – it is very much appreciated and I value all the opinions, comments and ideas that you have come to me with.
I hope that the next six months of blogging prove to be just as interesting 
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Happy Half-birthday then, Mike!
You reminded me that I just had my 1st proper blog birthday and I forgot all about it!
Time for stocktaking!
Happy blogging!
Marisa
Happy half birthday!!! Wishing you many, many more
Hi Marisa and Karenne! Thanks for the happy half birthdays. A belated happy birthday for your blog, Marisa, just after your real birthday!
I really recommend taking a step back and thinking about your blog – it’s interesting to think what you might have done / not done if you weren’t blogging.
It’s been lovely meeting you this way and I hope we’ll be able, one day, to follow up in person. You’re a great communicator – thank you for joining in my games – and a wonderful addition to this PLN.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Vicky Loras. Vicky Loras said: RT @dfogarty Congratulations to @harrisonmike who has completed an alphabet of blog entries. Here's to another 6 mths. http://bit.ly/bC74iq [...]
Ma Hap Ret.
Thanks, Anne and Chris =)
Been great to blog with you too, and meeting in person would definitely be good too.
Hi Mike
Congratulations on your half birthday! You’ve done brilliantly in your first 6 months – they are the most crucial apparently.
I agree with you that writing a blog opens up so many avenues and it’s a great way for being in touch with so many other people in the same field as you.
All the best
Janet
Thank you for the blog half-birthday wishes, Janet.
I must admit, it has been a taxing process at times during the first 6 months here. I think it’s probably hardest to get started. Someone pointed me to a stat (most likely Karenne) that says most blogs die after a couple of months as the author loses enthusiasm or finds he/she has nothing much more to say. I’m lucky I definitely haven’t found the first of those happening, and that blogging seems to generate its own topics, or be useful for putting thoughts to keyboard as they come up in my day-to-day teaching. I must get back to commenting on others’ blogs more regularly, though. I have been a little lax in that lately – there’s so much to read is the trouble, and lots of it is very very interesting!
I just can’t believe some of the things that have happened and come my way since I started blogging. It is true – the more you do, the more you can do (my grandma keeps on telling me that, and she’s right!)
All the best
Mike