Week 6: A Spark of Inspiration
A number of qualities set “A Spark of Inspiration” apart from the other teaching blogs I’ve reviewed so far this semester, such as the whimsical design, eye-catching graphics, and variety of specific teaching tools. The blog is cute, colorful, and quirky, all excellent characteristics for a website about teaching children more creatively. I admire the attention to detail, not just within the text, but in the images, sidebars, and connections to other resources.
The most important aspect of the blog, however, is that it is not written from the perspective of one teacher, or even one school. “A Spark of Inspiration” comes from numerous teachers across a multitude of disciplines and grade levels, all invested in a public forum where they can trade ideas and share information to help other educators. Instead of simply commenting on others’ work, they all have the option to share methods from their own classrooms, passionately expressing themselves through text, graphics, links, and more. What’s more, each of the bloggers also maintains a teaching blog of their own, all of which are listed under a vibrant sidebar for further information. The posts are also convenient tagged by poster for easy access. Just this year, teachers have posted about topics ranging from Amazon Wish Lists to Organized Guided Reading. I’d like to briefly discuss the Amazon post for more specific commentary about this blog’s post format. Like most others, it is short and sweet, with less than three full paragraphs of conversational language and helpful guidance. It is a very personal glance into the teacher’s classroom and life that allows other teachers and parents to connect more effectively with the material. Finally, an Amazon wish list is simply a fantastic idea, an invaluable tool for any educator. My only (very tiny) complaint, is that I can't seem to find much information about the teachers who run "A Spark of Inspiration" as a collective unit. I'd like to know more about the purpose of their collaboration, how they communicate on a single blog, and how such a project is organized. This information would make a post as valuable as any, and I'm very interested in how to take that extra step from simply sharing teaching ideas to developing them together. |