Blogs are an interesting source of information and ideas in teaching because they have a personal, real 'teacher-to-teacher' talk touch that you can easily relate to.
In this first post I would like to invite you to visit Nik's Learning Technology Blog. It is a teacher targeted blog on technology tools that can be used for English teaching, found at https://nikpeachey.blogspot.com/
It is simple, easy to navigate with no unnecessary distractions. The background is simple, although I am not sure if I like the fact that it is black - and mind you, black is one of my favourite colours. I wish posts were accessible through the menu bar too, so the reader would not have to scroll down to find the list. You can tell what the blog is about from the title, but I would have loved to see an introductory 'about' section. I think it helps engage the reader.
It is apparent that the author has solid professional background. You can see some of their publications, 'products' (mobile applications) and the fact that the blog has certification. This could explain why posting on blog has not been so regular in the last years compared to the first years following its creation. In addition, other than the information about other blogs by the author, it is sad that there is no more information on the 'about me' page because it would be assuring to have more information about the person behind the posts.
Nik's blog is about teaching tools, but it is also an inspiration on how much a teacher can do to contribute to the ELT field through blogging, writing materials for example. By showing the pros and cons, it invites the teacher to reflect on the tools and see how they could make adaptations to their own context. It is definitely professional development material, very worth visiting.
Have a look at the blog and share what you think. Also, what other blogs would you recommend? Let us know in the comments.
Stay well and see you next week.
Cândida
