Note: This blog challenge ran in the month of October 2015. Participants like the challenge so much that they wanted to make it permanent. You can find more details about the current challenge here.

I have been co-moderating the #educoach chat for the past for years with Jessica Johnson and Shira Leibowitz. Our chat can be found each Wednesday at 9pm CST on Twitter. Each week I am amazed by the passion and dedication of the participants. It is a complete joy to learn and refine our shared craft of empowering and inspiring the educators we serve!

Several weeks ago instructional coaches, participating in an #educoach Twitter chat, started talking about blogging. Some were looking for advice on how to get started while others were setting goals to blog on a more regular basis. The idea of a challenge was posed and #educoach participants seemed relished the idea!

Purpose

The #educoach blog challenge will be held for the month of October (2015) with the possibility of continuing (and expanding) if there is interest. The purpose of the challenge is to encourage instructional coaches to reflect, share resources, and network through the use of blogging.

If you are new to blogging, start a blog during the month of September. There are many free platforms. I started out with wordpress.com. If you need support, reach out to someone in your PLN for ideas. The blogging community is full of helpful educators ready to help you!

If you already have a blog, start thinking of possible topics you’d like to write about in the month of October. Do you have successful resources and practices to share with other instructional coaches? Are you currently implementing new ideas and have the desire to gain other perspectives to refine your ideas? Reflecting through blogging is powerful both for you, the writer, and your readers. The art of reflecting causes us to learn and grow!

Guidelines

The challenge includes writing one blog post and commenting on three other posts each week in the month of October. Tuesday has been designated as the official day to post, but feel free to adapt to fit your schedule. The common posting day was chosen to provide a way to know when to look for other #educoach posts.

Comments takes your one-sided post to the next level. Comments are the key to actively engaging your readers and adding new perspectives to your ideas. Commenting on other instructional coaches blogs will also increase your own coaching community!

How To Get Started

Step 1: Start a blog if you do not have one. Reach out to someone in your PLN to assist you if needed.

Step 2: Add your blog URL HERE as an indication that you will be joining the #educoach blogging challenge.

Step 3: The official posting date will be each Tuesday in the month of October. (but if Tuesday’s don’t work, feel free to post any day of the week.)

Step 4: Return to this document each Tuesday to add your specific blog post URL. It may help to bookmark the document or return back to this post.

Step 5: Also remember to tweet your blog post out each Tuesday in October with the hashtag #educoach.

Step 6: Extra Challenge → Comment on at least 3 other blog posts during each week. Return to this list often. This will help you see other blogs to read and comment on!

Resources

Check out fellow #educoach blogger @kennycmckee‘s post on Blogging Etiquette for Instructional Coaches.

Another frequent #educoach participant, @ReadByExample, provides advice on Why Educators Should Blog.

Wondering how to start a blog? A google search on setting up a blog will yield many resources. Here are a few to help you get started!

Being a Connected Educator: How to Start a Blogging
Educational Blogs and Blogging Resources (Pinterest page)

Many educators have written posts on why educators should blog. Here are just a few. If you have other helpful posts please add to the comment section.

There are also several books on the topic of blogging and the use of other social media for educators. Check these out! Click on the book cover to learn more!