Monday, June 13, 2016

Did we ever consider our digital footprint?

Checking on an online app that I had first used back in 2007 prompted me to look back to when this blog began and it was.....Thursday 21 September 2006!
I am sure that when it all began for me that I did not pay much heed to the collective power of a decade of blogging. Back in 2006 I had no idea how long I would continue writing, or even if there was an audience for my random thoughts.... I am still unsure!
The blog first began as a test before I unleashed the power of blogging on my unsuspecting pupils in Cefn Fforest Primary School back in 2006. Little did I realise at the time that not only could it enthuse our pupils, but also that it would also give me a whole new group of online friends, many of whom I may never meet in the 'real world'.
What has 10 years taught me, mainly that I actually have the stamina to sustain my thoughts across a range of topics and of course a range of jobs. One truth that is certain is that I found the transition away from teaching and the classroom a challenge from a blogging perspective. As your pupils will tell you, writing for an audience is a powerful force. Once out of the classroom I lost that immediate contact with the group, dropped away from online forums that I had been active in, and eventually of course the blog lost direction.
There have been a few readjustments across the years, however, this blog remains the random thoughts of an untamed educator  released into the 'real world' ... this I suspect will never change.
I look forward to raising a glass of champagne on 21 September and wishing the Ddraig-Goch blog a happy 10th birthday!

A dear friend

It seems very apt to be writing this blog post in tribute to a dear, dear friend. The world has lost a true global educational  IT innovator...