Technology Transformation: Blogging Opens Up a Whole New World

Wow! It is hard to believe that I have been blogging for almost 4 years now. My blog posts are sometimes hit and miss, but I am still doing it. I looked back at some of my first posts and than I marveled at how far I have come.

My blog appearance may not be as fancy as some, but it is much cleaner and polished than it used to be. I am still learning a lot about how to use the different features of my website, but I have persevered and learned how to work with pictures, html code, and links. I have learned how to install videos and set up a newsletter and subscriber list.

The biggest thing I have learned, is that I have a lot of friends and teachers in the online world that I have met and learned from throughout my journey. So many people have reached out and helped me along the way. I have improved my teaching practice as well because of my new friends and their tips and ideas that they have shared.

When I first started blogging, I was invited to do a guest blog and I shared a bit about my whirlwind adventure into the blogging world. Here is an excerpt from that post.

I stumbled onto Teachers Pay Teachers last fall when I was looking for some new ideas for starting up my year. I was surprised and excited to see that teachers were sharing their material with other teachers. I started as a buyer, and then decided that I should try to post some of my materials as well. After all, I had been creating my own materials for quite awhile and giving them out to my friends, so why not see if anyone else would be interested in them. I began by posting freebies. I wasn't sure if my products were worthy of being paid for.

I still remember the feeling I had when I got my first sale. It was a combination of excitement and disbelief. Someone actually found me and wanted something I had created.

Next, I started reading blogs. I don't know why I hadn't been aware of them earlier, but I discovered them through links on the TPT site. It didn't take long before I was hooked. I started to wonder if I could create a blog. That was a dangerous thought.

I had no idea what I was doing, but I took the leap and I am now fully immersed in the blogging world. My husband thinks I am crazy, but I just love it. I have so much to learn, but I keep plodding on.

Starting a blog can be scary, but I have one thing to say about it.
                                                         Do it!

Don't be afraid to ask others for help. They are so generous about sharing ideas and suggestions with you. I have yet to meet someone who hasn't been welcoming or helpful. I have made so many friends that I would love to meet face to face one day. This is a community of caring people. I guess that is what makes them special teachers.

What is especially surprising to me, is that I wrote the following part 3 years ago and it hasn't changed much. It is as if I just wrote it for the first time today.

Don't feel that you need to be like everyone else. Each person is special and unique in their own way. Share from you heart and let your specialness shine through. If you write about what is important to you, you will find an audience that wants to follow along with you. It may take time, but it is worth it. Focus on your content, not your numbers.

I am just a little blogger in the blogging world, but I am so grateful for the people who have chosen to follow me and I am humbled that they feel I have something worth reading about. That is more important to me than trying to get big numbers. It took me awhile to figure that out, but I have learned to be true to me.

I admit, sometimes I still get a bit discouraged when I see others are moving quickly and they have so many followers, but then I remind myself that I need to be patient, continue to be true to myself, and share quality material. The followers will come, and the cool thing is, they will be loyal because I did take that time to share a piece of me.

Believe in yourself and remember you are special. There is nobody else out there who is just like you.

One last thing, if I can go from old technology to writing a blog and creating materials for people around the world as a retired teacher, then you can do it too. Just remember that world awaits and it is only a touch of the fingertip away.

I wish you a very successful year as school begins again and I look forward to sharing more of my world with you in future blog posts.