Have you dabbled with blogging in the past but struggled to maintain momentum? You’re not alone! We’re here to help with a new challenge to get you off to a great start in January.
Our 28 Day Challenge for educators will turn you into a person who blogs regularly and reaps the rewards.
January is the ideal time to start positive habits but you might be struggling with how to begin. That’s why we put together a realistic, bite-sized blogging plan made up of actionable activities you can complete over four weeks.
Edit: We’ve added a form for participants to fill out at the end of this post. Scroll down or click here to open the form in a new tab. Find the list of participants here.
Here’s our challenge…
About The Challenge
- The 28 Day Challenge is designed with educators in mind but can certainly be adapted to student bloggers as well.
- If you don’t have a blog set up yet, this guide will help or try our free self-paced course for educators.
- If you can’t start on January 3rd, just begin whenever you can and alter the dates.
- Feel free to swap or rearrange the tasks but remember, the key is momentum. Do something blog related most days to make it a habit and make it work for you!
- The challenge involves publishing a weekly post which many bloggers identify as an achievable way to get into the rhythm of regular blogging. Publish more often if you feel inspired!
- Commenting on other blogs is part of the challenge as you’ll get more out of blogging if you build your PLN along the way. There is so much to be learned from visiting other blogs and connecting with fellow educators. Not sure where to find other blogs? This list is a good starting point, also try Twitter, and our email newsletters. You might consider setting up a list of your favorite blogs using a tool like Feedly.
- What’s the time commitment? It’s up to you. While some tasks like publishing a post may take a longer amount of time, other tasks like commenting can be completed in a matter of minutes.
- Need help with any of the tasks? Search the Edublogs User Guide, or send our support team an email.
- When you finish the 28 days, be sure to keep those good habits in place for the rest of 2019!
More Ideas For Challenge Participants
As you get on a roll, you may be looking for more ideas to become an even better blogger.
We’ve put together 15 ideas to help. You might choose to dive into these as you work through the calendar above, or these ideas could provide some further inspiration once the 28 days are over.
Revise Your Reasons For Blogging
As you undertake the challenge, asking yourself why you blog will help you to prioritize your commitment to blogging.
Maybe you blog to:
- document your learning (either generally or in a specific field)
- connect with others and build your PLN
- explore new ideas (the act of writing can be a great way to figure out ‘what you think’)
- share the resources you enjoy creating with others
- create an online space to help you build your profile and further your career
Consider your own reasons and either jot them down, share them with a friend, or write a blog post about them. Your reasons for blogging can also be a great addition to your blog’s About page.
What Are Your Obstacles?
What barriers to blogging have you faced in the past? You might like to consider how you can overcome these obstacles as you work through the challenge.
Here are some ideas:
- Is time an issue for you? This post offers some suggestions on how to face this obstacle.
- Not sure what to write about? Check out our latest list of 50 blog post ideas for educators. There is also one for students.
- Need help building a PLN and audience for your blog? Check out our free self-paced course on building your professional learning network.
- Unsure about publishing publicly online? This guide weighs up the pros and cons, and explains the options available with your privacy settings.
- Want to look at some example of educator blogs? Here’s a list that includes a variety of examples.
- Want to look at examples of different types of class blogs? This list is updated twice a year.
Need help with other obstacles? Feel free to leave a comment on this post. Or, you can always email our support team 24/7.
Will You Take The Challenge? Let Us Know!
Will you be undertaking the challenge? Here are four things you can do…
1) Add your details to our form
We’ve created a form that participants can fill out so we can have a list of people taking part in the challenge. Click here to open the form in a new tab or use the embedded form at the end of this post.
2) Comment on this post
Also, go ahead and make yourself accountable by commenting on this post. Don’t forget to share your blog URL so we can all take a look. Perhaps you’d like to reply to another participants’ comment as well!
3) Are you on Twitter?
We love to read and share blog posts from members of our community on Twitter.
- Share what you’re up to with the challenge using the hashtag #blogging28
- Remember to tag us (@edublogs) when you write new posts throughout the challenge and throughout the year.
- New to Twitter? We’ve written an ultimate guide that will help you get started if you’re interested.
4) Visit other blogs
Here is the link to the list of participants who are taking part in the January challenge. We encourage you to visit some of the blogs and leave a comment.
Try striking up a conversation! You never know where your connection could lead you.
Good luck!
Day 1 and 2 complete! I had to laugh when I read my ‘About Me’ page, it was so outdated. http://learningmoore.edublogs.org/2019/01/05/differentiated-projects-for-diverse-learners/ Just read about your PLN PD and I’m excited to get started!
Amber
Nice work, Amber. It’s funny how About pages can get outdated so quickly! I enjoyed reading your page and just left a comment.
Thanks Amber for letting me know about your CLASS BLOG. I really appreciated reading it and I think you are working well, which I would like to do in my classes too.
I will comment what you have been sharing in your blogs
I’ve posted inconsistently for the past few years and have made it a goal this year to post at least twice monthly. I often tweet/retweet blog posts that I find relevant, but rarely comment/interact directly with the bloggers. I appreciate the challenge.
Forgot to include the url to my blog – http://www.graymatters.me/blog
Nice work, Craig! I have the same goal of posting twice a month on my own personal blog which I found worked well most of the time during 2018 so I think I’ll aim for the same this year.
it looks like you’ve got some really interesting information on your blog!
I am in. My blog is intended for my students as well as myself to challenge ourselves to seek new experiences. Here we are, come visit!
https://mrsdsroadrunners.edublogs.org/
Hi Trish,
I love the way you use your blog for yourself as well as students. I bet others will enjoy checking out your approach too!
It just so happened that I wrote a new blog last night, so I am on track to have a nice run of this challenge! So excited to participate.
https://thecaptainofclass.com/
Ok, I’m in!! I’ve been trying to write a book for the past year and feel like I just don’t have the time to sustain the writing. Maybe the blog will support my writing?
I will continue writing in my blog but I am also following interesting ones . Thanks for creating the challange for the new year!
Here is one of my blogs : I will write about it in these days
http://educationalandissue.blogspot.com/2019/01/new-year-s-resolutions.html
I will also write about my experiences online in the other blog
http://gettingdigitalizedinlifeandwork.blogspot.com/
I will try to be inspired to work on blogging as I will make a presentation in April. I will check some new blogs too.
THANKS KATHLEEN
Hi Tiziana,
We’re so happy to have you on board. You’ve been a great support to other educators too! Thanks for sharing your URLs.
I have just added a form for participants to the post above too. That way, we can read and comment on other participants’ blog posts. I’ll share the link to the participant list when we get a few responses.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfEBKagGm1_A1C9Psr2UXB-PvGnxJMzsJzfKjYpM1LoOpgdyw/viewform
Thanks!
Thanks Kathleen!
Just filled in the form
Great blog!
Thanks for sharing!
Day 2 done: I have updated my ‘About Me’ page!
You’re on a roll!
I have just added a form for participants to the post too. That way, we can read and comment on other participants’ blog posts. I’ll share the link to the participant list when we get a few responses.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfEBKagGm1_A1C9Psr2UXB-PvGnxJMzsJzfKjYpM1LoOpgdyw/viewform
Thanks!
Done! 😊
Building connections is the way to go. Life long learner ready to take on this blogging challenge to get me in the groove. Thanks for the push.
Hi, building your PLN (Personal Learning Network) for teacher is alright for me. I hope I win the lottery because it is very good for my job being a connected educator. This is my url edu75pt.blogspot.com
Exploratory study on the inclusion of pupils with complex support needs in mainstream schools is my work. Thank you for read it.
I’m in. I’ll take the challenge.
https://linkpakdigital.edublogs.org
Hi, I’m going to give this #blogging28 challenge a try. Thanks for always pushing us to keep it up!
I wrote a post about the challenge today for my January 3 post. During the challenge, I’m anxious to looking at my blog with new eyes to clean up neglected parts. I also look forward to making new connections with others who are taking the challenge. Here is my first post:
http://mrsdkrebs.edublogs.org/2019/01/03/blogging-28/
I’m enjoying your enthusiasm for this challenge already, Denise!
I love this!! I’ve started blogging more frequently and this is perfect timing to really step up my game. I’m going to try for 2 posts a week. 😁
modernchalkboard.wordpress.com
Oops- link below.
https://modernchalkboard.wordpress.com/
Great goal, Lauren! And great to have you on board.
Just sent you a reply on the post!
I am new to blogging, but I am going to start on the January 4 task. I am not ready to create my first post. I have also reviewed the free blog/free PD for creating a personal blog. I am excited about this new adventure. My blog name is not too creative but…
http://brandonsutton.edublogs.org/
My blog is blank now, but I will be working on updating my profile and About page.
Great work, Brandon. If you need any more help getting started, feel free to reach out to the support team [email protected]
Good luck!
It is an intimidating hurdle, that first post. Once you get that behind you, ideas and energy jump into your imagination and it becomes which one to choose from next.
Good luck!
Is WordPress.com still free? I keep getting a charge coming up of $US 60.
Hi Bill, I believe there are still free and paid options for WordPress.com. Alternatively, Edublogs uses WordPress. You can get a free blog at Edublogs.org or upgrade to pro for $39.95/year.
Hello! I started a professional blog in July 2013, but only used it until April 2014. I started it back up again October 2018. I’ve really only written a few post since then, and I’m hoping this will help me keep it up for the next month and create more of a habit!
http://learningmoore.edublogs.org
Hi Amber,
I’m so glad to hear you’re keen to write more posts in 2019. From what I’ve read of your blog so far, it’s really high quality and I know it will be really useful to lots of teachers! Good luck!
Hi Kathleen,
Thanks again for another inspiring post! I’m tempted to get started with an Edublogs blog properly this year, mainly for building my PLN. So here goes, I’m going to undertake the January challenge. One of the main issues for me is finding something to write about, so I think I’ll use your 50 ideas for blog post and start from there. My blog address is http://khollow.edublogs.org/.
Cheers,
Kirsty
Hi Kirsty,
I’m so glad to hear you’re jumping on board. Sometimes I struggle with what to write about too. I often find my best ideas jump out at me when I give myself ‘white space’ to just think. And then once I start writing about a topic I also think of other ways I can break down the topic in other posts. I hope you find the 50 ideas useful and I look forward to following your blog!
Love the pet pics on your About page too!
Looking forward to this challenge to get me started again! You can view it at https://techineductaion.blogspot.com/
Hi Mike,
Great to have you on board and thanks for sharing your URL!
Lost interest in blogs ten years ago regarding them as a thing of the past.
Would like to try again and see what is new and how my thoughts have changed now that I am retired.
That’s great to hear, Bill. Let’s know your blog URL when you have one too so we can follow along.
I’m in!
http://kjostandefer.edublogs.org/2018/02/08/hello-world/
@TWT_StandeferKJ
I have invited and shared on Twitter. Thanks for the baby steps as I learn blogging and succeed at the challenge! KJO
Thank you for sharing on Twitter! Your blog is looking great too. I like the choice of theme 🙂
Thank you for this 28 day Challenge help.
It does not try to teach children to be good and study hard. In fact it often make fun of schools and adults. It will show the PLN from a child’s point of view.
This is perfect for me. I just started a new blog on Monday. I’ve started others in the past, but when life gets busy I tend to forget about it.
You can view my new blog at https://teacheronketo.blogspot.com/
What an interesting topic for your blog. I just love reading/listening to nutrition related topics too. It’s great to write about something you’re passionate about!
I’m all in!
I’m taking part – I’ve been a bit slack lately and could do with kick start
Awesome, Nina! Hope this 28 day challenge helps.