I thought long and hard about what to call my new professional blog. I brainstormed a huge list of possible titles, everything from “Digital Dispatch” to “Techknowledgy” to “The Change Up”--a reference to my days as a baseball pitcher. I wanted something that would be catchy, but that would also represent the main ideas I would be writing about. Initially, I decided on “Learning Matters”. However, when I did a Google search for the term, I discovered that it was used by both bloggers and coporations alike. I also wanted something that I could easily create a Twitter account for and, potentially, a domain name as well. “Learning Matters” had to be scratched, having already been used in both respects. So I went back to the drawing board and continued brainstorming.
Another factor that went into play was the way that RSS readers catalog/organize feeds. When I read blog posts using Google Reader on my blackberry, the feeds are organized alphabetically. Often, I only read the ones that are at the top of the list. So, I wanted my title to contain a first letter that was somewhere near the top of the alphabet.
Another concern was how the title would represent my ideas. I am starting a new job this fall as a technology specialist, but I didn’t want my blog to be just about technology. So I scratched any titles that contained references to technology (I will definitely have a tech blog that the teachers I work with can subscribe to for “how to” explanations. In fact, I’ve set one up and have called it “Mr. T’s Tech Tips”-http://www.mrttips.posterous.com.)
I finally decided on “Change Course” for a couple of reasons. For one, it starts with “C” and will get my blog to the top of alphabetized lists. Second, it communicates the idea of change. I will be writing about how education can happen differently and I want to gain a readership of those around the world who also want to change the system. Then there’s that word “course”, which has a double meaning. It can be a synonym for “class”, as in a place where learning happens, but it can also stand for a direction or a path to follow. And when you put both words together you get the idea of a ship’s captain charting a course (notice I also use a compass rose logo as well) and realizing that it may be necessary to “Change Course.” I do believe that we can’t just keep doing things in the classroom the way we’ve been doing it. So, I hope that my blog can be a place where we ponder how teaching and learning can “change course” for the 21st century.
