WordPress & WordPress Multisite

Blogs@ISBreda – Secondary School Blog Network

The International School Breda where I work is a brand new international school. As a small, forming school, the start-up team has the privilege (and great responsibility) to develop the school’s culture, structure and curriculum from scratch. I jumped at the opportunity to create a network of blogs for the secondary school built on WordPress Multisite. This was a huge undertaking for me and called for tech skills beyond the usual blog post writing and image embedding. There were a few tears on my part, but eventually I created it launched it in the spring semester of 2012. Students in the secondary school (about 25 to start) received their own blogs to be used as both portfolios of learning and reflection and a personal space for writing. Since starting, the blogs have been expanded to the new crop of students. We currently have almost 50 sites running on the network. As the ad-hoc tech integrator, I lead students through the set-up process and training in the basics of setting up and customizing a blog. We still have far to go in terms of getting more teachers on board using the blogs and encouraging commenting and discussion, but I’m looking forward to watching it grow. 

Blogs at ISB – The homepage for our blog network.

Maddy’s Blog – An example of a WordPress blog as a portfolio of learning and student expression.

Professional Blog

My journey into the world of WordPress began when I bought my first domain name and installed WordPress on it. At various times in the last few years, my blog has gathered dust only to emerge for a few reflective posts here and there. While it lies dormant at the moment, I am still proud of what it became and what it represents in my path as a learner and curious fan of technology.

See Mary Teach – My sometimes-updated professional blog.