This blog is one year old today!

Yes, it was exactly one year ago when I published the first post. Seems like a good time to look at the results of this little project!

What did I hope to get from it?

1. an incentive to keep myself up-to-date in my field:  make a public commitment to read a lot of professional blogs and write about the most interesting posts
2. an opportunity to talk to like-minded people both online and in real life: it’s great when you can discuss an article or post with colleagues
3. a bit of a boost to my professional reputation: have my own space to publish conference presentations and event reports, share thoughts and ideas – well, you know 🙂

What have I got?

Honestly, a lot more than I hoped for:

1. I’ve been reading more widely this year, and the best part is that now it’s easier for me to spot high-quality and inspired writing. I can see patterns emerging, old topics reinvented, new ideas exploding all over the blogosphere – and it’s really rewarding to be able to curate and share it all.
2. I’ve met lots of new people online and in real life thanks to this blog. More than 500 subscribers, dozens of visitors every day – it’s not much compared to real ELT gurus, but I’m grateful to each and every one of you for dropping by (and I know you’re not my mum because she hits ‘like’ without ever reading the posts 😉 ).
3. I’ve learned to use Instagram (yes, I’m that old) and Canva, and write a paragraph of text balancing between ‘useful digest’ and ‘no spoilers’ – so that readers find the time to click through to the original text.
4. I’ve been able to spread the good word and share what’s new and what’s great in ELT with the colleagues at my own teaching centre and around the world – how cool is that?
5. I’ve developed a new confidence in my blogging self: I know which topics get the most clicks (edutech, looking at you!), but I’m happy to write about anything that resonates with me – and I just love hearing that an obscure post has inspired someone to read more or given them a lesson idea.

I’d say it’s been a great year, and I hope there’s more to come!

Now for my new year resolutions, to keep that public commitment thing going:

1. Experiment with new formats and media
2. Publish more of my own work on the blog
3. Hope to engage with you all a bit more 🙂

And what would you like to see when you open Kate’s ELT Crate next year?