Sharing Our Learning

Image credit: Silvia Tolisano New Roles for developing empowered learners

Adapted from Alan November (pp.188-193), Curriculum 21 (ASCD, 2010) by Heidi Hayes Jacobs.

At our school, we frequently reference Alan November's "Roles for Empowered Learners." Silvia's recent blog post on Langwitches Blog, "What do you have to lose?" speaks of the importance of educators sharing their work. In it, she references this quote, from Ewan McIntosh: "Sharing, and sharing online specifically, is not in addition to the work of being an educator. It is the work."

We know that students thrive on meaningful work and an authentic audience. We also know that when students reflect on their work, teach others, and use language to describe their process, learning is deepened and reinforced. Does it not stand to reason that students, as well as their teachers, have a strong impetus to share their learning, and to share their learning online specifically,where they have the potential for a wide audience, interaction and feedback?

One of our 2nd grade classes did just that with their blog post, Trading Card Experts. After creating several trading cards, each one the extension of a reading assignment, the students felt that they had developed sufficient expertise to become tutorial designers.

A classroom blog provides an easy forum for students to reflect and share in this way. The process of collaborative writing is extremely rich with opportunities for developing students' skills in both reading and writing. When students are sharing what THEY know, interest is high. Students, proud of their accomplishments, know that this is important writing. They want to get it right.

The wordpress blog provides authentic reinforcement of the writing process.
After starting a new post, we clicked "save draft." When we next worked on that post, we chose "edit post." As students read their writing aloud, they began to understand the importance of hearing how the writing sounds. The revision process came to life as respectful suggestions were made, discussed, and decided upon by group agreement or popular vote. Finally, students gathered together at the SMARTboard, to click "publish."

Learning is sharing and sharing is most definitely learning. No longer do the four walls of a classroom define the learning environment, and no longer do the students work for the "audience of one." Students are engaged in meaningful learning when they share their work publicly as participants in a global community of learners. No longer is the writing process a series of posters on the wall or words repeated by a teacher. No longer does "publish" mean copying over your work in your nicest handwriting using magic marker. Using the classroom blog for reflection and sharing represents one example of the kind of upgrade recommended by Heidi Hayes Jacobs in Curriculum 21.

Here is the original, collaboratively-written post "Trading Card Experts." Since we are in the beginning stages of blogging in the classroom, our 2nd grade blog is not yet open for public commenting. However, the students would very much appreciate any feedback you would like to share with them.

Trading Card Experts

We have made three trading cards in the computer lab. The first one we did was about ourselves. The second one was about what we thought was the strongest element or thing in the world. We read a story called "The Strongest One," and that is how we got the idea to make that trading card. The third trading card we created was about a rescue dog. In our reading book we read a story about rescue dogs.

Now we are experts because we know how to make trading cards very well. It was fun making trading cards. You should make a trading card, too.



How-to Make a Trading Card

Step 1- Go to BigHugeLabs. Scroll down and choose "trading card." (Or you can click on the picture below. We made it a link.)



Step 2- Use a picture that you have saved on your computer. We save ours to the desktop so that we can easily find it. Next click on "choose file" to find your picture and upload it.



Step 3- Click on one of the three choices for where the picture goes "top left, bottom right or center." Then pick your background color.



Step 4- Choose a title for your card. For example, on a trading card about the strongest element, the title might be "Hail." The sub-title would be "The Strongest One." Another example from one of our trading cards is title: "Rescue Dogs" and sub-title: "German Shepherds."

For the description, we wrote adjectives that described our topic, and we also wrote one or two sentences. We pre-wrote our thoughts in our journals before we went to the computer lab.



Step 5-

We did not choose any icons, but you could if you want. Next, press create and you will see your trading card.


Step 6- Then look at your card, and make sure it looks the way you like. Read it over to make sure you don't have any mistakes. If you need to change something, click "edit" to go back. If it is the way you want it to be, click "save" and if you want to print it, click "print."



We hope you have fun making your trading cards. We hope our directions help you. Thank you for reading our blog post. Please leave a comment if you have any questions for us or to tell us about your trading cards.
- by Miss Stein's 2nd graders.

What Matters? Part 1: Reflection

Synchronicity? 

Background info: I write blog posts in my mind all the time. I'm a much better thinker-writer than a real, sit down and type on the keys writer. One of my recent "mind posts" has been about what really matters in education. Typical of these free-flowing thought-posts (they are QUITE brilliant by the way), the ideas follow a winding path with many tangents and dead-ends. 

Funny that as I was reading some blogs tonight, also a long and winding road what with all the hyperlinks to click, I stumbled upon David Warlick's recent posts "Should it Matter?" and "More on What Matters," reflections of his after Educon2.1. 

I also recently read Clay Burell's spot-on post on change.org, "Reading Despite Teaching or How the Hulk led me to Hamlet."  Reading is high on my list of what matters, and Clay has a way of sharing his stories that helps you see clearly the silliness of schooliness.                                                   

Both of these pieces intersected in many places with the thoughts I've been thinking. 

I  feel compelled to add a disclaimer here lest you imagine that I am comparing myself as a writer or thinker to the likes of Warlick or Burell. No, I'm most certainly not. 

But isn't that the beauty of asking what matters? Isn't what matters to me, an ordinary teacher, as important as what matters to those who have risen to the ranks of leaders in education? Isn't that the very essence of web2.0? 

I start with my thoughts about education, based largely on my own experience. I explore my thoughts as I attempt to write a coherent post. As I try to communicate, I find myself in a different place. I never know, when I start writing, where the path will lead. Others can read and respond, draw me out, question me, challenge me, help me along.... I can read the blogs of others, too. It's a different type of experience than reading a book. It's immediate, accessible. I can leave a comment!

These early-stage thoughts that I refer to as my mind-blog-post can be compared to a spring that is hidden underground. As the spring bubbles to the surface, it meets with greater bodies of water, at which point it becomes visible, yet changed as it merges with the river. 

That, to me, is the learning process that I find taking place through this process of writing, reading and interacting through blogs and other networks. 

Now I'm nowhere near where I thought I'd be when I started this post. What do I do? Do I leave it here and write part 2 later? Do I keep going, trying to get back to what I thought I wanted to say about what matters? 

I think I'll opt for Part 2. In the meantime, I want to ask you to think about what matters. What really, truly matters about learning, going to school, educating kids, even being human? There are, of course, no right or wrong answers- just the conversation.

 

Image: "Spring Water" from Atemzeit's photostream 

The Comment Challenge. I'm up for it!

I just joined the 31 day comment challenge. It is just the kind of challenge I enjoy, and I appreciate Kim, Sue, Silvia and Michele for setting it up in order to help new bloggers break into the conversation.
The goal is to comment often and well, to showcase new blogs, to stir up the pot of learning that is happening on blogs all over the web. And I, new blogger that I am, want in.

When I started my blog, back in January, my goals were simple. I just had the feeling that it was something I needed to do. I have to say that I am amazed at the way that blogging has propelled me forward as a 21st century teacher/learner. I actually think I have learned to process information more quickly as I jump around the web --reading, thinking, learning, commenting, subscribing, twittering.
I remember when I first put a visitor map on my blog. For a long time, it had only two red dots. One represented me, and the other one represented my friend who lives in Charleston. I was intrigued and excited when a new dot appeared. Who found my blog? Was it an accident? Did they read it?
I was so thrilled when I got that first comment from someone I didn't know in "real life." I still get excited every time someone comments on my blog.
I've learned a lot, but I still have so much to learn.

So, I am up for the challenge of going deeper into this blogging experience. I know it will affect me in ways I can't conceive of at this point. I don't care about the prize, unless the prize is that more people will read my blog and comment on my posts.
See, I do want to be a better blog citizen, but I have to admit, I also want to be a better blogger. As in, I want my own blog to be better.

I've noticed that since my name was put up on the wiki, I've had more hits than usual on my blog, hits that came from the wiki. It feels like a lot of pressure to me. I want to make the most of having people visit my blog. It's a good kind of pressure, because hopefully, this challenge will help me get into a routine, one that includes writing good, short! posts, reading, commenting and moving on to do some of the many, many other things I have waiting for me to do. I've long wondered how these bloggers/teachers/parents,etc. seem to do it all. Maybe this will help me figure it out.

Or maybe I'll just go completely nuts!

This is what my kitchen looks like on the evenings I blog. Truthfully, it usually looks even worse than that. I can't seem to do it all. That's my confession.
But I'm in it for the long haul.

I see great value in being a part of the edublogger community.

Ramblings of My MInd

I am forgoing the usual attempt at a coherent post. My mind is a jumble of thoughts, and I am going to spill them. Isn't that my prerogative??

 (sung to the tune of It's My Party... -- It's my blog and I'll ramble if I want to...)

T*O*D*a*Y...

Good things about today ---

1. The BEST thing about today was that my 5th grade class skyped with Laura from 25 Days to Make a Difference. We have been working on our own blog for a difference, 17 Chances to Help. The kids love Laura's blog and they have been having a bit of a back and forth exchange with her via comments and posts. It was one of my students who asked if we could skype with her. I really haven't done much skypeing with my students at all. In fact today was only the second time I have used skype in the classroom and the first time I have used it in this way. Laura was so adorable and sweet. My students were so excited and kept asking her the same questions, like, "How did you get the idea for your blog?" over and over. All in all it was just cool.

2. A friend at work made me lunch. How nice was that?

Frustrations for today...

1. I got a not so nice, "anonymous" comment on the 17 chances to help blog. I think it was from a student in the class. I'm not sure of the motivation for the comment, if it was a passive-aggressive way of complaining about the project or just a misguided attempt at being funny. I don't know if he/she didn't realize the comments were moderated. I don't know. I have heard that a few of the students have complained about spending so much of our lab time working on the blog, but when I asked the whole group about it, I got a positive response, even asking if they can continue in next year. 

It really hits a nerve and illustrates, for me, a piece of the issue of digital citizenship that is being discussed so much lately, especially after the appalling videotaped beating of a teenager last week. Every little aspect of digital citizenship needs to be taught. Here I am, a teacher, used to students complaining about this and that, and a little comment (which was not even THAT bad) really felt like a slap in the face. There is something cowardly about posting anonymously. I would much rather hear students complain directly, and I told them that.

Now this same group will also be working on a collaborative writing project, using google docs to collaborate on a story using the pictures from The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. I am really interested and even a bit worried to see how they handle the collaborative aspect of the work. 

2. I am a bit disappointed in the aforementioned group blog project. It was helpful "talking" a bit to Laura's mom, Angela, and reading her post about Laura's blog. I want to do so much more than I am able to do in my 45 minute per week sessions. I can't seem to get the kids to go as deep as I would like them to go. They have a "mitzvah club" as part of their Judaic Studies, but it seems to me that something is missing. They seem to be going through the motions, but not gaining a real understanding of what they are doing. Their writing, their thoughts, even their answers to some of Laura's questions, really make me wonder how our school could be doing a better job of teaching. I don't know if my expectations are out of line for 5th grade... I don't think so, I used to be a 5th grade classroom teacher, but maybe I've lost my sense of the age group? 

Final thoughts:

•I don't know how to address the 45 minutes a week dilemma. I like being the tech resource at the school, even with the limitations. The Judaic Studies teacher who does the Mitzvah Club with the students has no interest whatsoever in integrating tech. She didn't even want to see the blog. I hope to get a grant to continue and expand the project. If I am lucky enough to win a grant, it will give me more options. Maybe I will take it to the afterschool arena, as I did with my student blogging group, the Tech Explorers. I would like us to actually DO some things to help out in our community. I want the students to experience the power of helping and giving, as well as their own power to create, connect and make good things happen.

•As to the issue of teaching digital citizenship, there is a wave building. Talk about using the power of technology to harness the good...I have jumped on board and am expecting quite a ride. Only a few days old, it is called ad4dcss (advocates for digital citizenship, safety and success) and there is already a lot of action afoot.

 

We're All Trying to Figure it Out

I have still been thinking a lot about student blogging, this very "risky" activity. I hope that came across with the intended sarcasm. A few blog posts I've read recently have really helped further my thinking. Dean Shareski wrote a post on January 4th titled Why Privacy is a Moot Point.  To paraphrase, he basically says that our obsession with privacy online is overblown, that we have placed unrealistic fears onto anything that is published online. Truly, in this day and age, what is private? How many people have access to your personal information no matter how much you try to safeguard it? At some point we have to stop worrying and live in the world that exists.

As a teacher I think about these issues frequently. I always try to err on the side of caution while still allowing the kids as much freedom of expression and creativity as possible. As you can see I have a photo of myself on my blog. I read and enjoy many blogs that are filled with personal photos. I don't know the bloggers, but I love getting a glimpse into their lives. One of my favorite blogs, Nienie Dialogues, is a photo collage of the blogger's family, including tons of photos of her four, beautiful children. I think she's been blogging like this for years with no adverse effects.

Obviously there's a difference between what we do at home and what we can allow our students to do at school. As I've written, I feel strongly that the only way to teach these issues is through the process of actually using the technologies with students. Our world is changing, and we, as well as our students, need to learn what that means and how we will adapt.

 

What has been interesting to read about is how much everyone is trying to figure these things out for themselves. Al Upton, who had signed parent permission for his bloggers, posted their pictures online. I didn't think this was a big deal at all, although in the interests of being overly cautious, I have told my students that they may not post personal photos. There have been many comments on both sides of the issue.

I recently started an afterschool blogging group. I have been so encouraged and excited by the students' enthusiasm for blogging. Now, the desire to blog is spreading. This past week, three more students, who are not in my afterschool class, started blogs. One student started hers at home on her own. The other two requested my help at school, and I helped them. Of course, I am worried that there will be backlash. I wrote an email to all three of their parents sharing my guidelines for student blogging, but because they are doing this mostly at home, I am not as involved. I had a big discussion with the entire class about how their online behavior will determine whether students in our school get to continue blogging and exploring other web2.0 technologies or not. I told them a little about Al Upton's students and how people are closely watching what happens with students who are allowed to blog. I trust them to do their best. They are learning. I am learning. Learning is what it's all about, right?

As usual, someone else really summed it up perfectly for me: This is from the comments section on Al Upton's blog. I think it really makes the point:

I'm Gonna Say it Again...

The other night I had this dream: I was swimming along the shallow edge of a bay with my children, ages 4 and 7. Suddenly my 4 year old son purposely swam away from me and into the deep water. I panicked and swam after him, trying to grab onto him and swim to the surface.

It doesn't take an expert in dream interpretation to figure out the obvious symbolism. It is natural for parents to want to protect their children from danger. But, in this example, my son's best protection would not have been for me to attempt to drag him to the surface, thus pulling both of us under; it would have been to have taught him to be a strong swimmer.

As we are all well aware, the Internet poses all kinds of possible dangers. As we sit at our computers connecting with the wide world, we may be physically safe. But it's called the world wide web for a reason. It's all there; the good, the bad, the ugly.We can type in a wrong letter or two and end up at a site we'd rather not see. We can think we are connecting with friendly folks, tell them a bit too much information, and find out that they aren't quite so friendly. The risks are real.  However, the benefits are beyond compare. Most of us can't imagine a world without the Internet. Like everything else in life, we have to take the good with the bad. 

I know I am repeating myself here. I've said it before. I'll probably say it again. We have to TEACH students how to use the technology wisely and safely. Banning and filtering may seem to provide an easy solution, but what are we telling our students?

•We don't trust you to act responsibly.

•We don't think this is worth teaching you.

•We don't care that this is how and what you want to learn.

Besides which, bans and filters don't address the all of the possible problems. 

I have faced a lot of hurdles at my job revolving around issues of Internet safety. I work at a small, private, religious school. I am in my second year at the school, and we are, slowly, but surely, entering the 21st century. We are even beginning to blog with students outside of the ultra-safe Think.com. If I could share my strategy, it is this: I try to arm myself with information, both research and anecdotal evidence. I align myself with those of like mind. In some instances I believe it is better to ask forgiveness than permission. 

I acknowledge that there will always be people who may not understand what I am doing or may not agree with me. I know that I am taking a risk by blogging about my professional activities. I have to be true to myself, however, and true to my students.

I couldn't write a post like this at this time without referring to the situation with Al Upton and the mini-legends. Al Upton is a teacher in South Australia and the mini-legends were his student bloggers. I was writing to one of his students as a blogging mentor and quite enjoying our communication. I was hoping to have some of his student bloggers communicate with my student bloggers. Just the other day, the mini-legends were shut down by some administrator due to parent concerns. It is all a bit hazy. The students even had signed permission slips for blogging. As of earlier tonight, there were around 120 comments from around the world in support of Al and his students. You can read about it here.

In my experience, the biggest issues I face come from ignorance. It is my job to continually educate the parents and in that way advocate for the students. 21st century educators have a great knack for pooling our resources and supporting one another, and through that, we will prevail. 

One good wiki I have found with resources for blogging in education is http://www.supportblogging.com

Blogging with Students

Today I started my afterschool blogging club. Known as “tech explorers” these 4^th and 5^th graders (and one intrepid 3^rd grader) began the creation of their own blogs on edublogs.

First of all, some thanks are in order. I have to thank the ever-inspiring Silvia Tolisano (langwitches) for sharing the idea of doing an afterschool blogging group, as well as the practical “how-to” advice she shares on her blog. Thanks also to my principal for agreeing to it, to my assistant, Kim, for helping me set up the blog accounts (and picking up snacks). Most importantly, thank you to my wonderful students for being so excited to be part of this new, fun and creative activity, and thank you to their parents for allowing them to participate.After much thought and a lot of checking out of different options for student blogs I decided to go with individual edublogs accounts for each student. I feel that one of the biggest motivations for blogging is the creative expression, so I want each student to have control over the look and feel of their blog, as well as what is posted. I created user names in advance, and today in class, the students activated their own blogs by choosing a domain name and a title for the blog. They also chose a theme and some wrote an introductory post.

Before we got started with the nitty-gritty, I showed some examples of student blogs. I always start any project or lesson by showing some quality examples. The blogs I showed today were Digital Depictions by Cai (age 9) and some of Silvia’s students’ blogs. We also discussed our Tech Explorers’ Code of Safe Online Conduct. This, too, was the outcome of a lot of thought and exploration of others teachers’ work. Different teachers have different guidelines as to what constitutes online safety. I think that what is most important is that the subject is discussed and re-visited as necessary. I feel so strongly that we need to teach our students to use the emerging technologies thoughtfully.

The students were very excited, and many of them expressed the desire to work on their blogs at home.

I have also started a class blog with my 5th grade class. If you have followed any of my rambling "using technology to do good in the world" posts, this blog, called 17 Chances to Help, is the next step in our tech-related mitzvah project. It is slow-going, as I have retained administrative control over that blog, and I only see the class once a week. But I think we will be working on this project for the rest of the school year. I am interested to see how this project takes shape and what the students learn from it (and, of course, what I learn from it). Please check that blog from time to time as we add content to it. I know the students would really welcome comments.

Character Blogs

This is one of my favorite projects. First of all, this project represents for me a model of true technology integration. I love the way the classroom teacher and I worked together. Secondly, I think it is a great project which has real depth and strong academic content and integrates technology for all the right reasons in all the best ways. 

Project Development:

It started with a conversation with Deb Kuhr, the middle school English teacher. She told me that the 7th graders were reading The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton and would be using the book to focus on the element of character. Did I have any ideas for technology integration? I thought of the idea of having the students blog "in character."

From there we really worked together as we developed and taught the project. One challenge that arose early on was the school's content filter which blocks most of the popular blogging sites. In searching for an online home for our blogs I revisited a site I had learned about years ago, Think.com. There are pros and cons to using this site. Think.com is a very safe site; in order to get an account you must have an educational affiliation. No one can enter the site unless they have an account. Teachers must approve image content. There is a lengthy list of banned words. Although Think.com boasts members from around the world, and you can invite other schools to join you in your project, the interaction I have seen is pretty superficial. 

Since a large part of blogging is reading the blogs of others and leaving comments, we added the requirement that the characters must read and interact with others' character blogs in character. Because of the nature of Think.com you can't leave "stickies" or comments on project pages. However, you can add an interactive element to your page, such as a message board. So, we had the students use these elements for interaction.

All in all, I judge this project a huge success. I think the students really learned from putting themselves into the mind of the character and extending their thoughts about the novel. We even had a blog for Bob, a character that died early in the novel, called "Bob's Blog from Beyond." I know that they were motivated by the activity; they found blogging fun and enjoyed having a think.com account. They all created Think.com home pages as well, a page they could create as themselves (as opposed to their character from The Outsiders). I was impressed by the quality of the work. We are now in the second year of this project, and it is again going well. As with any unit, it is easier the second time around -- all of the planning is finished, we know what to expect, and it is just a matter of doing it. 

What I think could make this project better in the future would be interaction with other students who are also reading The Outsiders or at least a chance for a more public audience to read their blogs. I think that I would like to try a different blogging site next year, maybe class blogmeister or edublogs. Any suggestions? It would have to be a "safe" site. If you would like a copy of the rubric we used, leave a comment here or email me at andreals@comcast.net.

Here are some pictures of Mrs. Kuhr's bulletin board from last year's blogs. She had each student print out one or two favorite entries and create an artistic representation of their character.

Staying Relevant

Relevant: having significant and demonstrable bearing on the matter at hand.

And the "matter at hand" is teaching and more broadly, integrating technology in education. So. Am I relevant? Starting this blog, which is read only by me, has caused me to feel "dangerously irrelevant." Well, not really, but that is the name of another ed-tech blog I like. But..... it has made me face the fact that the world of educational technology is moving FAST. I read the blogs of those that have been doing this for a long time, doing it well, doing it with passion and really making great inroads, and I feel a sense of self-doubt, a sense of overwhelm. I just participated in a survey for edubloggers and could not even answer some of the questions. For example, what is my technorati rating (zero, I am sure) and how many subscribers do I have (uh, that would have to be zero again). But, there were other questions that I should have been able to answer, questions such as "What is your favorite technology tool?" I think about this "stuff" daily, and yet, when put on the spot, I can't come up with a straight answer. And that causes me to question myself. Why am I here? Why am I doing this?

So, this is my post to explain (and defend?) who I am and what I bring to the edu-blogging table.

I will probably always have a humble, simple blog. My blogging time is limited. At this point I am after quality, not quantity. I know that I have a LOT to learn from the leaders in this field. I am not fast, not keeping up with the intense folks.

Well, then, why am I doing this at all? It certainly takes a lot of time. And time is not something I have in abundance, certainly not something I am willing to waste.

I have been teaching for about 16 years. In this time I have taught in many situations, many grade levels, many subjects. My interest in educational technology came, not because I loved technology, but because I saw its potential in motivating my students. I grew to love the technology, too, and have had to push myself to learn in order to stay relevant. In my current position as technology coordinator at a small, private school I am responsible for everything that has any relation to technology, from printing pictures for people to maintaining the website, to teaching students and training teachers, to network admin.

I love what I do. I am challenged and always learning. I love that.

I like blogging for many reasons. I like to reflect on my teaching practices and think through my ideas. I enjoy writing. I know that really getting into the world of blogging also involves interaction in the blogging world. I hope to find more time for this eventually and look forward to having readers. I have learned so much from others out there on the web. And I do feel that I have something useful to share with other teachers interested in using technology to enhance their teaching. Not only is blogging compelling, fun, creative, reflective, interactive....I think that blogging is necessary for my growth as a professional, necessary to stay relevant.

I think my blog reflects who I am. I probably talk too much. I am very selective. I think that, while there are a ton of educational websites and resources, there are only a handful (admittedly getting to be a bigger and bigger handful) of really excellent sites and resources. I spend hours and hours online, panning for that one nugget of gold that I will use with my students. Ideally, I would like to use my blog to share what I find with other teachers out there who don't have the hours to spend sifting through all the junk and semi-junk. 

I know I have much more to learn than I have to teach, but I do think I have something valuable to share. My goal is to become a player in the sharing that is occurring, not just a taker, but someone who gives back. Ultimately, too, I would like to have ads on my blog and supplement my very meager income with blogging. I know this is a tall order for someone joining the party at the 11th hour, but hey, why not? I don't think that making money through blogging detracts from the purity of my love for teaching as I have seen mentioned on other teachers' blogs. So, there you have it, my faithful reader. If anyone is reading this blog, please do feel free to leave a comment.

And here is a link to the survey for edubloggers.

A Sense of Urgency

It is January 3rd, 2008 and I am working on "developing a sense of urgency." I receive an email newsletter from Frederic Patenaude and his New Year's post was titled How to Make 2008 the Healthiest Year of Your Life. 

Number 1:

Develop a Sense of Urgency. Whenever a thought comes to your mind about something you think you want to do, or an idea you want to develop, don't let it stay there. Write it down, and decide immediately to do something about it.

Yup. I get this. In fact, this is something I have been getting better and better at, to the point that I have so many things going that I sometimes get a bit overwhelmed. But, in the past I had the tendency to think of something and then WAIT. Wait until I was "ready." Wait until I understood the thing better or was closer to figuring it out or perfecting it. I have learned that I get so much more done when I just go for whatever it is I want to do and let the details work themselves out.

And so it is time to really start my educational technology blog. For quite a while now I have been a reader of others' blogs and sites and have learned so much from everyone else's generous sharing of information, lesson plans, projects, links, trials and errors. I have wanted to start a blog forever. In fact, I started my blogger account in December 2006 and it took me almost a year just to come up with a name I liked. Now it is a new year, and I know that it is a matter of just sitting down and doing it. Process not product. In a year's time, I will have a blog instead of still thinking about my blog. It's a matter of JUST DO IT.
So. Here goes.