Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Summer 2009 Professional Development Meme Revisited

On June 3, 2009, I posted three goals that I wanted to accomplish during the summer months and now I think it is time to look back at them and see if I accomplished my goals. I actually felt that by writing them down and posting them for all to see was a great motivation to me to actually achieve these goals. It is just so easy for me to think about what I want to do and plan to do them but I don’t really feel like I’m accountable for actually achieving them. That is, until I wrote them down in my blog. They have really been in the back of my mind especially when I kept telling myself that it really didn’t matter. Then I began to think that it would matter if I wrote about them after the summer was over and I had to actually admit that I didn’t achieve them and the only reason was because I was lazy.

So here were the three goals I set out to achieve:

1. Record and publish at least 3 podcasts.
2. Update my wiki with new resources (to be used in the 2 grad classes that I'm teaching this summer)
3. Present at the Upstate Technology Conference in Greenville, SC

Results:

1. I recorded and published my three podcasts on June 8, August 12, and September 1 in my blog. I almost didn’t get the September 1 in but having to write about my results really motivated me to get them done. I actually am glad that I pushed myself because the more I did, it actually got easier and I felt more comfortable doing this. Of course, I’m not sure anyone is actually listening but I am enjoying it more.

2. I updated my wiki and used them in the two grad classes that I taught this summer.

3. I gave a presentation on Voicethread at the Upstate Technology Conference in June. I was very pleased with how well it was received and may use this more during the school year.

Original image: 'Close up of The Thinker' http://www.flickr.com/photos/29241010@N00/32010732 by: Todd Martin

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Congratulations on accomplishing all of your goals! I'm sure there are readers of your blog who have tuned into your podcasts and left learning a thing or two that they didn't know before. So please continue to use your blog as a platform for all your thoughts and knowledge because there are people out there listening.

And I'm happy to now be a part of that community :)

Kobus van Wyk said...

Well done! It is good to be goal-oriented. I like the idea of committing yourself in public (and you can't go more public than by blogging!)- it is certainly an incentive to reach those goals.