Making Time to Blog

In Three Responses to "But I Don't Have Time to Blog" from Free Technology for Teachers by noreply@blogger.com, Mr. Byrne shares,

“Earlier this month at the Authentic Learning Workshop I was asked, "what do you say to teachers who say I don't have time for a blog?" I offered a few responses …”

Here is how I would respond:

First of all, everyone makes time to do the things they want to do. If you value what you are doing and you feel it makes a difference, you will find time to do it. It is when you feel that it is a waste of time and you don’t think it is of value that you start finding excuses not to do it.

I also think that you need to give something an honest try to decide how you feel about something. I know someone who gives it the “three-try” rule where she tries it three times before she makes a decision about something. She doesn’t buy expensive equipment without seeing if she can borrow it and try it for three times before she makes a decision about it. I think that is a good idea with blogging but rather than just three times, make it a time limit such as three weeks or three months before deciding if it works for you.

I also think deciding on how often you blog will help. Just like exercising, sometimes by having a plan helps keep you on track. My husband plans to exercise at least three times a week and he says that anything more is icing on the cake. By deciding how often you want to blog and sticking with that schedule, you will find that it is not so overwhelming. But make sure you include some days where you don’t blog or you will get burned out.

Think about your purpose and your audience. Knowing this will help your writing. Sometimes when I hit a mindblock, I avoid writing and then think I don’t have time to write. But knowing that I want to stick to my schedule, I will force myself to sit down and write. Sometimes it just takes getting started to get the ideas flowing.

I like to think of blogging as a way to share my ideas. When other people comment on my post, it opens up a conversation. I remind myself that if I didn’t take the time to blog, I could be missing out on some valuable opportunities for a rich conversation.

So, how would you respond to people who say they don’t have time to blog? Please share.

Image: 'grandfather watch'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66603426@N05/6827397725
Found on flickrcc.net

Professional Book Sharing

In Interesting Library Book Club Idea from Cathy Nelson's Professional Thoughts by Cathy Jo Nelson, Cathy talks about using this idea for professional development. She shared,

“Professional Development meeting with teachers interested in YA literature (or any literature for that matter)”

This had me thinking about even going further and not just teachers interested in YA literature. Why not have teachers bring in some books about teaching or their subject area? Many times I have heard teachers talk about how the meetings they attend aren’t meaningful. I know that when I contribute and listen to others contribute, I sometimes come away with more than when I just sit and listen to someone talk. When there is an exchange of information or ideas, I feel I haven’t wasted my time.

I could see departments meeting and sharing books that pertain to their subject areas. It could be professional magazines or books. It might be books that could enhance lessons. Why not go even further and discuss available videos that could be used in the classroom. How about other resources? If at every meeting, someone had to bring something to the table, these meetings might be more enjoyable and relevant.

I think this would also be a great idea for a professional organization meeting. I’m going to suggest this for my next local Council for Exceptional Children’s meeting. I would like people to attend and bring one resource (book, video, magazine etc.) to share.

Do you do something like this at your school? If so, please share how you do this.

Image: 'Tome Reader'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33377700@N00/443545349
Found on flickrcc.net

Summer Learning Place Week 4

Last week was the last week of our summer program. I finished up final observations and the teachers completed their final reports. The final reports were more detailed than the weekly reports and included recommendations for parents and teachers of each individual child. On the last day we had a closing ceremony where each class gave a short performance for parents and visitors. I was so proud of everyone for doing a great job. I didn’t video the final performance but I did record the dress rehearsal. I also asked parents to fill out a survey about the program so we can work on making it better each year. I was thrilled with all the wonderful comments that were made. You can watch our dress rehearsal below. Hope you enjoy it!


Original movie by Pat Hensley

Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 8/2/13

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Note: Each resource is labeled with a level and subject area to make it easier to use.

Levels: E: Elementary; M: Middle; H: High; G: General, all levels; SN: Special Needs; T: Teachers

Subject Areas: LA: Language Arts, English, Reading, Writing; M: Math; S: Science; Health; SS: Social Studies, Current Events; FA: Fine Arts; Music, Art, Drama; FL: Foreign Language; PE: Physical Ed; C: Career; A: All

Phrase.It - “Create your own comic strips online with phrase.it, the free and easy to use speech bubble photo editor. Put speech bubbles on your photos and create your own comic strips within minutes! Great looking results guaranteed, no sign-up needed, 100% free. phrase.it is probably the best speech bubble photo editor you will find on the web.” (L:G; SA:A)

Connect Safely - “ConnectSafely is for parents, teens, educators, advocates, policy makers – everyone engaged in and interested in the impacts of the social Web. The user-driven, all-media, multi-platform, fixed and mobile social Web is a big part of young people’s lives, and this is the central space – linked to from social networks across the Web – for perspective on safe, civil use of  Web and mobile technology” (L:M,H; SA:A)

Mindmup - mindmapping; it was not intuitive and took some exploring to figure out how it worked. (L:G; SA:A)

Snap - “(formerly BYOB) is a visual, drag-and-drop programming language. It is an extended reimplementation of Scratch (a project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab) that allows you to Build Your Own Blocks. It also features first class lists, first class procedures, and continuations. These added capabilities make it suitable for a serious introduction to computer science for high school or college students.” (L:H; SA:A)

Digital Explorer - “inspirational lessons and resources from the world to your classroom.” (L:G; SA:S)

Original Image: Tools by Pat Hensley

Monthly Review of Goals from July

July has been a busy month for me. I teach a course for Furman University every July and it helps make the month fly by. It is time to review my goals and see how I did last month. All of my goals can be found here.

For the year:

1. I want to spin the alpaca fiber that I processed with some wool. ( I accomplished this!)

2. I want to knit a sweater. (I accomplished this by making 2 so far and want to make the Gnarled Oak Cardigan next.)

3. I want to dye yarn. (Still haven’t done this yet but now I have all the necessary materials and equipment.)

4. I want to spruce up my gardens this year. (We have gotten so much rain that it has been hard to keep ahead of the weeds. But I’m trying. )

5. I won’t commit to more to more than I can handle. (I was able to say no to another request for my time! I can’t say I wasn’t tempted but I knew in my heart that I didn’t want to do it.)

6. I will find something good in each day. (Being around children every day is enough to bring joy every day.)

7. I will learn archery. (We tried to use our groupon coupon only to find that the company has closed! I am watching for another one at another local archery range.)

8. I will nurture old friendships. (I have been meeting several friends for lunch. )

9. I will lose at least 20 lbs. this year. (I have lost 17 pounds since January!)

Daily:

1. I will eat healthy. (I have really worked hard on that this month and I can see a difference in my weight, how my clothes fit, and how I feel!)

2. I will exercise. (I have been walking on the treadmill and walking in the park regularly.)

3. I will stretch. (I stretch and do strength exercises for 20 minutes each day.)

4. I will read my bible. (I’ve been trying but I need to do better.)

5. I will do something that I have been avoiding. (I think I do this when I do daily chores around the house. I would much rather spin or knit than clean house!)

6. I will contact a friend and let them know I am thinking of them. (I have met several friends for lunch and enjoyed catching up on life.)

7. I will be happy. (I was very happy teaching this month!)

I think I’ve done really well with my goals this month and I’m proud of myself. I hope I can continue working on them throughout the year.

Have you reviewed your goals or resolutions you made at the beginning of the year? How are you doing? If you haven’t achieved something yet, don’t give up. Just begin now.

Image: 'La Jolla Goal Wall'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30011527@N05/3876577832
Found on flickrcc.net