Jim over at Teacherninja was kind enough to pass along this award a couple of weeks ago, and while I acknowledged it in the comments, I've been remiss in proffering a more formal "Thank you." It is always nice to have recognition from one's peers and I am greatly appreciative of the online community and its continued presence in improving my professional knowledge.

Keep blogging and learning during the upcoming school year. Let's have a great one!

Labels: blogging

It's been a very busy first week at my new job. As with all fresh starts, it takes awhile to settle in. Most of my time has been spent studying up on various programs and initiatives, meeting people, and dealing with logistics (workspace set-up, meeting people, learning some "how to's"). The other major part of my day is my commute. By the time I get home in the evening, I have very little energy left, especially for blogging. My hope is to put some posts in the queue over the weekend so I can freshen things up around here.

I've been valiantly trying to keep up with my Google Reader feeds, a task made more difficult by Google. As you might know, they have a bit of the Amazon.com approach of "If you like this...you might like this one, too." I end up adding at least a couple of blogs each week, and I don't remove very many from my list. My recent discoveries include Secrets of a Middle School Secretary (about darned time we heard from their ranks, don't you think?) and two math teachers: f(t) and Teaching Statistics. Ms. Frizzle has re-emerged and is now blogging at Gotham Schools with another editor.

The edusphere theme of the week has seemed to be "Back to School." There are lots of posts on the horrifying ritual of meetings to start the year and pretty pictures of classrooms all ready for students. My favourite reads, however, have been those posts from new-to-the profession teachers. This is the first year I have seen them. Student teacher bloggers have finally graduated into the ranks of the profession...bringing their blogs with them. I admire the trailblazing they're doing, but I also like the documentation of the transition they are providing. Blog on, Full of Bees! and Not Quite Grown Up.

As for me, I'm still working on getting my sea legs in terms of my job and other changes. I hope to do a lot of catching up over the weekend.

Labels: blogging, werk

I recently read about the need for certain edubloggers to step outside the echo chambers they were in. The idea being that if you're an ed tech person (for example) and you only read and comment upon other ed tech blogs, then whatever message you feel is most important likely isn't going to be effective: You're always preaching to the choir. And yet, we can be a rather cliquish bunch at times.

It seems like summers are a time when I try to step outside my traditional feeds a bit more. Last year, I delved into the edtech world. This year, spurred on by experience working in an elementary last spring, I've enjoyed looking for blogs that document life in the primary (and pre-school) classroom. What I am loving about these is that it gives a glimpse of the kind of social learning that we don't see at secondary---as sad of a statement as that is.

For example, here is a recent post from Organized Chaos:

a little one leaned over as i was reading him the riot act and placed his fingers on my forehead. slowly he traced my furrowed brow and asked what was happening to my head.

ah, to have just turned 5 and live in a me-centered world where you have not yet learned to read others' emotions on their faces. welcome to school. next time my forehead gets like this you'll know what it means. this time though, let me make myself very, very clear while you're in the thinking-spot.

While I can easily picture this entire scene, I have to say that it isn't something I've ever experienced at the high school level. I don't have to teach kids how to stand in line or put their things away or worry about someone pooping during group work. We do talk about developing the social order of the classroom, but I admit that our conversations don't go quite like this one as documented by Kindergarten Chaos:

My kiddos came up with these rules for our classroom, with a bit of guidance of course. Without the guidance of many combining rules into one, we would have a list 100 feet long*.

1. Listen to our teachers.
2. Always use our brains.
3. Be careful with our stuff.
4. Always take good care of each other.

If everyone lived by these rules, the world would be a happier place, don't you think?

*some gems that were combined under a broader idea:

1. Don't poke people and make them bleed
2. Don't push someone down and make them bleed. (Sense a theme?)
3. Don't bump people.
4. Don't kick people on the carpet.
5. Don't spit on people.

You get the drift...

I look at the posts from Mrs. Sommerville on setting up her classroom and I can't help but think how much fun it would be to see children learning there. Even if these teachers experience the same kinds of frustrations that we all do, their view of learning is unusual (at least for me). I am truly enjoying having them in my Google Reader feeds---and more will certainly start showing up in my blogroll.

If you haven't had a look at these blogs, I highly recommend them---even if you aren't interested in working with primary students, the questions they provoke are just as relevant for every teacher.

• Don't Put Boogers in Your Neighbors' Cereal
• Kindergarten Chaos
• Elbows, Knees, Dreams
• Organized Chaos
• Snippety Gibbet
• Tending the Eclectic Kinder-Garden
  
• Urban Preschool

Have you stepped outside the echo chamber recently? Any good finds?

Labels: blogging, elementary

Some small thoughts generated from my wanderings through digital environs as of late...

• Hugh wrote about his decision to blog under his own name and how that may have influenced some self-censorship on his part. I applaud his decision, but it made me wonder about why so many men in the edusphere are "out" and why so many women use pseudonyms. Of the education related blogs on my sidebar, only five (out of 20) are women who use their own names. For men, 10 out of 12 put themselves out there. If I broadened my look to all of my RSS feeds, the relative percentages play out, too. Does this difference say something about edublogging? About education? About our culture? I think it might, but I'm not entirely sure what that message is. Is this gender bias something that women perceive from the real world---or is there something hidden in the on-line world which makes us feel safer to mask our voices? Why is there a greater need to separate the real self from the digital one? What message is that sending to young teachers reading here and there?
• I check my school e-mail about once a week during the summer. I know I should completely disconnect, but one never knows what sorts of offers will show up. The admin in the building recently sent out an e-mail to all staff suggesting that they pray for a student who was injured while hiking. Can state funded e-mail be used to promote a religious goal? It was not comfortable to have this in the inbox, knowing that there will be several offended people on the staff.
  
• Does anyone know what's become of the Education Wonks or Mike from Education in Texas? They've been MIA for some time. And while it's not unusual for bloggers to hang up their keyboards, there is usually some indication about imminent retirement.
  

Speaking of MIA, I'll be away from the blog for a couple of days while I try to focus on some other work. Not to worry, I have posts in the queue; but, your comments might not appear for a day or two. I hope you're getting out to enjoy your summer, too!

Labels: blogging

Many edubloggers are in San Antonio this week attending the NECC conference. Perhaps next year I'll make my way to the extravaganza in D.C., but this year, I'm going to content myself with watching the discussion on Twitter and participating in a fringe way. First up is Blocked Blogs Week. It begins today and runs through Saturday, July 5.

If you're reading this, count yourself lucky. In many school districts, blogs and other web 2.0 tools are blocked. It doesn't take much time looking around the edusphere to gauge the continual frustration teachers have.

The purpose of Blocked Blogs week is "To promote awareness of the need for more informed filtering of the Read/Write Web for all learners. We recognize that some material on the internet is not appropriate and in some cases is harmful to children and adolescents. However, we are opposed to blanket bans on all Read/Write Web resources such as blogs, wikis, and some social networking tools. Read/Write Web resources provide valuable and necessary experience with 21st Century communication and collaboration tools, and we believe that it is in the best interests of our learners if we take the time to TEACH them how to use these tools appropriately, safely, effectively, and efficiently rather than just block their use altogether."

Does this describe you? Do you believe that information literacy is important to our children? Do you find the ignorant use of filters in your district to be over the top---especially knowing that other schools and districts are better serving the children in their classrooms? Post your thoughts this week. I would especially encourage you to participate in the leadership call-out scheduled for July 4 and headed up by Scott McLeod.


Want a button for your blog? You can find them on the wiki for Blocked Blogs Week or you might use another graphic from Adrian Bruce like the one at the right.

In a recent comment on this blog, someone mentioned that we don't merely warn our children about the dangers of street traffic and then send them out to cross a highway. We hold their hands. We walk with them. We show them how to be safe. The same should be true for internet traffic.

You might have seen a recent study about the Educational Benefits of Social Networking Sites:

"What we found was that students using social networking sites are actually practicing the kinds of 21st century skills we want them to develop to be successful today," said Christine Greenhow, a learning technologies researcher in the university's College of Education and Human Development and principal investigator of the study. "Students are developing a positive attitude towards using technology systems, editing and customizing content and thinking about online design and layout. They're also sharing creative original work like poetry and film and practicing safe and responsible use of information and technology. The Web sites offer tremendous educational potential."

Isn't this what we should want for our classrooms? The NEA and AFT recently worked on identifying the gaps and gains in educational technology. Their findings revealed "that although all educators and students in public schools have some access to computers and the Internet, we have few assurances that they are able to use technology effectively for teaching and learning." The use of filtering software is creating serious issues of equity for students across the United States. Have a look at these examples of Classroom 2.0 in practice? Can you do these things with your students in your classrooms? I can't. Which of our kids are going to be better prepared for the working world in a few years? When will purposeful reflection by teachers be seen as professional and not scandalous?

Will a series of posts about greater access to technology cause a tear down of filtering software akin to the Berlin Wall? Not likely. However, it's time to start raising general public awareness. It's time that business owners and corporations realized that one or two people in school districts are impeding skill development of future workers. It's time that parents and families realized that a Big Brother mentality is eroding the rights of our students to share their thoughts with authentic audiences. It's time to let politicians and policy makers know that their intents for equitable education are not being realized in all places due to uneven use of filtering software. It's time to get loud.

Labels: blogging, technology

I have a couple more posts in the queue to publish, but in the meantime, I'm thinking ahead a bit. The week has been full of thoughts and treats to share. A few of the ideas below are only half-formed at this point. I hope to put some flesh on them and share them later in the week. Feel free to suggest accessories in the meantime.

As one of my schools begins its improvement planning for next year, we're working on some vision statements and doing some other foundation work. It is obvious from this that "not everything that can be counted counts...and not everything that counts can be counted," as Einstein suggested. In other words, what is often most important to teachers are things like healthy kids who love learning---not necessarily kids who do better on the WASL (or other measures). And yet, I can't think of a single School Improvement Plan (SIP) I've ever seen which included values other than test, attendance, or referral data. SIPs rely solely on quantitative measures. But what if we included something qualitative? Hmmm...

It's Teacher Appreciation Week at Barnes and Noble (and there was an awesome sale at Macy's where I got new dishes...Squee!), so I used my 25% off treat to pick up Here Comes Everybody, the book which is creating so much buzz at the moment. I am enjoying it, but am finding that it is a book that I can read only in small bites. There are some dense ideas to digest even though the writing is very accessible. I think it's a case of having the right book at the right time for me. The book is not education-related, but there are plenty of possible connections. I want to think more about the concept of self-organization for groups might be used to revolutionize the way we solve problems within schools. Will "mass amateurization" also change schools---making teaching less of a profession? I'm only 65 pages or so into this, so I expect a lot of post fodder. Go get your own copy. We'll have a "What It's Like on the Inside" book club for May!

And here are some treats you should have make time for:

• Go visit For You and see what makes you smile and dream.
• See the 50 (Really) Stunning Pictures and Photos put together by The Best Article Every Day
• Read Chris Lehmann's post on What I Want to Talk About; Scott's concerns on Low Ability Teachers, Low Ability Students; This, I Believe at Chalkdust 101; and Becoming a Better Teacher over on Drape's Takes.

I've also been working on Ye Olde Blogroll. I've added a few edtech blogs (e.g. Look What I Found!), a new early childhood blog (Elbows, Knees, Dreams), and Motivation Matters from ASCD. Happy browsing!

P.S. If anyone cares, here are the new dishes (dinner plate, salad plate, bowl):

Labels: blogging, technology

Now that my grad school classes are out of the way...and I have a cooperating school district for my research...it's time to jump on some things for my dissertation. Since it's Spring Break, this is about my last chance for a chunk of time to revise my existing dissertation chapters, submit paperwork for Internal Review Board approval for my survey, and get a whole new batch of proposal paperwork to the new school district. Sure, it doesn't sound like the most attractive way to spend the second half of spring break, but it is not as bad as trying to do all this while simultaneously working for two school districts. :)

Oh---and did I mention that I have my first round of orals in two weeks? The more things I seem to finish...the more new things pop-up with deadlines.

So, dear Readers, I'm going to be offline for a couple of days while I tend to other business. But never fear, I have a stash of six posts in my queue (some of them have been sitting there awhile). I'll start getting them published momentarily so that I'm a bit ahead of the curve here. Ration your reading carefully and I'll be return by Saturday, just in time to whine about going back to work on Monday.

Labels: blogging, EdD

Wish me good fortune. I'm off to WERA this morning and the various worlds I move in will be in one place at the same time for the first time ever:

• co-workers and friends from my morning school district
• co-workers from my afternoon school district
• Ryan from the Edusphere
• and me, presenting my doctoral study and some classroom info

I'm sure it will all be a bit surreal. I feel like the missing link between all of the pieces. I'm hoping that we can meet somewhere in the middle and have a great conference.

Labels: blogging, EdD, werk

Yesterday was an inservice day in one of my school districts and the principal had decided to bring in Jamie McKenzie to talk about...something. I'll get to that in a moment. His skills with presenting and facilitation were pretty good. He keeps a very quick pace going---no time to be daydreaming or off task. And he did well with letting a large group have short table discussions and then getting everyone refocused. If you've ever had to do this with adults, you know it isn't simple.

He also did the thing at the beginning where you suck up to your audience. You compliment them on their acumen in bringing you there, how it's so nice (and rare) to be in a school where blah-blah-blah. And then, things went a bit wrong. You see, one of the first things he talked about---and dissed---were blogs. He belittled them because they're not associated with any kind of critical thinking. (This from a man whose own on-line profile brags that he maintains 3 on-line "journals" and who claims to be into educational technology.) I can agree that there are posts or even whole blogs which are mind-numbing. But to issue a blanket statement would appear to show the lack of critical thinking you're railing against. Wake up, man.

Anyway, I did have a good laugh about how uncooperative our technology was for him---not that I didn't feel bad that he couldn't present things the way that he wanted to. It's just that when he Googles the word "China" in our district and gets less than 100 million pages listed...and says that when he's been in communist China gets over 1 billion, well, that tells you something about the filter we have. (However, just because you get all of those hits in China doesn't mean the pages themselves aren't blocked.) Meanwhile, since anything streaming and most java is also blocked by the filter, he couldn't even show the teachers some of the cool on-line tools, like the Visual Thesaurus (which was blogged about in this space a couple of weeks ago, thank you very much). Even though he had sent the list of sites to our Mordacs a few weeks ago, they weren't particularly cooperative. I had warned the principal about this earlier in the week and advised him to look through the discipline files for the school's very best hacker and pay the kid to be on call for yesterday. :)

Keep in mind that this district has to follow the same laws as the one I work for in the afternoon. Their technology (and student protections) must meet all of the same requirements...however, we don't have the kinds of filters there that my morning district does. Teachers can actually download and install software on their computers---or install things from CD. The tech-head said earlier this week that it would be a nightmare if his department had to do all of those things for teachers...and that it's unnecessary. Ugh.

Back to McKenzie, I didn't get the full meal deal, as I had to go to my other job. I'm not sure what his message was. He never told us what the goal of things was or even a title for his presentation. I'm unsure if that was a function of his own random thinking patterns or just part of his approach to thinking. Either way, thinking needs a peg to hang upon. Maybe he should get a blog?

Labels: blogging, staff development, technology

If you haven't seen the article and infographic on The Life Cycle of a Blog Post in Wired magazine, I'd encourage to click on over there and play with the graphic shown above. (You will be able to zoom in on various parts...unlike here.) The big blue fountain pen tip on the left is the blogger...and the white forms with paper heads on the right are the readers. In between, the internet is doing a lot of behind the scenes work to connect the two. Go have a look at the secret life of the www.

Labels: blogging

There is nothing wrong with your computer screen. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission...We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical...We can change the focus to a soft blur or sharpen it to crystal clarity. For the next hour, sit quietly and we will control all that you see and hear. We repeat, there is nothing wrong with your computer screen. You are about to participate in a great adventure. You are about to experience the awe and mystery that is What It's Like on the Inside.

Some of you are no doubt old enough to recognize parts of the opening of "The Outer Limits," which I've plagiarized for this post.

After nearly three years, this blog has some new togs. The ladybug may make a reappearance at some point in the future; but for now, I am very excited to have a new layout to use. Although events of fall and winter did their level best to prune me back, they have only succeeded in ensuring I will grow back better than ever. Much like the tendrils which now surround this blog, it's time to bloom where I'm planted.

Labels: blogging

One-thousand posts. Wow.

I wish I had something profound to share for this particular post. As I've seen its possibility creeping up, I wondered what I should do to mark the milestone. The number would appear to deserve some consideration, but the simple fact is that I'm a bit awed by it. I can't claim that the previous 999 posts contained fine literature or earth-shattering revelations---anymore than I know what lies ahead for the next 1000 or so. What I can say is that the record of my career that I've constructed here is one of the most meaningful experiences I've had as an educator. We talk a good talk in education about the need for reflecting on our work and constructing meaning, but most teachers don't get the time or opportunity to actually do this. Classroom work is a constant barrage of planning and evaluating and a million small decisions each day. Who has time to think about what happened today when tomorrow will be here with all new problems to deal with? Without my blog, I don't think that I would have grown the way I have as a professional in these last few years. It has made me look at my beliefs and practices as an educator with a depth I never made time for in previous years. In short, to steal from "As Good As It Gets," this experience has made me want to be a better teacher.

I wish I could say that I remember all of my posts. I don't. I have to go back and read through the archives now and then. Some things make me cringe while others bring smiles of remembrance. A few times, the intervening time period has brought some understanding or resolution to a problem I had. There are posts which are more popular with "teh Googles" than others---especially the ones with a double entendre in the header, While I'm certain that those readers were frustrated and disappointed with their choice in clicking a link to here, perhaps others have been able to find some quiet companionship or help in checking to see what's fresh (nearly) each day. My main goal is to write for myself, but my hope is that others can gain from these experiences, too.

I am neither the eldest nor the most prolific edublogger out here. I'm hardly unique in the sea of the edusphere---and I haven't a clue as to whether or not there will be a bigger, better thing than blogging for connecting with people 1000 posts on. I was on-line for the early days of bulletin boards and listservs on the internet and would not have imagined blogging 15 years ago. This form of communication may well be outdated a few years from now (if it isn't already), although I hope that the record will live on in some form or another.

In the meantime, I'll still be here. I'll still be writing and creating. I still plan to have many new experiences to share. I'm not dead yet, even if the number of posts is older than Methuselah. Stick around for the next millennial milestone, eh?

Labels: blogging, personal

My "to do" list and I are engaging in the ultimate battle of wills at the moment. It has far more items on it than is reasonable to expect accomplishment of within the weekend...and, it's the weekend, darnit. I'm not so excited about being a slave to my laptop. Again. So, I just spent a few minutes doing what any good procrastinator will do---doing something which wasn't on The List. Specifically, I've been perusing my Google Reader recommendations.

I resisted Google Reader for awhile. There was something very satisfying about working through the links on my sidebar and other bookmarks to see if anything new was posted---the possibility of surprise behind every URL. But as my interests have expanded and more and more blogs of interest were discovered, I needed something more efficient than opening a bunch of tabs in my browser. I have close to 100 different blogs in my Reader now, and I appreciate that it automatically updates. (Side note: For those of you wanting an RSS feed for this blog---that feature is now working!) I also like that it can be a repository for some blogs that haven't updated in ages, but I don't want to lose track of. I'll know if/when they resurrect themselves. Another benefit is being able to access all of my regular reads without having to bookmark a huge set of links on every computer. One other thing I like about using Reader is that every once in awhile, I get a list of recommendations based on what others subscribing to blogs on my list are reading. I would say that I run across more misses than hits, but that's what panning for gold is all about, right?

One very cool item I ran across was Simile: Timeline. Designed by MIT, this is a widget for creating timelines that work for the 4th dimension in the same way that Google Maps works for the other three. What a fantastic idea---the mind boggles with possibilities. I can see great potential for classroom applications, but also for reimagining one's calendar.

As you might imagine, I don't have just educational blogs among my feeds. Science and other items of personal interest mingle with all my favourite edubloggers. One of my new discoveries is The Superest. "The Superest is a continually running game of My Team, Your Team. The rules are simple: Player 1 draws a character with a power. Player 2 then draws a character whose power cancels the power of that previous character. Repeat." The imagination and skill which goes into the drawings delight and spark my own imagination.

Where else, but through blog feeds, might I have discovered a Dead Bug Funeral Kit? "The Dead Bug Funeral Kit comes with a 32-page Illustrated Buggy Book of Eulogies with Ribbon Bookmark, Casket, Grave Marker, White Clay Flower, Burial Scroll, and Pouch of Grass Seed. The Buggy Book of Eulogies contains 15 eulogies and 15 buggy illustrations for your Ant, Bee, Beetle, Butterfly, Caterpillar, Cockroach, Cricket, Doodlebug, Fly, Grasshopper, Ladybug, Lightning Bug, Praying Mantis, Spider, or Stickbug. The poems are eulogies told by children who have lost their pet bugs to fate. Each book is handmade one at a time. The Kits are assembled by hand as well. The Burial Scroll comes tied with a ribbon and deposited in the Casket. The Burial Scroll gives instructions for conducting burial ceremonies. Mourners may bury their loved ones outside in the garden or inside the tin box itself, filled with soil and planted with the grass seed provided." What a kick!

My only dislike about using Reader is the plainness of the delivery. So many blogs have wonderful templates and design, none of which is apparent when you look at things with a feed. However, if you've been reluctant to become a Google Reader, I still recommend giving it a try. You'll never know what you'll find in order to fend off your To Do List. :)

Labels: blogging

It's the first Wednesday of 2008---and therefore the first Carnival of Education for the new year. "So you want to teach?" is hosting this 152nd edition. Go see what everyone else is thinking about for education in 2008.

Today is my last day of winter break. Yes, we have a 2-day work week this week, beginning bright and early tomorrow morning. Between end of semester activities and the 14-page to do list for my grad class, I'm going to be one busy little Goddess this month. It's a good thing the weather is unpleasant so I won't be tempted by my gardening. :)

Speaking of new and old, the blogrolls have been updated. I know I should do this more often. I am always adding new feeds to my Google Reader, but don't always remember to place them here, too. Also, a few edubloggers have now gone MIA. I miss them, and if they return to the edusphere, I'll be happy to add them once again to my blogroll.

Labels: blogging, Carnival

Just before the school year started, I posted this picture along with a reminder to teachers to take care of themselves. As much as I hate to say it, if a teacher doesn't look out for himself or herself, it's not likely anyone else will step up. We need to nurture ourselves as much as we work to do so with children.

Or maybe you remember this graph about the phases of first year teaching experience---which isn't necessarily limited to beginning teachers?
You'll notice that this time of year is characterized by "disillusionment," but is followed thereafter by "rejuvenation." I bring this up only because as I have read various posts by edubloggers in the last couple of weeks, I see lots of people worrying that they're being too negative and whiny...or talking about how frustrated they are...and so on. Hey---don't be so hard on yourselves. You can't always be the life of the party and you can't always escape the need to vent. It's been a long hard fall semester, but you've made it to winter break. Kick back for awhile and congratulate yourself for all of your time and effort. We have a ways to go until summer vacation, I know, but there is so much to look forward to with the spring.

Happy holidays to you---whatever you celebrate or believe. Enjoy the time to think about and do the things you've wanted to, but haven't because you were looking after the kids in your classroom. Remember what it's like to have a bit of "me" time and indulge yourself.

Blogging may be a bit sporadic here over the next two weeks. I plan to take my own advice and just focus on various things. I have a stack of books I want to read...new movies to watch...some things around the house I want to do...and more. I hope that you enjoy your time just as much.

Labels: blogging

Numbers and data are a fact of life for nearly everyone---not just teachers...and certainly not just bloggers. December 10 marks the day when this blog was rebirthed with an educational focus. There have been three trips around the sun in the interim and we're about to embark upon the fourth. (Isn't it nice to know that we are all astronauts?)

Over the past three years, there have been 960 posts (including this one). This means that I post on approximately 90% of the calendar days. There are times, like now, when I have some posts sitting in "saved" queue because I have more things on my mind than will coherently fit into a single post...and other times (like the summer or winter break) when there is a dearth of ideas to talk about. Although this blog has an education focus, my personal label makes up the greatest number of posts (132), with assessment (4) and gender (7) the least.

I have no simple means for determining the total number of published comments, but there have been about 115,550 visitors to ye olde blog, with readership more than doubling over the last year. It has been wonderful to see this small piece of the edusphere grow over time.

When I started this project, I didn't know how long it would last or how it would progress. At the time, I was just a baby Curriculum Specialist and had no interest in taking more coursework. Now, I continue to have more and more opportunities to have a voice in the educational landscape and am a year away from being able to write the letters EdD after my name. Will I still be blogging next year? In three years? In ten? I haven't a clue. What I do know is that I have come to discover that the edusphere is a vital and necessary community in the landscape of education. I believe to my core that the voices which are found here are among the most important and valuable to me in terms of continuing to refine my professional work. Life is changing for me, but this blog is a constant---and I don't anticipate leaving the edusphere anytime soon.

I tried finding a "Third Blogiversary" graphic to steal add to the post today...but most graphics are for one-year old blogs. Perhaps not that many of us make it to be three. Maybe this one has a certain evolutionary fitness...maybe it is built for endurance. In the meantime, we can celebrate with some flowers.


To my readers, a heartfelt "Thank you!" for your presence and comments. You are far more than just numbers to me. If you weren't here, I would likely still write, but just feel discouraged about it. :) It's good to be able to share and learn with you. I hope you will continue along with me on this journey as there is so much more to reveal in the coming years. Let us look forward to adding to our numbers...and toasting a fourth anniversary next year on this spot.

Labels: blogging, personal

I've been making some minor changes to my blogroll. Both Mr. Chips and Ogretmen are taking some time off from blogging, so I've temporarily (I hope) deleted them, but I have added some others. The edusphere is an ever changing place---and even if some of these blogs aren't new, they are new-to-me. There are a couple of other blogs out there which are "wait and see" for me. I like blogs that have new posts at least once a week---and preferably more. Even if the quality of the writing is grand, one piece every few weeks just isn't motivating enough to add it to my sidebar. I like my blogs a bit on the provocative side, so if you've seen one recently that pushes your buttons, let me know. I might like to check it out.

I've also been thinking about getting a new template design. I've had this one for two years and I think I'm ready to freshen things up a bit. Any comments on the one shown below?

We're coming up on the last week of summer holiday here, which means that I'm down to my last opportunities to spruce up the old homestead, too. It's time for me to do some paint touch-up, prioritize the last few projects, and see what I can accomplish as the summer winds down. Well, after I take a nap. :)

Labels: blogging, personal

I'm waiting for the paint to dry on my front door---it's a nice rich red. Perhaps people will mistake me for kin to Elizabeth Arden. Or maybe they'll just think I'm superstitious and painted my door for that colour for good luck. The fact is, the red makes a great contrast with the green the house was painted and makes the entry stand out. (I'll leave the symbolism to others.)

In the meantime, I was thinking that I might share a few thoughts on using FTP to publish a blog. I switched over a couple of months ago. Having a site outside of blogger was something I had thought about for some time, mainly because I wanted the capability to share files, not just links. I have not done much of that yet, but once the school year kicks off, I hope to make the tools I use in my work available here for others. The biggest lesson I've learned is that FTP publishing is not for the faint of heart. I can't tell you the number of times I've felt a bit panicky because blogger and my FTP server weren't playing well together---I couldn't get a post to publish. There are all manner of terrible thoughts that run through one's head at those times, most importantly "What if I can't ever publish to my blog again?!" Even now, every time I hit the "publish post" button I feel like it's a crapshoot. Blogger tech support is notoriously poor. If you can't figure things out on your own, well, it sucks to be you.

My particular style of blogging is just to do my posts as "quick writes." I have my idea, I try to capture it in a post, and I publish. There is not much in the way of the revision process involved; however, I do occasionally find typos, grammar errors, or poor wording that I want to go in and tweak afterwards. FTP isn't as friendly for this because of the reasons above.

I have also learned that up until the "new" blogger platform was in place, once you started publishing via FTP, you could never go back to just having your blog show up at a blogspot address. You can now, but it's still fussy. "whatitslikeontheinside.blogspot.com" was automatically redirected by Google to my new URL home...but "www.whatitslikeontheinside.blogspot.com" was not. According to Blogger, the "www" shouldn't matter, but the fact is that it does. If I ever decide not to publish via FTP, the second blogspot URL will still be hosting my posts. In the meantime, I have installed some javascript code (another learning curve) to take care of all redirects. This has the unfortunate side effect of endlessly redirecting (and reloading the page) if I don't temporarily remove the code every time I publish a comment or post. It's a bit of a pain.

I don't regret my choice to change my publishing format, in spite of the problems I've encountered over the summer. There's a certain freedom and security in having planted my own flag on an unclaimed spot in cyberspace. It feels like the next logical step in my blogging. Not only can I continue to reflect and write about the things I see in my professional life, but I can also have a way to share more of the documentation and expand the conversation. I also like being able to have my own "favicon," which is the little red book you see (depending upon your browser version) beside my URL.

Yesterday, I mentioned some nostalgia about high school and my upcoming reunion. I picked up another piece of nostalgia today: the Flash Gordon Saviour of the Universe DVD. I remember going to see this movie on a Friday night with my parents...the teen girls in the audience howling and whistling every time Sam Jones made an appearance on the screen.

My current grad class is winding down. I finish it a week from Sunday and pick up with the next one Labour Day weekend. I revised my paper for the class today. I feel like it's the best paper I've ever done for my degree program, although it remains to be seen what the prof thinks about it. I need to get back to writing up my dissertation proposal and things organized for my study this year. I picked up the information from the district about conducting research, so at least I know and understand the hoops that lay ahead. I hope to jump them early.

It's back to the paint can for now. Who knows? After another coat, perhaps I'll come back and add on to this bit of randomness. If FTP publishing allows me, that is.

Labels: blogging, EdD

If you're an Eduspherian blogging your heart out about life in the classroom and sharing other thoughts about the world of education, then perhaps you might be interested in this resource from the Electronic Frontier Foundation: Fighting for Bloggers' Rights.

There's a handy legal guide, which while no substitute for proper advice from a practicing attorney, at least provides some background to the casual blogger. Most of the examples are not specific to the educational world, but that does not mean that they aren't worth considering. You may be most interested in looking at the material on Labor Law, which details workplace blogging. My hunch is that most of us blog about work from home and do not use hardware, software, or bandwidth available in the workplace. This is a much safer place to be. Even moreso, for those of us who work in districts with "internet nannies" (i.e. filtering software), there is even less of an opportunity for employers to stick their noses into your blogging. By not allowing blogging sites through the filter, it is not considered "school sponsored" and is therefore outside of their control. (I wonder how long it will be before a student suspended because of a MySpace post sues a school district from this angle?)

If you want to blog about your union---go for it! You've got federal protection for that. An employer is prohibited from taking any action against you as long as you're writing about union activities relating to the conditions of employment.

For those of you out there who work for private institutions, you may have less of a chance of standing up against any disciplinary measures. Considering educators as "public employees" is a bit of a stretch; however, public dollars are used for public education...and if there are things happening in your workplace that the public should be aware of---then you can make this information available. You need to be sensitive to the privacy of others; but at least edubloggers don't have to worry about divulging any proprietary information.

Finally, if you have a way to filter IPs and your employer is still attempting to monitor your blog, "this may violate provisions of federal and state laws that prohibit the unauthorized interception of communications. See 18 U.S.C. §§ 2510 et seq. (Wiretap Act), 2701 et seq. (Stored Communications Act)." While it is unlikely that anyone would take steps to sue an employer because of such a thing, it could put you in a position of strength.

Keep on bloggin'!

Labels: blogging

Several months ago, when there seemed to be an influx of new edubloggers, I posted some suggestions to help get established in the edusphere. I'm going to post a few more ideas, now that you've gotten your sea-legs. If you're not using blogger to publish and/or host your material, then not all of the information below will be applicable.

Whether or not you choose to share your true identity (my thoughts on doing so are here), you may want to make some choices about who can access and/or comment on your thoughts. Blogger does allow you to create permissions such that only people you invite can read and/or comment. This is highly restrictive, but might be useful if you're wanting to set up a discussion group where identities might be known or sensitive issues discussed. Nearly all edubloggers want a public forum. The trade-off here is that as long as you have blogger as your host, you will never be able to exclude certain individuals or groups. If you publish your blog via FTP to an outside host, you can use their IP filter (use StatCounter, for example, to track and identify visitors by IP so you know who is who) to screen your visitors.

A note here about the information you can get via StatCounter and other subscriptions. If you find yourself faced with a rogue visitor or commenter, you can get much more than the person's IP address, dates, and times of visits. These services will also provide you with more detailed and useful items, such as the type of browser used to access your site as well as the operating system (is the person a Mac user?). All of this information is valuable if you need to contact someone's ISP about their behavior. Most ISPs have a "Terms of Service" agreement with their users which prohibits stalking and harassment. Take screen shots of visit information and contact an ISP if you have any concerns. They do not want to find themselves in trouble and can be very helpful. Just document what you can and send it in.

Should you delete unwanted comments? Yes. When you have houseguests, do you not expect certain rules of conduct? Perhaps you don't allow smoking in your home...or maybe you want guests to remove their shoes while they're in the house. A blog may be a virtual space, but it is your space. You have the right to set the "house rules." I recommend using a verification to prevent spam comments (although highly dedicated spammers will still get through on occasion). I don't mind anonymous comments---I understand the value in protecting identity. But comments which are worded in a way that threatens or intimidates other commenters or is meant to just be ugly are deleted by me in a heartbeat. People who really want to say those things can get their own blogs in order to exercise their free speech rights. They don't have to say it on yours or mine. If necessary, you can either moderate comments or suspend them until life quiets down again.

Finally, you can "ask" via your template that Google and other search engines not cache your blog. "Robots" roam the range of the web taking snapshots of your content. Even if you delete your blog---which you may have a need to do someday---these shadows (the cache) will continue to live on. If you do not want this to happen, you can direct the robots. Keep in mind that your blog will still be listed by search engines, just the most current version. Immediately below your "head" tag, insert this line of code: meta name="ROBOTS" content="NOARCHIVE" (you will need <> brackets on the ends). You can also elect to just eliminate the Googlebot by replacing "robots" with "googlebot."

That's all for now. Perhaps later in the summer I'll post some more that is specific to FTP publishing (I have learned a ton in the last month or so), site management via Google and Yahoo!, and other bugs I'm learning to manage.

Labels: blogging

It's time to update those bookmarks, dear readers. Ye Olde Blog is on the move to a new home: (http://whatitslikeontheinside.com). You should have been automatically redirected to the new locale.

I'm excited about the change and the capability to offer a bit more to the world than my paltry blog. With my growth in my own learning and interests on the job, I like the idea of a place where I can share some pieces of my research and classroom tools without the confines of the blogspot walls.

It may take a day or two for the DNS servers across the 'net to get the information on the redirect. If you're reading this after getting stalled by a blue screen telling you things were under construction, welcome back! I'm glad to have you along for Phase II of "What It's Like on the Inside."

Labels: blogging

For those of you who've been around the eduspheric block, you know that blogs come and go. People start and use their blogs for different reasons...and when that reason no longer exists, they move on (sometimes without telling us).

But it's spring, and there's a new crop of blogs out there just ripe for the picking. It's too soon to know if any of these will stick around, but you might stop by and drop an encouraging word.

• Read a Book: A bouncing baby teacher ready to look for work. Is anyone hiring?
• Full of Bees: already knows that one must be a bit tetched to teach.
• On the Front Lines: will be a first-year biology teacher in the fall
• Lady Wore Black: an inner-city history teacher who likes to write
  

If you're a new blogger, there are lots of good tips around from those of us who've been around the school calendar more times than we'd like to admit. I hope you'll share some new ideas with us, too. I've just finished cleaning out my blogroll (3 deletes and 1 addition) and things are looking rather skinny on the sidebar. I certainly have room if it looks like you're going to stick around.

Labels: blogging

If you haven't taken the sidetrip yet, click on over to this week's Carnival of Education, ably hosted by the godfather's of the edusphere: The Education Wonks.

This week is also your last chance to vote in the Best of Blog Awards. You can vote every day---go support your favourite edublogger!

Labels: blogging, Carnival

The Best of Blog nominations are out. Head on over and vote for your favorite Education blog. Might even be mine. :)

If you're looking for a bit of celebration on this April Fools' Day, peruse the Top 100 list over at the Museum of Hoaxes.

Labels: blogging

The new version of Blogger allows authors to label their posts. I know many bloggers have been doing this for some time via Technorati or other sources, but I didn't decide to buy in until now. I've been going back through my archives, tagging all 700+ posts. This is more for me than others, I think. I like looking at different themes I've followed or reflecting on my arc in terms of thinking about grading or other things. My district role has undergone such an evolution in the last two years. It was good for me to go back and read what I've written and revisit some favorite posts: an odd sort of reunion. I've already had a few visitors who have searched my blog using the labels. It makes me glad that I took the time to add to the information in the archives.

I've also been making minor changes to my blogroll. There have been a couple new blogs that I've wanted to add...and a couple that I was ready to retire. I usually just remove blogs that are "dead," but I am finding that at my current place in life, I'm not interested in blogs that are just used to rant. It's not that I don't understand the need to have an outlet for the frustrations of one's world, but there's only so much negativity I can let into mine. I'm much more interested in those blogs that not only air dirty laundry, but reflect on what they can do to solve the issues on their minds. Meanwhile, the edusphere just isn't a static entity. New blogs come on-line each day and I enjoy finding them. It's even better to share them on my blogroll.

The rest of my day appears to be devoted to time on the computer, but for different reasons. I have a short paper to revise and turn in for my grad class by 11 p.m. tonight. I also have a 20 page paper due for the same class in two weeks, but I don't really want to spend all of my Spring Break working on it. So, I'll keep my nose to the grindstone today and try to finish the draft. I have been inching along on it for a few weeks...trying to stay ahead of the game. I won't be sorry to have this particular class behind me. It hasn't been as interesting or useful as previous courses. I will be moving on to a stats class for the summer along with turning in a prospectus for my dissertation. It's hard for me to believe that I just have three more classes and the dissertation to go. I'll have my EdD very soon!

If you're looking for some distractions of your own today, here are a couple of tools to try:

• The Classroom Architect is a freeware program where you put in the dimensions of your classroom and the types of items (desks, tables, chairs...) you have---and it will generate different floor plans for you. Where the heck was this when I needed it?
• Head over to Image Chef and create some fun graphics to use in your classroom, on your blog, or perhaps those delightful PowerPoint presentations described in yesterday's post. :)

Labels: blogging, EdD

Have you tried Clipmarks yet? Instead of bookmarking a page, this tool will allow you to "clip" just the parts you want (including video) and save them. You can also use the clips for your blog. I'm looking forward to using my account more often and be able to have acces to some different pieces of information, regardless of what computer I'm using.

If you stumbled across something which is making your digital life more manageable, I hope you'll leave the info in the comments. A gal can never have too many toys...especially ones that don't need batteries.

Labels: blogging

There is plenty of room in the edusphere for more perspectives and voices. I am always excited to discover a new blog...and sad when others either run their course or mysteriously disappear. Some judge their success by the number of hits they get or their rank on the Truth Laid Bear, but those aren't always the ones which capture the imagination---more than anything, they may have their own particular brand of attention-seeking behaviors. :) If you're a new kid on the block, I have a few bits of wisdom to share. I am certainly still learning some things as I go along, but here are some lessons I've managed to learn in the last two years. Perhaps others out there can add to this.

• You can get yourself some notice by commenting on posts you like, or at least, blogs that interest you. The blogger will likely click through and give you a look---and so may other commenters. The "bigger" the blog, the more traffic this could send your way. This is especially useful when you are new kid on the block---you are writing your heart out, sharing all the great stuff you've been thinking about, and maybe no one else is seeing it. If you can, continue to comment on what you read or what interests you in the great wide world of blogging. I need to be doing more of this.
  
• Use some code from statcounter or sitemeter to monitor what's pulling people to your blog. Once you register, the site will generate the code and tell you where to paste it into your template. If you're nervous about messing up your template, you can always copy and paste it into a document and save it as a backup before you play around with things.
• When you post something, remember to use Ping-o-matic to let various services know that you've updated your blog. This will help connect people searching for information with your blog.
• Technorati is a great place to register. You can check in and see who is linking to you and also track your favourite blogs.
• Join in on the Education Carnival each week. Everyone is welcome to make a submission. The host has final say over what gets posted, but it has been my experience that few are rejected---and the ones which are usually have very little to connect them with the world of education. Let people know what you're talking about.
• Be patient. There are some blogs which seem to take off like wildfire, but most of us are just slow burners. Until you build up a library of posts, you're not likely to get much traffic from search engines. If your goal in blogging is to just have a place to stash the stuff rolling around in your head like a bunch of loose change, this won't bother you; however, if you're desire is to be the greatest blog ever, you'll either need to be (a) an attention whore or (b) a knock-out writer with a very persuasive and unique voice.
  

I welcome new-to-blogging educators like the Browneyedgirlie, the Determined Science Geek (a/k/a Ms. W, who is wondering what she's gotten herself into), and the Exhausted Intern---who knows all too well that there are Not Enough Hours... I wish you much success and satisfaction with your new pursuits. Thanks for joining the conversation!

Labels: blogging, noobs

What would you put on a catalog card for your blog? Go here and make one of your own.

Labels: blogging, memes

If you haven't checked out a blog called Indexed, you might want to click over and have a look. The author (Jessica Hagy) has a delightful way of using graphic organizers to think about the world. For example:

Stalkers Only Hear the Straight Lines













and Warm Shame













I think I know how I'll be entertaining myself at my next meeting. :)

Labels: blogging

This card was on PostSecret yesterday. The host had written "You aren't the magician, you're the magic." underneath the picture. I think he's right, but the card was one that I really paused to look at and think about. How many times have I felt like that in the classroom? How many teachers are in that same boat---either on occasion or day to day?

It's back to work in the morning for me, although I have things that I have to prep today. Five out of the next six days have full day meetings on hand for me...and I am leading four of them. Even if I'm not with kids, I still have to find my mojo. Magic has to happen for teachers, too. Best wishes to all of you magicians out there for 2007.

Labels: blogging, personal

Mr. McNamar recently posted about his general disappointment in the nominees for the best education blog. He then suggested a few of his own. It got me wondering a bit about my own blogroll and who/what I like to read.

Most of the blogs up for awards were compendium type blogs. They track lots of different stories, give a synopsis, and move on. There's only one of those I read: The Education Wonks. I guess I feel like I have enough news at my fingertips and coming at me from all sides---I really don't need to go searching for a blog with the list of the day. It's just not my thing.

What I do like are bloggers who have a real voice to their writing. Whether it starts with a piece from the news, from the classroom, or the world at large, my "must reads" have a personal and clear voice. They give you a glimpse into their own minds and lives, rather than regurgitating news feeds. I still let the Wonks fall into this category, if only because they editorialize their posts. There are a couple of blogs I've been looking at recently and have been reluctant to add them to my blogroll for the reason that they lack "voice" in their writing. The blogs just feel like a basic diary of what happened in the classroom on any given day---there isn't any reflection about it.

I also like bloggers who post regularly. I certainly understand the realities of trying to blog nearly every day, but those who only write every few weeks---no matter how good the writing---don't sustain my attention. Some blogs I've had on my blogroll I eventually omitted for this reason. It's just too frustrating.

My general blogroll includes a few that are not specifically geared for education, but a goddess doesn't live by edublogs alone. The Functional Ambivalent has a gift for writing---and I love to laugh. Pratie Place's Melinama is the kind of gal you'd like to hang out with. I enjoy the diversity of her interests and her intellectual curiosity. Other places I visit and list also give a sense of wonder about the world. It's not the classroom that's important to me. It's the learning.

As a blogging community, I think that we do have a responsibility to support one another...to comment and probe ideas...to connect and promote ourselves. This doesn't mean that everyone has to list every blog in the edusphere on their roster, only that we celebrate and foster our creativity.

Labels: