In One Week

At an early age I learned that determination can change the course of a minute, an hour, a day, a week, a month, a year, a life.

In this particular case, it was one week ago that I didn’t know what a widget was.  I didn’t have a WordPress account.  I had never blogged outside of my “invitation only” Ning and I had never participated in #elmenchat or #edchat.

Tonight I reflect on the power of a week: 7 days, 168 hours , 604800 seconds. A week ago, my husband dropped our son off at preschool which allowed me a few uninterrupted hours before teaching my graduate class, ‘Technology for Learners’ and I decided to use that time to model being a risk taker.  Little did I know that this risk was more than just creating a WordPress, I quickly found myself blogging about the challenges of being dyslexic. What made this week different from other weeks was the simple fact that I put my heart and soul on the line without fear or hesitation to the World Wide Web, not just my students.  What I wrote this past week, I have shared with hundreds of students, parents and colleagues over the years.  There have been waves of shame and embarrassment that have come and gone over the years, but I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished and who I have become.

Believing that nothing happens in a vacuum or by accident, I have made such growth this week because of the influence of numerous people in my PLN!  Special “shout outs” to @3nmeinob and @crosbiematt for lots of WP encouragement and for getting me up and running on WP.  A big thank you to @virtual_teach, @ktenkely and @francesblo for helping me figure out how to get the word out and have people read and respond to this blog.  The biggest thanks goes to my husband Sean for figuring out how to customize my homepage – you are my rock star!

I’ll end with one of my favorite quotes from The Velveteen Rabbit:

What is REAL? Real isn’t how you are made.  It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for along time, not just to play with, but really loves you then you become real.  Does it hurt?  Sometimes.  When you are real you don’t mind being hurt.  Does it happen all at once or bit by bit?  It doesn’t happen all at once.  You become.

PS: I’m deeply grateful to many new followers this week as I begin this new adventure!  So looking forward to learning with you!  As I always end each class, “I miss you already!”  For those of you who know me, I’m signing it too!  🙂

Modeling Being a Risk Taker EDUC 536

Ok, here I go walking the walk and talking the talk and trying something new.  A little nervous, a little anxious, but excited to take the risk!  It’ s Wednesday morning and I’m creating my first WordPress blog before class tonight.  It’s a new format and I’m used to navigating through my Weebly and Ning accounts.  Plus, I’m very aware that my words and feelings are now public and I find myself typing, deleting and retyping to make sure I’m as accurate as possible.  We’ve been safe in our own PLN in our class Ning, but now our boundaries are expanding.  Are you ready to jump in with me?  In class tonight, let’s take time to try something new.  Get comfortable with the uncomfortable and embrace being a change agent!

Here are a few ideas/applications to get you going…

If you are interested in starting a blog, check out this great resource for students: Blogs for Kids – it’s a fabulous LiveBinders that highlights blogs for students to read and join the conversation.

Love this site I found this week for early education, Little Bird Tales – a great way to capture and record children’s voices.  It’s much like StoryBird, but allows you to narrator your story.

I haven’t created a Diigo account yet.  Anyone up to the challenge?  Voicethread?  Symbaloo?  Jing?  LiveBinders? Fuzzwich? Animation-ish?  Whatever you decide, make sure you are pushing your comfort level and trying something new!

Also, a special wicked-proud shout out to Tracy Mercier and her incredible third grade students for breaking barriers and constantly modeling what it means to be risk takers!  Check out this new concept, Tweet Quest that Tracy created: Tweet Quest.

In case you need a little confidence to help you take the plunge: 3 Ways to Encourage Risk Taking.

See you in a few hours!  I’m all about making tonight a “wow” teaching experience!  Hope you’ll say the same thing after trying something new tonight too…

PS: I’m going to publish this link through Twitter and perhaps we’ll get some comments and suggestions.  For anyone outside of EDUC 536, we’re a graduate class at Saint Joseph College in West Hartford, CT and we’re embracing change this semester and exploring social media in K-12 classrooms.