college decisions agonizing

My daughter is eagerly awaiting college decisions. I had forgotten how stressful senior year can be. She is pictured here holding a spiny softshell turtle during a project she volunteered at to help preserve this threatened species. Hopefully her college admissions officers will appreciate it!

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missing you

Hi classmates. I'm missing you and hoping we might start using our blogs. Jori, is yours being used, yet? Yours looked the most classroom ready. For the rest of us, I want to share my favorite new "big thinker" named Alan November. He was the last person I heard speak at a national conference last summer and his ideas really stuck with me. I've been listening to a lot of his podcasts lately and have burned a set of them for the district administrative team. I think they, and the school board members, need to be aware of the shifting ideas about what is important in this "flattened" world. If you don't know Tom Friedman's work The World is Flat, I can send you a link to a lecture he gave that is wonderful and sets the tone for the rest of the podcasts. I found a blogger's copy of a podcast of the lecture I heard last summer, so burned that as well, followed by interviews between November and Dan Pink, and November and Yong Zhao, all of whom really guide my thinking about technology in schools. There are other great interviews (in addition to Pink and Yong) at novemberlearning.com. If any of you listen to those and want to chat, join me here!

David, et al. I tried to comment on Simone's blog, but got the message that I can't. I'm not a member, I guess. Maybe in our workshop we can add each other to the groups so we can practice a bit. It also seemed to want a Google email to use the tool. Could that be true?

RSS feeds?

David, is there a way to use the RSS feed tool with blogger? I'd like to get updated when ever one of our workshop mates posts something new. Of course, I'd have to be listed as an editor or reader to get that notification, I suppose.

Also, I think I just learned that you can't edit a post once it has been posted? I see a typo in my last message and can't see a way to edit it.

Welcome to the tech workshop!

Blogging workshop

1. I have used blogs with Futures kids to get them to create a sense of community. We encourage them to push each other's thinking in a safe environment. I also use them in professional situations, such as national conferences.

2. I hope to use blogs in the future to further professional development conversations.

3. I already know blogs can encourage writing in reluctant students.