Cathy Nelson’s Professional Thoughts

Lucy Gray led a session at MacWorld in San Francisco, and asked readers to respond to these questions. I missed the original call, as I fell behind in my reader. But I do want to respond, and so I figured I would respond both here (and there, albeit a little late.)

• Why and when did you start blogging?
  I began first with a blog for my school library, and use it to talk to kids about the SC Book Award Nominees. I was already reading many blogs, actually discovering a whole new world called the blogosphere in Philadelphia at NECC 05. During the summer of 2006 (5/31/06) I launched the library blog (titled @the Northside Library which btw is now defunct since I no longer work there), and then that same school year, birthed my professional one-TechnoTuesday: Cathy Nelson’s Professional Thoughts begun October 1, 2006. I started the school one as a tool to discuss the book award nominees. I did so to expose students to the read/write web, and then a professional one to further my own learning, as I saw what the impact reading other professionals was having on my own learning. Little did I know then I was cultivating a PLN or PLE.

• Do you blog for yourself? Yes and no. I began with intentions to involve students, but in my school environment and teaching situation, I just do not feel it was a successful as I would have liked. But it did not deter me. I even had authors who I was blogging about respond. Then when I began my own professional one, initially I felt I was just echoing my thoughts in my head. But it was therapeutic. I would say that specific bloggers were my catalyst, but I was reading so many it would be unfair to name one or even two.

• Do you use blogs in the classroom? If so, how (briefly)? I used to sponsor book lunches, and one way kids could get invited was to comment on the blog. I still use a school library blog in my current position, but I have to promote it to get student interest and reactions. If I don’t remind kids, they don’t visit and read. That may be just that this is still new to them –that of a read/write tool being available in school. Our kids are just not accustomed to them being open instead of blocked.

• What blogging tools/software do you rely on? I used to like technorati to find edublogs, but I’ve sort of lost interest and trust in it. But it was a tool used to help me find blogs to read. For blogging, I have used Blogger, primarily b/c it was easy. But I went over to Edublogs, and have been there since. I am not 100% happy with Edublogs, but they are listening to my concerns, which is making me interested in staying with them right now. Other important tools I use for blogging are flickr for hosting images (I had no idea how much space I was using in my 100mb of free space for pictures–I wish someone had told me that!) and a reader for reading the blogs I subscribe to. I used Bloglines, but played at Google Reader for a while. I went back to Bloglines, but that may be b/c it was comfortable and well known.

• What’s your most powerful/memorable experience that’s resulted from blogging? There have been several but I’ll note just a few. First memorable experience was having authors of children’s books to respond on my blog. Second, to get a surprise nod in a session I was attending in my own state Edtech Conference. Helping encourage me to blog also was my ClustrMap, which showed me that I truly had a worldwide audience. Last, to be mentioned just recently as a Woman Edublogger of 2007 in a popular blog. WOW.

• What’s your favorite blog? I’m not ashamed to mention my favorite today, as I’ve noticed many have held back here. But my favorite changes every 2 months or so, just as the topics and latest new thing changes too. My favorite blog right now is Dean Shareski’s Ideas and Thoughts.

• What’s the title and url of your own blog?
  TechnoTuesday: Cathy Nelson’s Professional Thoughts
  http://technotuesday.edublogs.org/

Now I suppose I’ll go copy/paste this over at Lucy’s original log post too.

Today I am writing about self promotion!  It’s so hard to do that, but it was a necessary evil that I succumbed to today. I will share about my eye doctor’s visit and an article I was asked to write up for the SCASL Media Center Messenger (our state school library asssociation’s quarterly journal.)

First up–Eye Doctor Visit
The appointment today was a six month follow up to my eye surgery from August. I wrote about it before here.  Today I find that my vision is 20/20 and 20/25 BUT I have developed “yag,” a side effect where scar tissue is causing my vision to be a little cloudy.  I have to go back in for a treatment which essentially means they will buff the sack that the synthetic lens sits in, and eleminate the cloudy effect.  I hadn’t really noticed that my vision was a little cloudy, but described it more as a little blurry.  My doctor (Dr. Christenbury) says it’s very common and very correctable.  I also will get a touch up Lasik procedure to make my eyes vision balanced and even better.  Woo haa!

Second, I was asked to write up an article for the Media Center Messenger about my Edublogs Award Nomination.  Does anyone know how hard it is to brag on one’s self?  I struggled with what to write, but I really felt it does deserve a mention, so I wrote the article. I did ask the editor of the journal to place it in the journal as written anonymously or written by her, the editor, as I felt it would look bad if I signed it as author.  But you know what? Anyone who knows my writing style will immediately know I wrote it.  Perhaps I’ll resend it and write in first person instead.  I’ll think about it.

What? You wish to see it? Ask, and I’ll send you the copy. Comment and include your email in the comment form (which will not be public) and I’ll be sure to share my little self serving promotion of “Cathy Nelson” who DID NOT win the 2007 Eddie, but instead has won much more.  Yes, that’s exactly how I feel.

Perhaps tomorrow I’ll get back to the business of writing about well…, ya know…, my “professional thoughts.”