Cathy Nelson’s Professional Thoughts

Disclaimer: This post is about my last round of lasik, and may not really be of interest to anyone except those considering eye treatments.

I had a second Lasik procedure Thursday (that had been scheduled since January–I made them let me wait until Spring break) and when I went back to the doctor Friday, they did not like what they saw, even though I was reading on the eye chart 20/20. I had swelling of the corneal flap (the incision they made-a flap they cut and lay open to do the Lasik) and there were white blood cells forming to fight the inflammation. Apparently this is BAD for the healing of the corneal flap. SOOOO….

Just to recap the history of my eye-surgery, I had total lens replacement in August, followed by a lasik procedure on my left eye in October, and then the Lasik for my right eye this week. I’ve been able to read w/o glasses for most material since Sept, but EVEN from a phone book since the October Lasik treatment on my left eye. But I still had an imbalance in the eyes. Not wanting to miss any more work due to the doctor visits, I scheduled the right eye Lasik for spring break.

Thursday my 17 yo took me (had to have a driver since they give you a lot of relaxers–not to put you under but to calm and soothe you for the procedure), had it done, and then came home to “sleep it off” which is literally what they ask you to do–giving you 2 sleeping pills and 2 painkillers. They forgot to give me mine, but I didn’t stress, but instead did a Bendryl and slept most of the afternoon. I did experience some mild discomfort, but didn’t stress it b/c I was told I may have some, and I knew they had forgotten to give me the painkillers. So I just took Advil, and went back for the post op visit Friday–alone. No driver needed.

When they looked at my eye, they said I had a lot of corneal swelling and they could see white blood cells trying to heal the cornea, but they needed the flap to seal and the swelling to go down w/o those white blood cells–which is what the drops (3 kinds) are supposed to do. Dr. Christenbury said the white blood cells would make it take longer to heal and could damage the shape of the cornea?????? (I really don’t know the medical jargon here or even if I have described what the risk here is correctly.)

So he said he needed to go back into my eye and “wash” it out. I had two choices-call and get myself a driver up there to drive me home OR let him do it without having the Atavan to make it a smooth comfy process, and drive myself home. Of course I said I’m a big girl and I did the procedure with NO medication, nothing to take the edge off. It really did not hurt, but I was ultra aware of everything going on–like even the squeegee they used to put my corneal flap back in place–doesn’t that sound weird? They lay me down, flipped open the flap, and flushed my eye with what seemed like 2 gallons of water–my hair was soaking wet on the right side, and flipped that flap back over, smoothed it out, and finally placed a contact like bandage over my pupil. I had to wear a plastic shield over my eye the rest of the day and night, only to remove for a 3 drop regimen every four hours.

So I went back this morning, and they removed the “contact-bandage” and the flap is sealing nicely, but there is still some swelling and haze–SO guess what? I have to go back Monday. One more day of spring break will be nice.

I feel fine, and I can read better. And I can tell already that my vision is more balanced than before, which is why I needed the right eye lasik treatment.

It may sound like this was very painful, but it wasn’t at all. The most uncomfortable part was having my eye physically touched, but they gave me MANY numbing drops, so really all I could feel was the pressure of their touching it.

Even with my complication, I would still recommend this to ANYONE thinking about it.I can now read the phone book and text message on my cell phone–which was not possible 6 months ago w/o glasses.

Now after creating this post, when my friends and family ask, I’ll just direct them here to “read all about it.”

Image Attribution:
Eye Chart. http://farm1.static.flickr.com/2/3496961_9e581fd0fe_m.jpg

Yes I’m on spring break this week, and I’m just sitting here today enjoying the “nothing to do syndrome”–a rarity in my life! I was checking my email, pitying all those school districts who’ve already had there spring break, or worse (like my husband/son’s school district) have yet to have theirs. Yes I’ll be very mad week after next when they come to the beach to stay with me for their spring break–where I will be working! It will be very tough each day I get up and go to work knowing full well they are getting up to go play. Worse yet, I’m pretty sure it will be nice, warm “beach” weather. Bah humbug! I may get “sick” one of those days. ; ) You know, the “mental days” we all take every now and then?

Anyway, I’m reading through my email and across comes a SCASL listserv message from Stacey, a fellow LMS in Spartanburg School District 5 (of South Carolina). She is looking for help with students using PowerPoint, but that is not why I write! I notice in her signature file a link to her blog!! Blog alert! Of course I naturally cruise right on over there. Awesome blog, too. So why is it special enough to give KUDOS to her district? Glad you asked.

In the blog URL, I noticed it read as follows:

I knew right away this little blog of hers is hosted on Spartanburg 5’s own server, and NOT on a commercial blog site! So I emailed Stacey inquiring about the old one, and whether or not the blog–a Wordpress theme no less, was indeed on the school’s site! Of course she replied:

Yes. Our district tech coordinator designated server space for teacher blogs. It is the same blog but has several updated entries.

This just absolutely makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside! Kudos to Spartanburg District 5. I plan to share this with my district too. But it is awesome still to know that South Carolina districts are forging the trail of 2.0 tools in the school environment, especially since our SC curriculum standards specifically call for students to engage in the use of blogging as a way to demonstrate concept mastery in writing. W00T!!

Now in my reader I had an Edublogs site for Stacey that I subscribed too. I new it hadn’t been updated in a while, but i was hoping…I’m proud to report that Stacey has knocked my socks off with her new site!

FYI–Here is how the word “Blog” appears in our standards–as one of the guiding principle–located in Guiding Principles - Principle 8. Also note I did not even search the other curriculum areas, but I bet this term appears there as well.

Guiding Principle 8
An effective English language arts curriculum utilizes all forms of media to prepare students to live in an information-rich society.

In today’s dynamic society, all forms of mass media are used to inform and persuade. Proficient students apply critical techniques to evaluate the validity of the information they encounter. In a culture where persuasive and invasive media messages abound, students need to think critically about what they read, hear, and view. The challenge for students is to respond to these media messages personally, critically, and creatively. The inclusion of media literacy in South Carolina’s academic standards recognizes the powerful force of mass media in the twenty-first century.

Today’s emerging technologies include many multimedia devices and programs that depend on the appropriate application of technology and thus require media literacy skills: digital photography, DVDs, CD-ROMs, high-definition digital television, Internet streaming, MP3 players, nonlinear (computer/video) editing, PDAs (personal digital assistants), PowerPoint presentations, blogs (Weblogs), and more.

The skills of critical inquiry—the ability to question and analyze a message, whether it be textual, visual, auditory, or a combination of these—are a crucial element in literacy instruction. The production of visual media is also a crucial element, enabling students to acquire and demonstrate an understanding of advertising, aesthetic techniques, audience, bias, propaganda, and intellectual purpose. Integrating into the ELA curriculum the vocabulary and skills associated with media presentations helps students develop lifelong habits of critical thinking.

Anyone else with me? Who else is going to show this to your principal and/or technology department and ask like me, “Why aren’t we offering this to our students and teachers?”

Attribution:

Image: ‘flyawaynow‘
www.flickr.com/photos/34361916@N00/108507291

Image: ‘w00t‘
www.flickr.com/photos/51035597898@N01/2330475408

That was the title of my session Friday, March 14, 2008 at our annual SCASL conference. This was the 3rd time I had given this preso, and quite honestly, I am still getting feedback from my attendees. The preso in one of its earliest formats appears on my “preso” page, which is supposed too serve as my place for anyone looking for handouts. I’ve gone strictly to electronic handouts, though in all honesty, it is really just some links. But since I first presented this at Summer Leadership (SCASA Annual Conference) and SC Edtech, it has been transformed. I have gone from a heavily scattered text approach (bullets–oh no) to a visual representation of my material for many slides, and I mixed in videos too. Oh and don’t forget I invited my Twitter network to say hello and speak to the power of RSS, as well as a Skype call from a network friend (Dennis Richards, Superintendent of his school district in Falmouth, Massachusetts .)

This mixture of material including Twitter shout-outs, a Skype Chat and call, videos, and my slide show helped me make this session much more than the “sit and get” presentations I have grown oh so weary of. And today, I have posted the entire slide show, all 37 slides, for anyone who wants to review it. I welcome your comments, either here or on Slide Share. Looking for constructive criticism, b/c I have one more conference where I may do this same presentation.

Today I did a workshop for LMS’s and their principals. The principals were only required to attend for 1 hour, so I divided my material up into 2 parts. Part 1 included some interactivity, and part 2 some humor. These are the cover slides, but the entire preso (for both) can be found on my Slideshare (linked below.) I wish I could publish the groups 15 minutes of fame. They did a fantastic job in what they were asked to do. I did birdwalk a bit, and so did not get to show the videos I had planned, and though Skype initially worked at the beginning, when it was time to skype in my guest speaker, John Pederson, Skype seemingly was blocked. Hmm.. Overall though, I feel it was a good workshop. Wish I had played my videos though–they were the “piece de’resistance.”

Her is Part 1:

Here is Part 2:

I am going to try to embed them again tomorrow, though it may not work. They are slide share files, located here.

GUESS WHAT??  I am getting personalized help from Sue Waters and James Farmer of The Edublogger Fame!!  W00T!!

Someone asked me today why blog? Will Richardson has summarized it well here and here. He also shows exactly why blogging is a great tool. It’s not about the expertise of the writer. It’s about the expertise of all the writers who come, read, and respond with a comment. It’s FABULOUS conversations that stretch my mind, challenge my thinking, and get me to rethink the way I approach topics. That is why I blog. Wil Richardson’s blog seems to embody what it is all about. That is what motivates me to read and comment–to extend the conversation and my own learning.

So, if you are a blogger, please make sure your comments feed is available too. I read 90% from the reader, and so I can follow these invaluable conversation in my reader if there is a comments feed available. If your blog is in my reader with a comments feed, you are more than likely in my favorites or experts folder. Congratulations. The rest of you, get with the conversation! Add a comments feed.

Attribution:

Image: ‘conversations_silhouettes_id228513_size450‘
www.flickr.com/photos/50698336@N00/1411905457

Today ended the SCASL conference that I attended in Columbia, SC. It is always a rewarding experience, as being a librarian makes you a singleton in your building most of the time, so what fun and excitement all of us like minded people can have when we are all together. There was never a dull moment. Here I am setting up my Exploratorium booth and getting ready to show and tell Flickr and SCASL Blogs!

Columbia was warm and sunny the whole conference (March 12-14, 2008) and I rekindled old friendships and made some new ones.

Fondest memories:

Sitting with Susan Henley and Camillia Harris (from Charleston School District) in Larry Johnson’s pre-conference session was so much fun–We talked almost through the whole presentation! But I had my laptop so we were pulling up the links to things he was talking about, so it was somewhat related. He never seemed to get annoyed with us, but I do think we were a tad distracting. Apologies Larry!

Eating dinner @ California Dreaming with Heather Loy and Mary (from Busbee Elementary). Although the three of us come from different school levels–Heather is from a high school, Mary from an elementary school, and I am from middle–each of us seem to face a lot of similar issues in our libraries.

Sitting through Joyce Valenza’s sessions were probably the highlight of the conference. She is leading with such an awesome example of what a true 21st century teacher librarian should look like, and I have set her as my own personal role model of what I want to be. I just want to thank Joyce for raising that bar SO high. One of my friends made fun of me for sitting on the front rows of the sessions Joyce gave. I just asked isn’t that what all kiss-ups do? But I truly wanted some of her knowledge & wisdom to touch me, if not physically, than spiritually from her aura. I don’t know why, but I felt the need to be right there. I think Joyce may have been surprised at the lack of knowledge on 2.0 tools, and she even fretted to some of us after her first session that perhaps she needs to slow down or chunk some of the content for easier digestion. I said no, please keep the bar raised high so our state librarians will know what they need to work towards. Note to Joyce: While there may have been fear in some eyes as you presented, there was a spark that we need to fan into a fire on utilizing today’s tools to engage learners. Many came to my session just thelp them understand better, and I thank you for that.

The SCASL Bag Fashion Show was a hoot-and yes, I participated. I hope to get more of the pictures posted and Ida Thompson’s rather funny diatribe that was read as we walked the fashion runway!

Supper at Damon’s with Julia Davis, MaryAnn Sansonetti, and Chris Craft was a delightful way to end the day, and we have some plans underway–watch for them to be revealed soon. Collective wisdom is awesome.

After two full days of “sit and get” style presentations, I was worried about my own presentation on RSS Feeds. I returned to my room Thursday evening set on revamping my preso, removing the little text that I already had in it, and retooling it to be less like the “sit and get” sessions I had been in the two previous days. I tried hard to come up with interactivity, but never could formulate a plan that I thought would work. So I decided to turn to my network. I asked for shout outs at the beginning of my session, asking Twitter to greet my group and tell how they use RSS. I had 24 tweets to share, and I used them to start and finish my session. I was dumbfounded to realize that Joyce Valenza herself and Kathy Shrock, both of whom have been at SCASL before, and both in my reader’s “expert” folder, tweeted to my group. (Joyce had already returned to PA, but sent warm wishes and thanks for the fun she’d had in SC the day before.) I also got a skype chat from Tim Van Heule while presenting, which was rather funny b/c he did not know I was in the middle of my preso. Really cute and funny, and it went something like this:

Tim Van Heule
Sessions already? 8:13 AM

Cathy Nelson
ready 8:13 AM
hi Tim Van Heule 8:13 AM

Tim Van Heule
What’s going on, Cathy Nelson? 8:13 AM

Cathy Nelson
in the middle of a presentation 8:14 AM

Tim Van Heule
Ah… Fun… leaving you to it. 8:14 AM

Cathy Nelson
bye 8:14 AM

My audience got a real kick out of the fact that I briefly chatted (using Skype chat as a text) with Tim. Since I had Skype open there was no disregarding it, so I just pulled it in as part of my preso! I had arranged to get Dennis Richards of Massachusetts to skype in, so instead of waiting for him to call (which is why i had Skype open) I just went ahead and called him. He was at the ASCD Conference in New Orleans. Using wireless on a conference connection is risky business indeed, too, but I forged ahead. It was a stop and go call, but Dennis did a fabulous job telling all how we knew each other from networking with the tools. He introduced himself as a school superintendent in his area, catching many LMS’s there off guard to know that a supt was using the tools as well. He shared that he had only been using RSS since last summer, but now thinks a whole new way about learning, particularly personal learning, now that he uses RSS. I didn’t drag out the conversation long since it was choppy, but do feel I left a strong impression about how RSS can help you develop a PLN (professional learning network) to grow and learn. In the mix I had the RSS in Plain English video as well as a video interview of Will Richardson where he spoke to the fact that educators must first learn the tools themselves before tryng to use them in school with kids. I also showed a short segment of an archived Ustream that Dennis Richards had on his blog where Sheryl Nussbaum Beach is talking about how a network can supplement your learning, and it was form the day before at her keynote at the NCAET Conference no less, going on simultaneously with SCASL–just about 175 miles up the road. Read about her keynote, and even view it here. I hope today I did teach how RSS can play a lead role in professional development, and I think I embodied the example of taking advantage of generous people in my network who helped me out. I thought this was one of the best presentations I have ever done. Of course, I’m biased too.

My audience seemed receptive to my message and now I have a TON of homework to do. I promised all the links I used would appear in the presentation link of this blog, and so I must set out to create that. I also have a 3-hour workshop to prepare for Monday. Am feeling very swamped!!

Today I had a young 20 something year old teacher share with me the ringtones that students use that supposedly adults can’t hear (but she can–she’s but a babe!). She invited five of us into her empty room, and played the tone (which apparently is a free download.) I had heard of it before, but not sought it out to test it. And to be honest, I was leery of whether or not the tone existed. Of the five of us, one other teacher was a young 20 something year-old, and she suddenly clutched her ears and begged for the sound to be stopped, exclaiming how uncomfortable a sound it was. Amazingly enough, the three forty-something year-olds in the room did not hear it at all. We were surprised at the demonstration, and quite taken aback. I shared with some network friends and CRStengel of Pittsburg sent this link to me. Horrors I’m getting old! See my scores at the bottom! (<blush>)

This opened an interesting conversation anyway, both at school and with my network.  You see the same teacher shared with me that her students could manipulate a streaming video in her class with their little bluetooth phones (which according to our school policy, must be OFF during the school day.)   The video would stop and start for no apparent reason. She tested her suspicions with her own phone after class and discovered the kids’ phones were indeed causing interference (though she wasn’t sure if it was intentional or not.).  So she remembered me showing that you could use the bluetooth on the computer to detect active bluetooth devices in the room, and has since each day showed her students that she can “see” their phones which are supposed to be off.  Her students have also tested her with the ringtone that is supposed to be silent for adults, and they know she can hear it. So she has a power I do not have–young ears that can hear. But I enabled her to be able to see and count the number of devices interacting or interferring with learning, though I’m sure this teacher could probably find a way to channel this ito something positive.  It was an enlightening experience today even still.

Don’t laugh at my scores from the ringtone test. Try it. You may be surprised.

Attribution:

Image: ‘Blackberry‘
www.flickr.com/photos/13604571@N02/2094946972
Image: ‘Mi abituo al silenzio‘
www.flickr.com/photos/58971759@N00/2110611859

Next week, March 12-14, the South Carolina Association of School Librarians will meet up in Columbia, SC for the annual SCASL Conference. This year’s theme, Power Up @ Your Library, is very fitting, as there are some POWERFUL guest speakers, authors, and more coming to rejuvenate me! Annette Lamb, Larry Johnson, Joyce Valenza, Gail Dickinson…I almost feel like I’m going to a national level conference rather than a state level one. Our President-elect, Valerie Byrd-Fort has one a FANTASTIC job putting our conference together this year. I cannot wait until Wednesday next week!

The conference program was released today, and I have made a preliminary outline of what I want to attend–and guess what? I’m not skipping a single event. I will be exhausted when I get home Friday evening. Here is a rough itinerary (with session titles abbreviated for me) that is subject to change.

WEDNESDAY
Concurrent 1 (4:15-5:15)
James Bryan - Historical Fiction
or
Perry McLeod- Digital Storytelling

Exploratorium and All-Conference Reception (5:30-7:30)
SCASL Blogs! & SCASL Flickrs! (Okay, so you may not know that this is my responsibility and so I will be hosting it–IT! OMG!! I have not even begun to put together a display board or anything. I better get busy!! Late supper too-shucks…Someone wait for me to go eat.

THURSDAY
Concurrent 2 (8:00-9:00)
Joyce Valenza - Library Websites

Concurrent 3 (9:15-10:15)
Gail Dickinson NBPTS–>NBCT Now what?
or
Annette Lamb - PPT Sidekicks
or
Larry Johnson - Re-Imagine…

12:00-1:15 Meet authors/special guests
(Hob-nob with Authors Jaime Adoff, Eloise Greenfield, Will Hobbs, Alan Katz, Michelle Knudsen, and special guests Joyce Valenza, Annette Lab, and Larry Johnson!)
SCASL Business Meeting, 1:30 - 3:00

Concurrent 4 (3:15-4:15)
Gail Dickinson - AASL Standards
or
Annette Lamb - Re-Imagine…
or
Larry Johnson - RSS feeds in classroom

FRIDAY
Concurrent 5 (8:00-9:00)
MINE-Feed the Mind w/ RSS
(Note: there were some awesome sessions planned at the same time as mine, and thankfully some of the ones going on at the same time (Like MaryAnn Sansonetti’s “Ipodabilities” and Carole McGrath’s “T-N-T” I saw previously at a different conference. The only thing I have to worry about–other than an obscene early time to present–is that everyone else might choose theirs over mine. Oh, wait, that would mean fewer people in my session, which translates to an easier preso to give. Ok, I can live with it after-all!)

Concurrent 6 (9:15-10:15)
Debbie Keenan/Margie Edgerton - Flexible schedule
or
Julia Davis - Google Lit Trips
(I need to go to the Keenan/Edgerton session for ideas on a different preso I’m giving…but I want to go to Julias–how will I ever decide?)

Concurrent 7 (10:15-11:15)
Donna Shannon - Building a Knowledge Base in Reading
or
Andi Fansher - Moviemaker Magic

Awards Luncheon, 12:00 - 2:00
Eat with my Horry County LMS colleagues as we wait on the edge of our seats for the announcing of this years’ SC Book Award Nominees.

Okay so everyone can see that I have a jam-packed conference planned for myself, and still have many decisions to make. I’m carrying my laptop, and with free wifi, I plan to be connected to my network everywhere I go. Any of you loyal readers, would you like for me to “Ustream” anything? I have found out in the past I cannot “coveritlive” very well or even semi blog during sessions. I have to reflect and post. So I definitely could Ustream some. I’ll be taking a lot of pictures too, and will be posting them to the SCASL Flickrs photostream. So if you are not coming, you can virtually attend compliments of me. Let me know.

More and more we are hearing about it, seeing it on the news, and reading about it in blogs, newspapers, and our professional journals. Students, even very young ones, carry cell phones. And the very newest phones are equipped with many tools, particularly video cameras and internet access, which in my mind is a VERY powerful tool in a child’s hands. I hesitate to say it is a good thing or a bad thing, as channeled properly it can lead to greatness.

But when I read material like this, I worry. Anything an educator says taken out of context can be portrayed as something entirely different. Anything a student says taken out of context can be protrayed as something different. And I’m not referring to just moments captured on a cell phone’s video, as this statement can be applied to a written referral that are most teacher’s best ammunition in dealing with discipline issues.

I have always remembered that whatever is written on one of the school referral forms is considered a legal document, and as it is written, it would do the educator well to remember that it might be used as a legal document. When I have used these forms myself, I have always tried to make sure it was written without anger, bias, or emotion, but rather just written as a statement of facts. It is very difficult to write a referral in the heat of the moment and accomplish this.

But now bring video into the mix. This year alone I have seen first hand incidences where students are making videos at school using their phones. But the student handbook clearly states that:

…all phones must be “off” and put away, and if they are out they will be confiscated.

This statement is almost an acceptance on the school’s part that students have phones and to ban them completely is one rule that cannot be enforced. But now I wonder if we will revisit this statement. Should I set up my video camera and external drive somewhere in my teaching context to protect myself? This is a frightening thought indeed.

I am reminded though of a statement I said to students in my first formal class/orientation. In introducing myself to students at the beginning of school (b/c I’m new this year at my school) I brought in my iPod to use in a “get to know me” type activity. I shared with students what you could find, including songs, pictures, podcasts, and audiobooks. Some of my podcasts were video, and this opened a discussion on how to make videos. It was then that I realized many of my students clearly understood they had the ability right in their pocket to make a video and post it online. So I made sure to have this conversation with each class in orientation, stating with a witness (a classroom teacher or my library technical assistant) that I do not give anyone permission to make a video of me and post it without specific written permission from me. Did I cover myself? I don’t know.

Back to my wonder about taping my classes…is that legal? When doing National Board Certification, I had to have written consent forms from parents to make videos of my classes.

Does it matter? The seven videos on the Dangerously Irrelevant site yesterday certainly were not made with any kind of consent, and it is painfully obvious that the damage has been done, whether teachers or students were right or wrong. Scott wants to know–Should students be punished or applauded for filming and posting these?

If I had to say now, I would side with punishing them since I’m pretty sure a lot of the footage stems from a biased or one-sided point of view. The public is not being told the whole story here, which is how I began this post. And as long as school handbooks indicate that cell phones are not to be on and in service in the classroom, then it must stay punishable.

What good will come out of these videos I watched today? Each time I see my students after school with their cell phones snuggly fitted up against their ears, I will do a quick self reflection of my actions that day, and briefly wonder if I’ll be a YouTube one-hit wonder. Yet another filter to think through as I plan, choose my activities for instruction, or talk formally or informally with kids each day. I do realize the phones will not go away, which really makes me WANT to utilize surveillance in my instruction. It scares me to think I may have to justify my actions with video of my own, even if it is not legally gained. Can you say “conspiracy theory”?

Attribution:

Image: ‘0:13‘
www.flickr.com/photos/49503102897@N01/79294926

For the last few years I have asked annually three times during the school year to attend Alan November’s Building Learning Communities Conference. I would ask in August near the beginning, just before Christmas break, and again in March.  Each year I was turned down due to lack of funding.  I didn’t overly complain b/c one, it is expensive, and two, I feel the conference concept best benefits a group from the same school or district. It takes more than one person to return and help formulate and then cast a vision.  Many of my readers know I changed school districts this year. Again, I began my tactic of asking about the BLC conference. Being new, I  had to describe it, share my knowledge of what it offers, and really sell the idea that a collective group could really bring back a lot to share.  I spoke to my principal and media coordinator on the district level in August. I planted that second seed in December. Today, before I could nourish my little planted seed, I was told that a a sprout had fomulated as a group from the district office was going (just that it did not include me.) When I expressed shocked indignation (yes, lots of pouting out loud!), I was then told that a few principals around the district are putting together small groups of educators from their schools, and that I should inquire with my principal. My principal is not only supportive of me attending with the groups from the district, she is recommending I take one other teacher from our school–someone who can help cast that vision. I did ask her to go with me, but she feels it should be a teacher. I even (shock, i still can’t believe I did it) suggested that instead of me, she send two teachers who are leaders but not necessarily totally bought-in to 21st Centruy Learning, and she said no, you deserve to go Cathy. W00T!

I am extremely happy. Now our school will totally benefit from this, as will my district.  And I really feel no one–not one of us–would be going if I hadn’t pushed it.

So I will have my brain so totally tickled this summer! Here’s how my summer is breaking down:

• June 16-20, 2008:  South Carolina Association of School Administrators Summer Leadership Institute, presenting Schools & Dealing with Social Networking, Myrtle Beach, SC

• June 25-26th, 2008:  Upstate Technology Conference, Greenville, SC

• June 29-July 2, 2008: ISTE’s NECC 2008 in San Antonio, Texas; presenting with panel of experts on School Library Web 2.0

• July 16-18 , 2008: BLC 2008, Boston, Massachusetts

Yes, my brain will be so totally tickled this summer.  Who needs vacations when this much fun & learning can be had?