Cathy Nelson’s Professional Thoughts

Well here it is BLC08 Day 2, and I do believe the only ones in my network scrambling for BLC08 Day 2 are me, Lisa Durff, and Jennifer Wagner. At least that is who I am seeing repeatedly on twitter and in the Ustreams with me–that I know for sure are not present at the conference. There may be others–oh yeah and Bud the Teacher too.

Who is a digital immingrant?

Not I–at least based on this screenshot. Notice that my Skype also has a red 1 telling me I have a message. I was skypechatting with Joyce Valenza a little during the keynote this morning. Then I tried to get her session’s UStream, but the stream was to unreliable, and we kept losing audio/video, so i went over to Darren Kuropatwa’s session, and he even shared the location for his slides, but as any good presenter would do, kept bailing on the slides to go out on the www to supplement what he was talking about. Fantastic session. Still wish i was there in person.

Pictures are from my photostream

As I shared with a friend today about the importance of networking, the example I gave was my ability to drop in on a fabulous conference going on right now–>Buliding Learning Communities 2008 in Boston, Mass.  My colleague is there at my recommendation from last August, and so I emailed to briefly explain UStream and Cover It Live, and how using a laptop and these apps would make the experience there immeasurabley better–that you just couldn’t beat interacting with others in and out of the room (like me 900 miles away–but glued to my chats, UStreams, Coverit Live Blogs, and Twitter…)  I received an email stating that not only had he joined Ustream, but he also joined Flickr and Twitter!!  It doesn’t take long to “catch the 21st century vision” at BLC, does it?

So my question is this.  If THIS

is the way we like to learn too, then why, oh why can’t we bring THIS into the classroom?  (Notice the laptops, PDAs, cellphones, & use of cameras sprinkled into this picture. That is pretty good for a basic sit and get session, wouldn’t you say?  I would wager they are all emphatically and enthusiastically engaged.) Hoping and praying the ones from my district who are at BLC08 will come back excited about the possibilities of digital tools in the classroom for 21st Century Learning.  (Of course I realize there are implications for school policies too.)   It makes me SO HAPPY though to know my colleague that quickly adopted some of my favorite apps, like Twitter, Ustream, and Flickr, all b/c he is absolutely immersed in it at BLC08!

Picture Attricbution:

UGC 20 for What Can I Do Now @ BLC08
Uploaded on July 16, 2008
by dkuropatwa

Some rights reserved Anyone can see this photo

How? Twitter, CoveritLive, and Ustream!  My favorite apps during BLC08.  My family thinks I’m nuts.  I think I’m very smart.  I also think most students would be able to handle this!

I had a chance to attend BLC08 compliments of my school this year. I was very excited and even blogged about it some time back. So why did I not go? There is a story there, and I will attempt to share it. I feel I owe it to my network that celebrated with me when I thought I was going.
BLC07 Remembered and Shared At the beginning of school, I shared with my principal about BLC—I had virtually benefited from BLC07 through the breadcrumbs of backchannels from the likes of David Jakes, Ewan McIntosh, Barbara Barreda, and others willing to open up their skype chats for any who wanted to respond to backchannel discussions. These people were physically in the audience and invited anyone from their network to join in. Those out in the network did not have the luxury of U-Stream then, nor were we privy to listening in using Skype (I still wonder why no one thought to do that?) But still it was a phenomenon I will not soon forget. I think this alone is what made me realize my professional learning centered around conversations more so than speakers, classes, or presentations.

Interest grows at the district level So my principal shared with a district administrator who works with the school library folks. He asked me about it, and I excitedly told him all I knew. I also shared that I had wanted to go every year since its inception, about which SC districts I knew had been, and that due to the cost, and what I saw as a suggested requirement→that schools and organizations should come as a group→I had never seriously pursued it. (I have always floated my own boat at national conferences-paid for them right out of my own pocket.)

District Decides to GO! The next thing I know, this district leader has gone back and shared about BLC to others at the district level, and a group was formulated to go. I found out later, and was VERY excited. There were six going from my district (already registered and scheduled for flights/lodging.) I told my principal, who told me to go ahead and plan to go with them—she would pay for me and another teacher to attend with that group. I tried to get a teacher to go, but many were reluctant to use summer-time to do this (which is shocking all by itself-that few would consider using their summer for PD–is that just a Cathy phenomenon?).

Too High a Cost As time lapsed, I also began to think how dare me use school money for such an expensive extravagant trip. I kept rationalizing that registration for two teachers alone would be right around $1300, and that is not including airfare, food, and lodging. I kept saying jeepers how much more we could do with more teachers if I would just NOT do this. I have a pet peeve about anyone who fleeces the school of much needed money (like color copies of family photos, or baby-shower thank-you cards made AT SCHOOL in color on school cardstock and FILLED with baby-shower photos, oh gee I could go on an on here.)
My BLC Dream Ended So I let it go. The district is doing what I thought needed to be done→they are sending a group from the district. It is representative of district leaders, building principals, and I do believe a teacher, so I am satisfied in that. My hope of the group going is that they will catch the vision of 21st century learning and then bring this vision back to the district. I already have the vision (I think) so why should I go? I should allow others who haven’t gotten that vision yet to go. I should have my principal spend our professional development money, limited as it is, to get more teachers in pd that will help them grow.

Missing Friends, Virtual & F2F So there you have it—that is why I am not going to BLC this year. I will, however, very much MISS a reunion of virtual friends, including Joyce Valenza, Liz Davis, Lisa Thumann, Alice Barr, Colleen King, and many others I have met virtually in professional social networking tools and f2f from Educon 2.0 in Philly. I DO plan to go again to Educon 2.0, and once again, ask that my school help by splitting the costs with me. Last year I asked to go with this agreement in mind, and said if I could do it for under $500, I would. That is my plan once again—hope the gas prices and airfare will allow it.

Breadcrumbs will have to suffice… Please know that as I sit and reach out for breadcrumbs of information coming out of BLC, I am solidly kicking myself for NOT going ahead and attending, all expenses paid by my school. There are breadcrumbs available though, in the format of blog posts, wiki edits, twitters, and U-Streams. It’s the next best thing to being there.

Attribution:

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?