Cathy Nelson’s Professional Thoughts

Okay so I’m reveling in being mentioned in a blog today as a woman who has a voice in the blogosphere. And to see the excellent company I have there, many of whom already fill my reader daily. I hadn’t thought, though, about one comment Janet Clarey (Brandon-Hall Research Blog) made– that of there not being a bevy of female keynoters. I certainly don’t feel qualified, though I do love sharing knowledge through workshops and presentations. I have heard Joyce Valenza as a keynote address, and I’ve seen to many women speakers who were spotlight sessions at NECC and other conferences. Many may even have their travel and lodging paid for, and receive a stipend of some kind too. (I can say that from my experience presenting at the state level here in South Carolina, anyway.) Some may get all the perks I listed, but many simply opt for the ability to participate in the conference as an attendee as well.  I’m not complaining, though, I’m celebrating as I have very much enjoyed hearing the likes of Joyce Valenza, Kathy Schrock, and Leslie Fisher, which at the moment is all I can think of.

Let’s not forget the ones who had INTERNATIONAL voice in the K12Online Conference too, as women were maybe half the presenters there, and one of the MAIN organizers, Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, is really quite established too. I do beleive she could carry a keynote as well.

So what do you think? Who else? What other women do you know could draw a crowd for a keynote?

Attribution:

Image: ‘Balboa Theater‘
www.flickr.com/photos/27109792@N00/304021434

I am so looking forward to arriving in Philadephia for the Educon2.0 so graciously hosted by Chris Lehmann and his school, the Science Leadership Academy. As the weekend draws closer, all I can think about is all the f2f meetings with fellow friends from my network! While I have met some f2f (back at EdubloggerCon in Atlanta, GA June 2007) I know many of them do not remember me.

Here’s a short list of who I will see, some for the very first time ever f2f:

• Joyce Valenza - fellow teacher librarian, panel expert/co-panelist for upcoming Pilly Educon 2.0 & Necc 08
• Carolyn Foote - fellow teacher librarian, co-panelist @ Educon and NECC 08
  
• David Jakes - Digital Storytelling and Google Earth Guru; it’s a secret, but he has agreed to do a workshop on GE/GM for my school using either Ustream or Skype/Yugma–and I suppose I could even look into an Elluminate session since the state of SC has access for educators; Jakes is also serving unofficially as my blogging mentor (check out his new site) as I contemplate the move to a new domain/blogging platform; Jakes was also the person who allowed me to “piggy-back” via Skypechat into some of the BLC sessions, even tho he didn’t know me from Adam.
  
• Lisa Durff - Twitter friend, K12 Online Conference Presenter, Webcast Academy graduate and podcaste, and WOW2 friend!
• Kristin Hokanson - Twitter and WOW2 friend
• John Pederson - EdubloggerCon Atalanta, Twitter, Skype, POnce, and WOW2 buddy–John knows everyone and is a lot of fun!
• Liz Davis - Twitter and blogging friend who began after me but has absolutely eclipsed me! Liz is kindly letting me ride from the airport to the hotel Friday a.m. in the rental car she has secured!
• Will Richardson - EdubloggerCon and Ustream friend–he doesn’t follow me in Twitter, but i do have him calling me out by name and location from a Ustream with his brother-in-law, which tells me I’m in his radar somewhere. Woot!
• Jen Wagner - WOW2 leader, twitter friend, blogger friend, Second Life mentor/friend, Scrabulous shark, and another unofficial mentor in my transition to a new domain and blogger program!
• Ryan Bretag - SL friend, twitter friend, blogger extraordinary
• Brian C. Smith - formerly Mobileminded twitter friend and great blogger
• Sylvia Martinez - K12 Online Presenter and my first twitter mentor as I was learning!
• DK the first person to ever direct message me in Twitter–freaked me out!
• Chris Lehmann - let me Ustream into his Ustream–fun! Also a twitter friend, EdubloggerCon friend, great blogger, and AWESOME principal! I brag to my principal all the time about Chris and his 21st century forward thinking.
  

Of course i am drawing from memory alone and if I would take time to visit the Educon Wiki I could probably identify many more bloggers and twitter friends I admire, follow, read, and aspire to be like. I am so hoping to have a real blast at this “unconference” conference and give as much as I get knowledge-wise while there. Look out Philly, here I come–ready or not. God I hope I don’t freeze to death!

What a difference a week makes! Saturday the Edublogger awards were announced, and I was so sure I did not win, I did not even go into Second Life to hear who did, nor did I tap into the many portals made available live (like Edtech Talk, Skype, and others…) You see, as I told all my friends, it was enough to be nominated. I even went out of town on a shopping spree Saturday, and around the time the awards ceremony began, my family was sitting down for a wonderful afternoon (early supper) at Carrabba’s. It was divine, and far more enjoyable. I had a few friends and family asking on Saturday, and they were shocked and dismayed that I wouldn’t stay home long enough to at least log in and see. I assured them my Twitter Network and RSS reader would keep me well informed, so well in fact that I need not worry about it all, but instead enjoy my family. I was not let down.

Congratulations to all the winners, and especially the library blog category, I’m especially pleased it is once again a school library blog. I need not have sour grapes, you see, I know what my authority and rank were in Technorati BEFORE the nominations, and I know what it is now after the nominations, and I know how many commenters I’ve had on my blog, and these statistics (which you can find out yourself with a little work) tell me a story that stands on its own, so there is no need for a pity party about the “loss.” My assistant, another colleague at school, and my sisters were all furious that I would not campaign to win, soliciting for votes from all my networks where I am plugged in and connected. But sorry folks–that is not how I operate. I’ll say it again. It was enough to be nominated. It filled me with immense pleasure and is rewarding all on its own. Wonder how I should put that on my resume?

So I returned to work Monday, doing my thing. I worked two basketball games this week, and made two keepsake memory videos for teachers to document and reflect on school performances. I included students in the second one, having them edit for me, select some pictures to go at the beginning and end, and pick out music to add. I think they learned a lot, and I teased them unmercifully, saying I didn’t like giving out all my secrets—pretty soon they would stop thinking I was amazing!

Anyway, to make this week so very jam up for me, yesterday I received an email invitation from Karl Fisch to participate in an exciting event he will be having at his school in January and February. I have not seen it twittered or posted on his blog, so I’m not sure I’m at liberty to say much else. But know that it is truly a reward for be connected to highly successful educators in the blogosphere. I suppose details about his project that I am joining in will be forthcoming soon, but I don’t mind saying it revolves around Dan Pink’s book A Whole New Mind. I am considering asking our 8th grade teachers to use it as a novel study to go along with Karl’s project. My brain is on OVERTIME! (Side Note: There was a cool DEN Webinar tonight w/ Daniel Pink that was AWESOME!!)

As an added bonus this week, today I get the pleasant (although somewhat embarrassing) surprise of getting mentioned in Doug Johnson’s Blue Skunk Blog where he is answering questions about a former blog post (where he had just opened his OLPC XO.) It is such a novelty, a lot of people are expressing their curiosity by asking questions via his comments. So Doug chose to answer them in another blog post, and what do you know but my DUMB comment is at the top—as I tease about his cat in the picture, and tell a gushy tale of how cute my cat is. <BLUSH> Okay, so not my best side, or even story. But Doug mentioned me none the less. W00t!

This evening I get the email from Joyce Valenza, exclaiming that our panel discussion session for NECC has been accepted! Joyce’s email began like this: “Good news, friends! We’re on for NECC.” Our session will have a panel of “experts” (I can’t believe I’m saying that!); our session title: Feed, Tag, Research: Remixing for School Library 2.5; session description: School librarians are leading learning and instructional change. Discover how we are re-visioning reading, research, and “library” for 21st century students on the Read/Write Web. And I can honestly say we collaborated for days on the topic and description alone. The group panel includes Joyce Valenza, Carolyn Foote, Diane Cordell, Kim Cofino, Anita Beaman, and me. After hearing from Twitter some of the big names who have been turned down, I feel amazed and honored to be with a session that was accepted.

Oooy, my head is getting so big. Don’t put a pin near me, or I might pop. Tomorrow is Friday, and I can’t imagine what kinds of good things it might bring. No time to be sad or depressed though, as I have so much to be thankful for in this week alone! I suddenly feel SO CONNECTED, not only on a local, state, and national level, but also a global level. Daunting, but exciting.

I don’t want to whoop too soon, so just let me end with a tee-tiny “w00t.”

Recently Carolyn Foote, a friend who is honestly a friend in the virtual sense, as I only know her from Twitter, blogging, webcasts, and Ustream forums, has challenged my thinking about the library. She works in a large public suburban high school in Austin, Texas (Westlake High School). She is in the process of packing up her entire library book by book for a renovation project. Earlier this week she was informed that the renovation could take as long as a year. My comment to Carolyn was “Wow, you will be a virtual librarian in every sense of the word.”
As I reflect on my joking quip, I realize it is true. Will her job end until the renovation is done? Will she have anything to do while the renovation happens? How can a staff member with no physical “home” in the building continue to work and serve the school without any books or tables, a checkout counter, or a reference section, especially in a high school?

I know the answer to my questions. Carolyn will be in need and in high demand right through the whole project. She will probably work harder than any other staff member in the entire building, as she strives to provide the same level of service and instruction as before when there were the typical tables, chairs, books, and more. How?

Just as I jokingly called her a “virtual” librarian, she will become just that. Research projects will be just as effectively completed as they were before. She will continue to teach information literacy and using online resources effectively. Students will have access to necessary resources. Book talks and author visits will continue to happen, even if she has to use Skype. You see, Carolyn is a 21^st century teacher librarian, who has adopted and uses instructional technology to “complete” the job. She uses the tools to compliment instruction, and I would wager she is so good at this already, this vehicle called web 2.0 will drive her services until she can park her self back in a physical space called a library. Carolyn already uses wikis, blogs, and more to supplement instruction. She is using Skype to pull in authors for literature appreciation and book analysis. And students as well as teachers know she can assist in just about any kind of project she is challenged with. Carolyn Foote is a 21^st Century Librarian, and I am so glad to know her, at least in the virtual sense.

Be sure to wish her luck as she tackles the project of library renovation. I know the end result will be a 21^st Century Library to compliment her, the student body, faculty & staff, and community. I am looking forward to a face to face meeting with you in San Antonio this summer at Iste’s NECC.

Carolyn’s Blog Not So Distant Future

Carolyn’s Wiki Web 2.0 in Education

Image Attribution:

Image: ‘packing_boxes‘
www.flickr.com/photos/69157454@N00/25159668

Image: ‘Carolyn_Foote_007‘
http://web20ineducation.wikispaces.com/

PS–my 17yo is looking at Austin, TX for college.