Wow! This #nerdlution thing really got its hooks in me. It nudged me just enough to get me out of my comfort zone. I have decided what makes me happy is to commit to walking, possibly running, with the dog almost every day, not drinking diet coke any day and writing everyday.

The first two felt like cheating. I had already started them over Thanksgiving weekend (I must have felt #nerdlution in the air!), but felt I couldn't stop there. I was proud of myself for walking the dog tonight because like others mentioned, crashing for the night sounded like such a good idea. And it was a creepy, rainy, wet night.

But then as I rounded the corner this is what I saw.



It brought all the warmth and spirit of the season rushing right over me and knew I was meant to be here, doing this. My step became lighter and I enjoyed pushing myself the rest of the walk.

 I knew there was more to be done tonight though, so I decided to push myself even more, no literally push myself out of bed because I had fallen asleep putting child #2 to bed, after we played Risk. (It feels a little sacrilegious admitting I was not reading her a bedtime story, but we're obsessed with the Risk app!) Anyway, I noticed an encouraging Tweet to see my #nerdlution through and I got out of bed, rummaged through digital files and emails looking for my most recent draft. I found it 4.27.12. Had it been that long since I worked on this piece?!?

Working to orient myself, looking over notes, it felt kind of like fumbling through the cupboard for the coffee machine. But once I got into it, I was brought right back into my thinking at the time. And it was like having coffee with an old friend. I don't know where this process will end up, but I know the journey and perseverance is good for me. I thrive on the community support and connections. I know I'm going to learn a lot from my PLN these next 50 days and beyond. So part of my #nerdlution is to see this writing project through and work on it a bit every day.

#BLC13

Amazing thinking and learning going on at the Building Learning Communities Education Conference 2013 in Boston. I'll be following at #BLC13 to get in on some of that awesome pd. I have been blown away by the opportunities we have to take charge of our own professional learning through online resources!

So, Yong Zhao gave a keynote and this is some of the thinking it led to for me. Here's some of his thinking from "Catching Up or Leading the Way:

He believes that schools should offer a comprehensive, balanced curriculum that includes opportunities for students to explore and develop both left and right brain thinking. They should also help children develop a global awareness, an appreciation for differences, an understanding and an ability to interact with the digital world, and the knowledge to develop a healthy mind and body. Schools must also allow children to study what interests them, what they are passionate about, and what they are good at. 

I so agree that this is what we need to do in schools in our classrooms!

Another quote I read that was a popular tweet is, "Education - Make things that are meaningful to other people" by Dr. Zhao. I think this is so true because it gives our students a sense of purpose and a real audience!

I also loved this Design Thinking Process created by Tom Barrett, follow @tombarret.

I look forward to following the conversations at #BLC13