Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Professional Development Meme

OK- I've been tagged twice (Michelle Bourgeouis and Josh Allen) on the same professional development meme, so I had better accept the challenge!

Here it is:
Directions


Summer can be a great time for professional development. It is an opportunity to learn more about a topic, read a particular work or the works of a particular author, beef up an existing unit of instruction, advance one’s technical skills, work on that advanced degree or certification, pick up a new hobby, and finish many of the other items on our ever-growing To Do Lists. Let’s make Summer 2008 a time when we actually get to accomplish a few of those things and enjoy the thrill of marking them off our lists.


The Rules
  1. Pick 3 professional development goals and commit to achieving them this summer.
  2. For the purposes of this activity the end of summer will be Labor Day (09/01/08).
  3. Post the above directions along with your 3 goals on your blog.
  4. Title your post Professional Development Meme and link back/trackback to http://clifmims.com/blog/archives/353.
  5. Use the following tag/ keyword/ category on your post: pdmeme.
  6. Tag 8 others to participate in the meme.
  7. Achieve your goals and “develop professionally.”
  8. Commit to sharing your results on your blog during early or mid-September.

My Goals
1. I need an extreme makeover!
(A web-presence-makeover, that is!) My website needs a major overhaul, the OPS 24-7 Learning site needs to be revamped, my blogs need to be organized, cleaned-up, and possibly consolidated, and I need to learn how to use tools to connect all of the above. Someone (including myself!) should be able to USE the web-based resources that I've posted online, instead of getting LOST in them!
2. Publish or Perish?
For years I've been hoping to write something to satisfy my author's urge. While I get to create presentations and write on the web, I have a personal goal of someday being published. I'm not sure exactly what this will look like in fruition, but this summer I am going to START a writing project with the ultimate goal of being published in print.
3. Letting Go...
This one isn't as concrete, but I am giving myself permission to fail. Yes, that's right, I have a fear of failure. As I talk with teachers about letting go of the power in the classroom and not always knowing all the answers, I have to remind myself of that as well. It is OK to blog about something and be proven wrong. It is all right to create a pd model for the staff that not everyone agrees with or submit a proposal that isn't accepted. It is acceptable to be brave and say what I think a little more. Because it is in these failures, that we will find our biggest successes.
(Right?) :)

OK- There are my three summer pd goals. Now, to pass on the challenge... I tag... the participants in my 21st Century Learning class. For many, their first blogging efforts, this may be a good example of the far-reaching power of the blogosphere. If not, it might just be a good way to check on our goals and get something done professionally this summer!

2 comments:

Becky D said...

Gosh that sounds like alot of work. If you need any help with the writing I had an uncle complete his first book last fall. I can get you in contact with him if you need any pointers. His book was more researched based on baseball in Minnesota. Have fun!
Becky

CParis said...

I find it interesting that you want to publish a book. The last day of class when we talked with the guy from UNL that had written three books, I was looking at the row of books at the bottom of the whitboard. I almost said something to you. I sat there thinking,"Katie could and should write a book. She could write several books. Go for it.