Taking the plunge

 I have been thinking about setting up my own blog for some time. After reading many books on the subject I knew that I needed to take the plunge. I need to learn by doing. I will learn from my attempts, from my mistakes, from my successes, from feedback and from encouragement from many along the way.

Thanks to encouragement from the authors, tweeters, and bloggers that have inspired me, you are reading my first post on this site.





I want to express my thanks to the following authors:
Will Richardson's Learning on the Blog, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful WEb Tools for Classrooms,  and Personal Learning Networks: Using the Power of Connections to Transform Education.
First grade teacher Kathy Cassiday's Connected from the Start: Global Learning in the Primary Grades.
Alan November's, Who Owns the Learning? Preparing Students for the Digital Age. 

What I have learned from reading is that I need to just do it.

I can't expect to entice the teachers or administrators that I work with if I can't speak about it from experience. I am very hopeful that my own blogging experiences will encourage others to re-imagine what learning can look like, what authentic learning and value beyond school can become. Help me to rethink a school that is not confined to classrooms, bells, schedules and a post office address. Help me to entice ALL children (including gifted) to high expectations, problem solving, challenge, and meaningful learning opportunities.  Help me to encourage and support students, teachers, and administrators so that they are willing to meet others from around the world, to learn from their experiences, to visit their communities, and to become passionate learners together.

Just do it.

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