Who are in my Personal Learning Network? Why are they in my Personal Network?

 Everyone needs a personal learning network in order to be successful! This is a comment that I find a lot in the blog posts, job hunting advice and in the Bible. The individuals who are in your network can enhance and amplify your learning, success, creativity, happiness, joy and life.   

In order to develop and determine your personal learning network I propose that you list your responses and comments regarding the following five points:  

1.  Personal Belief System

Some people call this a moral compass, but it is an answer to what do you believe in and who has the ultimate power in your life.  My personal belief system is the Bible. I pray a lot and communicate with God.  I want to be obedient to his word and commandments. I need people to hold me accountable.

                                  2.  A Bucket List                                                             In the movie “A Bucket List," the two hospital roommates make a list and set out to achieve those goals.  There are two components involved in the bucket list:  your mindset and your boundaries.  In order to make a bucket list, your mindset has to be open and your boundaries need to be limitless. Several years ago, I made a bucket list and I thought I put it in my Bible, but when I went to find it I couldn’t, so after fruitlessly searching for it, I made a new one. The list is typed, in my handbook and hs the following sections of importance -  primary goals as writing, teaching and traveling goals. 
-  secondary goals financial, relationship, health
- tertiary goals meeting people, habits, 

I have realized that in order to achieve those goals I need to make health and relationships a priority, followed by everything else so .… 

3. Develop your Personal Learning Network

a. Develop a type or characteristics of individuals that you want to associate with and why.

           

             Remember there are people in your life who you have little choice but to accept them as part of your existence, but it is YOUR CHOICE what kind of influence they have in your                   life. The people include:

              -Co-Workers: (workplace individuals, supervisors, team members and all other  staff members at your place of employ.”

              You DO have to be professional and give them professional respect.  You DO NOT have to                let them use you as target practice or tell you what your opinion is on ANY subject.

       - A social media friend has the same interests (educational technology, education, writer,                   blogger, book reviewer, author, entrepreneurial and/or presentation skills) and shares                      them with me, as I share with them. 

These are not individuals you know personally, usually.

 

4.  Boundaries

It is important to establish a gate around your life, it doesn’t have to be a solid wall, more like a picket fence that you can see over but people need your permission to come into your world.  The individuals outside this fence do not have the privilege to influence, direct or impact your life in any manner. 

5.  Council of Influencers

This council consists of you, you are the chairman of the board, and everyone in your council will help you meet your goals and positively influence you. This is a group of people that you choose, some may be close friends, some may be celebrities that have achieved your goals and want to know how they did it, or they may be individuals in between. You choose them, you accept them and the council does not consist of more than 10, usually only 5 people. They are who you touch base with when you make an important decision. As you change, your council of influencers may change or it may stay the same, but you need to constantly evaluate who is in your circle of trust.

This list is not exclusive the five points that are listed in this post, but they do provide an outline to help you select and develop your personal learning network.  It is not a short process and it should not be a long process, but it is a process that must be constantly re evaluated to determine if the personal learning network that you have developed has been helpful. 

Let's Salute the Week

This past week has been productive, Yeah!

There is a blog post scheduled for Monday. This blog is completed. That was an accomplishment, now if my followers could comment on this blog, I would appreciate it.

This blog is dedicated to my curriculum development, teaching, educational technology, and learning.

My administration is setting up a technology committee for next year; I have asked to be included on the panel.  The time commitment to develop a flipped classroom is all-consuming, but as I stated in a previous post, I have been asked to submit my work for Apple Distinguished Educator.  In addition to completing modules that will give me more skills and as a supervisor stated put more skills on my resume.

The district has allotted me four fourth-generation iPads, and the school granted me three iPads from a previous grant.  I am trying to get two desktops or iPads, as well as get on the chrome calendar to instruct keyboarding skills once a week. Flipping my classroom is something I will start this week and put an outline so others can use it to develop a flipped classroom at their school.  It is time-consuming, but this is an activity I will complete and continue so that I can submit it to Apple. 

Finally, this week should be a relatively good week, now that I know it is the spiritual forces that are trying to get on my nerves.  I won’t let it bother me, whether it happens or not, well that remains to be seen.

Let's Salute the Week!!

  “I know God will not give me anything I can't handle.  I just wish that He didn't trust me so much.  “- Mother Teresa

 I wish I could say that I liked the lessons and events of this week. There are times when I like to think that I am writing a blog that attracts a million followers because I am sharing very interesting and wonderful words in the field of educational technology.  Blogs that are written by a wonderful Christian Educational Technologist. I am grateful that I have the ability to write that I am trying to show I am GRATEFUL for what I have!!

Lessons and they're Learning . . . and more learning

Praise You in This Storm

Songwriters:  John Mark Hall, Bernie Herms

Sung by:  Casting Crown

Thy Will

Writer(s): Hillary Scott, Emily Weisband and Bernie Herms (2016)

Sung by:  Hillary Scott and the Scott family

Shaken (c) 2014

written): Bernie Herms/Matthew West/Randy Phillips

sung:  Danny Gokey

Giants Fall

Songwriters: Molly E. Reed, Francesca Battistelli, Jeff Pardo

 Sung by: Francesca Battistelli

These four songs were playing each night on the way from home,  four out of the five nights this past week I cried coming home,These songs were playing.  It is one of those situations where I understand it on an intellectual level, but it still hurts.  These songs didn’t make it any better, but it was handled in a very hurtful situation.

Apple Distinguished Educator Program

No, I am not one nor have I completed the requirement to become one.  However, I received and invitation to go ahead and complete the lessons to to become one.  I am very excited about the process. If you are interested the application is open.

It is an eight course process and hopefully by Jun I will have completed all of the courses.

This week will be better!

Starting a New Quarter

  

January represents, to many of us, a new quarter, trimester, to be soon followed by a celebrations of a 100 days of school. This year began with my husband recovering from a severe injury,  a funeral, debt collectors and a call from a bails bondsmen. 

Dear Past,

Thank you for all of the lessons!

Dear Future,

I am ready!

The year has started out with a bang! When I saw this quote, (worry don’t know who wrote it)  but this is how I am viewing the upcoming month, especially this year. The year began because of past decision, but it will change this year. 2016 had been a confusing year, to say the least.  I believe that I have followed my Lord, but I also know that I have not been obedient as I should be this year. Consequently  . . .

One of the most important lessons I’m taking into 2017 . . . 

If you can’t do anything about it, then let it go. Don’t be a prisoner to things you can’t change.  (Tony Gaskin)

In addition, a new quarter, many educators will be receiving an intent letter.  Will you be going back?  What will you teach? Then you have to return it by a February date. This does not mean that you will be asked back, but the powers that be want to know if you will be returning.

I haven’t made any decisions about this decision.  I know what I want to be doing this time next year.  I know what needs to happen in order of this to occur. 

When you reflect on the new quarter, keep all of these items in mind.  Remember, the students still need to be taught and the quality of your teaching will reflect your emotional state. 

Have a great quarter!!

Let's Salute the Week

School begins tomorrow!!

Some of you have already returned to work!  Not me, although I have had one day of Professional Development.

The students return tomorrow and I though we could all do Shelly Sanchez Terrell's "The 30 Goals Challenges".  I would like to end this school year with a bang.

                                   

The Top Influencer's in the Educational Field

(my opinion of course)

 

       Twitter handle                    Name                                           Website

                 @jeffbullas                 Jeff Bullas                            Jeffbullas.co

                                 @web20classroom     Steven W Anderson                   web20classroom.org

                                 @shakeuplearning      Kasey Bell                                 shakinguplearning.com

                                 @sjgorman                 Sue Gorman                               suegorman.com

                                 @TeacherToolkit        Ross Morrison McGill              theteachertoolkit.com/

                                 @jutecht                     Jeff Utecht                                 jeffutecht.com

                                 @think_inclusive       Tim Villegass                            thinkinclusive  

                                 @rmbyrne                  Richard Byrne                    www.freetech4teachers.com/

                                  @ShellTerrel             Shelly Terrell Sanchez           http://www.shellyterrell.com/

I will be following them, checking out their blogs and contacting them for assistance.  This is the year that i will flip my classroom fully and help other teachers as well!!

Have a great week!!!

Let's Salute the Week (and the New Year)

This promises to be a very busy week!  I am so happy that it is 2017.  I realized that there was a 6 in 2016, go figure.  I spent the whole year without realizing that and it probably is because I spent so much time inside my head thinking negative thoughts.  

This year I am going to spend every day battling negativity by reading the “Battlefield of the Mind” by Joyce Meyer. In addition, I have the tapes, Action Plan and now I am reviewing her newest editing of the Bible “The Battlefield of the Mind Study Bible”.  I am finding it very helpful with my thought process.

As bad as 2016, there are several things I am grateful for:

1. My church is a praying church and we have some great prayer warriors.
2. My husband  is a good man.
3. My parents love and care about me.
4. There are several people on my Facebook who I have known personally for a very long time.  It is great to go into private messaging when we can’t get together.
5. God allows U - turns.
6. My son and daughter communicate with us, their parents, regularly.
7. People are generally good, even when they are accusing me of something that I am not or have not down. I learned this year that God will take care of them when I LEAVE it with him.  It was a hard lesson to learn. (I am not talking about revenge on my part).
8. Technology is my friend, even when it it doesn’t work the way I want it to.
9. The 12 days of Christmas by Julie Hedlund.  I really thought about this year and I didn’t want really think I had anything to be grateful for (because I screwed up in just about area of my life), but I found when I went to church today and was embraced by my church family.
10. I will constantly tell myself and remind myself of the lessons I have learned this year

  This year I will be keeping track of my gratitude in this jar.  

The past 8 days I have been working on my reflections for this past year, 2016.  Tomorrow I will list some of the things I want to achieve this year.  Things I know I can because my main priority is to be financially solvent by the end of 2017.

Everyone lets make this a great new year and wonderful, positive time.

My word for this year is diligent.