Ok. I haven't been living under a rock. I did recently have twin daughters a little over a year ago, so my research and professional development were centered around different topics (i.e. newborns, multiples, what do I do, how do I survive, when will it get any easier. I'm still trying to find answers to some of those questions.)
Last year I was just trying to balance life at home with life at school. (I think that is a never-ending struggle.) I stumbled into the blogging world late 2010 - must have been during the girls' nap - and joined the blogosphere in February of 2011 from a little nudging from Ruth over at the Two Writing Teachers. (No, it was a personal nudge, but it sure felt like she was talking to me when she declared it: "Stop waiting to start a blog day".)
Little did I know that I was missing out on so many knowledgeable colleagues and authors that share oodles and oodles of great resources and ideas! I'm sure I'm still missing out because you can only keep up with so much! In addition, I have expanded my PLN this summer and joined Twitter (@litlearningzone) thanks to other fellow bloggers like Cathy (@CathyMere), Chris (@ReadSoMuch), Katie (@bluskyz), and Kassia (@kassiaowedekind).
So, to get to the point. I've said it before: I like organization. I feel that my PLN is full of wires that are crossed, wrapped, tangled, and knotted. Ugh! I have my reading and writing notebook to jot down words I love or a post that resonated with me. Also, I purchased a notebook from Target with four sections to jot down: books to read, writing ideas, technology ideas, and professional development ideas, including books, websites, and tweets of words of wisdom.
But I was still wondering: What to do with all these great blogs I love to read? Well, thanks to Ruth (again!) at the Two Writing Teachers, I have found my solution! I could not continue to add a long, long list of blogs that I follow in the column of my blog, and I was having a hard time keeping up with new posts. She introduced me to Google Reader. (I'll let her explain it. Check out her post.)
Ah - organization! I love it!
My only hang up? I'd love for others to to see the great blogs that I love -- that's how I found so many great teachers, writers, and readers. I know there is a share feature in Google Reader, but that's not quite what I'm looking for in this situation. (At least I think . . . I'll have to do more research.) Maybe I'll have to edit the design of my blog and only list blog titles and eliminate extra info.
Hmmmm. I'm going to have to think about this one . . . any ideas?
Last year I was just trying to balance life at home with life at school. (I think that is a never-ending struggle.) I stumbled into the blogging world late 2010 - must have been during the girls' nap - and joined the blogosphere in February of 2011 from a little nudging from Ruth over at the Two Writing Teachers. (No, it was a personal nudge, but it sure felt like she was talking to me when she declared it: "Stop waiting to start a blog day".)
Little did I know that I was missing out on so many knowledgeable colleagues and authors that share oodles and oodles of great resources and ideas! I'm sure I'm still missing out because you can only keep up with so much! In addition, I have expanded my PLN this summer and joined Twitter (@litlearningzone) thanks to other fellow bloggers like Cathy (@CathyMere), Chris (@ReadSoMuch), Katie (@bluskyz), and Kassia (@kassiaowedekind).
So, to get to the point. I've said it before: I like organization. I feel that my PLN is full of wires that are crossed, wrapped, tangled, and knotted. Ugh! I have my reading and writing notebook to jot down words I love or a post that resonated with me. Also, I purchased a notebook from Target with four sections to jot down: books to read, writing ideas, technology ideas, and professional development ideas, including books, websites, and tweets of words of wisdom.
But I was still wondering: What to do with all these great blogs I love to read? Well, thanks to Ruth (again!) at the Two Writing Teachers, I have found my solution! I could not continue to add a long, long list of blogs that I follow in the column of my blog, and I was having a hard time keeping up with new posts. She introduced me to Google Reader. (I'll let her explain it. Check out her post.)
Ah - organization! I love it!
My only hang up? I'd love for others to to see the great blogs that I love -- that's how I found so many great teachers, writers, and readers. I know there is a share feature in Google Reader, but that's not quite what I'm looking for in this situation. (At least I think . . . I'll have to do more research.) Maybe I'll have to edit the design of my blog and only list blog titles and eliminate extra info.
Hmmmm. I'm going to have to think about this one . . . any ideas?
I checked it out and got it loaded. It is so much easier to keep track of when a new blog is posted.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info.
Love ya M
You are so kind. I hope we can meet in person someday. :)
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about wanting to share blogs. How about making a new tab with a page dedicated to blogs? I would miss some of your other sidebar info if you eliminated it.
Also, you must know you keep me blogging with your comments and props. Thank you!
Ruth
found you through #cyberpd chat. I also use delicious.com to organize my bookmarks. It's part of my PLN; I can search by tag to discover other resources about specific topics.
ReplyDeleteI am constantly reminded of how similar our paths have been in this tech world. Just started tweeting away and quickly looked you up. I love Ruth's idea of making a blog follower tab. Just like you, that's how I expanded my RSS feed. Good luck on your ongoing PD!
ReplyDelete