In My Life

"Icy reflection" by dmcordell http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmcordell/8197019133/

The house is quiet, on the cusp of a busy Thanksgiving gathering. Time to take a moment for reflection.

How is this retirement gig playing out? Well, I still attend, and give presentations at, professional conferences. I'm active in social networking, and participate in the photo-a-day 365 project (many people I meet f2f for the first time know me through my photos). Occasionally, I visit classrooms via Skype or interact with students as a collaborating teacher at my former school. My online work for CyberSmart Education is interesting and accommodates itself to my travel and family schedule.

What do I value most? Top priority these days is interacting with my granddaughter. Although I was a stay-at-home mom myself, I find that I had forgotten (or maybe I was too busy to fully appreciate) the wonder of discovering the world anew with a young child. I teach her sign language and read stories; she shares her toys and her kisses and her unconditional love. We are a pair.

Another source of satisfaction is functioning as as embedded librarian for my far-flung network of friends and acquaintances. In my definition of the term, that means I find and share resources, connect people, do a bit of research on topics of interest: it's not that I have special talents, it's the fact that I have the unencumbered time that others might lack. I spent years acquiring my teaching and librarian skills, and I'm not about to turn my back on the profession that I love. Besides, I'd be terrible at shuffleboard.

I am thankful for family and friends, reasonable health, travel opportunities, and a comfortable home to anchor my journeys.

I remember the past. I dream of the future. I love the now.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

"Playground fun with Grandma" by Ellen White http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmcordell/9608127567/

2012: My Year in Review

As the New Year begins, I like to take some time to reflect on what has gone before:

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” -Søren Kierkegaard 

 

2012 My Year in Review from Diane Cordell

Mosaic

It's difficult to settle down and write an extended posting, when life is so interesting. So here are a few bits and pieces, shiny thoughts that distracted me today while I skimmed and skittered through my various social networking sites.

Dance (from Facebook)

A high school classmate quoted William Butler Yeats: "Come Fairies, take me out of this dull world, for I would ride with you upon the wind and dance upon the mountains like a flame!" which, in turn, reminded me of the Celtic variation on a 19th century Shaker tune, Simple Gifts,

Dance then, wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be
And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said He!

I love the idea of the deity as a dancer, joyous and brimming with vitality.


Conferences (from a librarian ListServ)
An academic library assistant wrote:

I am in the process of applying for scholarship funds to attend the ALA conference in Chicago from little old New Zealand.  I need to justify why I should go, the benefits of attending for myself and others in libraries as well as education in general and what I'm likely to get out of it.

My response was:

I would say the number one benefit for me is the face-to-face networking. That helps me to deepen understanding of, and forge new collaborations with, professional colleagues from around the world. Sessions can be viewed virtually, but nothing compares to being able to carry on an extended conversation with someone whose ideas help expand your thinking. Social networking helps me to maintain relationships, but meeting f2f is what expands them, turning acquaintances into friends and learning partners.

How would you have replied?

Grandparenting (inspired by various blog postings and articles shared online)
One of my chief "distractions" these days is my new granddaughter. She is surrounded by books and toys and boasts an extensive wardrobe. But, more importantly, her world is filled with people who love and cherish her. Morgan will always have literature, and technology will be part of her life; her digital footprint began when she was a tiny entity, months before her birth day. Our baby will have what she needs to survive and thrive, physically and mentally. It makes me even more aware that this is not universally the case.


Embedded Librarianship (from Facebook, Twitter, Plurk, Flickr, email)
Opportunities abound for "retired" folks like me to remain active and involved in library pursuits, both formally (collaborating on a White Paper for AASL, helping to plan Fall Forum) and informally (gathering, creating, and sharing resources for friends and colleagues on a variety of topics). I have the gift of time now, and still enjoy a reference challenge. Being a librarian is a lifetime job, and I love it!


Photography (from Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, Skype)

 Part of the aforementioned embedding is sharing my passion for photography. I've Skyped into classrooms to answer students' questions about taking, editing, and sharing photos. My Flickr tagging sometimes results in interesting interactions. I've been contacted about locating headstones in area cemeteries for amateur genealogists; fielded requests for permission to use my shots on various websites (most of my photos are Creative Commons licensed); received inquiries about my availability as a wedding photographer (that was a "no" - too much responsibility!) and a free-lance operative (maybe). Most fun of all has been hearing from "long lost" cousins on Facebook. We initially connected on the Troy, NY Memories page and have since shared information and images of our common ancestors.


Quotations (from social networking sites and Google searches)
I love a good quote, frequently pairing them with my 366 photos. So I will leave you with some thoughts about "journeys"

"It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end." -Ursula K. Le Guin

"We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls." -Anais Nin

"One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." -Henry Miller

"Not all those who wander are lost." -J. R. R. Tolkien

"Twirling Princess" by dmcordell
"Heaven: Morgan and Grandma" by dmcordell
"The Balthazard Family" by dmcordell
"Walk in the woods" by dmcordell

Inspiration for 2012

I've noticed that many of my online friends are posting inspirational quotes on this, the last day of 2011.

With that example in front of me, I've selected some guiding thoughts and reminders for 2012:

Pay Attention to the Story

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmcordell/5762598591/

"There is a way that nature speaks, that land speaks. Most of the time we are simply not patient enough, quiet enough, to pay attention to the story." -Linda Hogan

The Poetry of the Earth is Never Dead

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmcordell/5719341693/

"The poetry of the earth is never dead." -John Keats

The Fair Adventure of Tomorrow

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmcordell/5782250450/

"The day shall not be up so soon as I, To try the fair adventure of tomorrow." -William Shakespeare

In My Own Time

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmcordell/6056551063/

"Just like the butterfly, I too will awaken in my own time." -Deborah Chaskin

The Dance of Life

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmcordell/6033860528/

“The journey between who you once were, and who you are now becoming, is where the dance of life really takes place.”- Barbara De Angelis

WHEN I AM AMONG TREES

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmcordell/5215544196/

When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness,
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.

I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.

Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, "Stay awhile."
The light flows from their branches.

And they call again, "It's simple," they say,
"and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine."
-Mary Oliver

2011: My Year in Review

2011: My Year in Review

View more presentations from Diane Cordell.

Five and Ten

As I write a longer, more reflective piece about 2011, I'm pausing to note my five most read blog postings and ten most viewed photos of the past year.

I hope some of them have entertained or engaged you.

From Journeys:

May 16, 2011 Cat Among the Pigeons

A response to Seth Godin's posting, The future of the library: "Change is not only an option, change is an imperative. Don't just get your feathers ruffled: inquire, assess, learn, adapt. Evolve."

June 21, 2011 ISTE Update - Two Days to Departure

Getting ready for ISTE 2100, in Philadelphia: "I've added an exciting event to my ISTE planner: TEDxPhiladelphiaED. This (naturally) creates a conflict in my schedule, but a group of us will be leaving EduBloggerCon a bit early so that we can attend both events."

July 28, 2011 Never Underestimate...

Buffy Hamilton takes on Amazon: "Referring to the both the experience and the responses she's received, Buffy wrote this Facebook message, 'All I can say is the Amazon has truly underestimated the potential of the K12 market.' Someone in the corporate realm had better be listening."

October 16, 2011 AASL 2011 Learning Commons

Our spot to "Share, Connect, Grow" at the American Association of School Librarians conference: "The Learning Commons is the perfect venue for self-directed professional development. It's free and open to everyone at the conference. Consider the possibilities; join in the fun!"

January 22, 2011 The Power of the Product: An EduCon Conversation

Gwyneth Jones and I facilitate the creation of a crowd-sourced slideshow: "A conversation is only as 'Creative, Meaningful and Daring' as its participants. Come join us, and see what we can build together!"

From Flickr:

Looking into the Past 6/21/11
Dad took this photo of his new bride 65 years ago tomorrow, in front of the Queensbury Hotel. My parents were on the way to Montreal for their honeymoon.


Hometown Graffiti 3/20/11
Brigham Young basketball sensation [now signed as an NBA rookie with the Sacramento Kings] Jimmer Fredette has been "immortalized" on a brick wall in Glens Falls, NY, where residents take pride in the success of a local boy.


Digital Divide poster 8/07/11



The Frog Prince poster 4/27/11


Shoes of ISTE 11: Buffy Hamilton Edition 6/28/11
Librarian wardrobe essential: wedge heels with flowers - in silver, of course!


Anywhere's a Better Place to Be 8/14/11
School version.



Sunset, Dorado 3/03/11
We are in Paradise!



Good Morning, Buffy! 11/26/11
It was nice to open my morning newspaper and see a friend looking back at me.


Luscious 2/05/11
36/365 While the weather outside is frightful - sleet, ice and snow in a crazy melange - it's nice to contemplate a sweeter variety of frozen matter. This vegetable- and fruit-flavored gelato tempts shoppers in Philadelphia.



Fish Story 1/19/11
A Redeye Bass starts to show its true colors on my husband's drawing board.




To all my friends, old and new, face-to-face and virtual (but still "real")...thank you for visiting my blog. Whatever you celebrate, have a wonderful holiday!

The Start of a Journey

I've been home for a few days now, and the ideas and insights generated from EduCon 2.3 are starting to jell in my mind. Reflection is an important component of the education process, so here are some random thoughts I'd like to share.

Sessions
Aside from one presentation that was perilously close to "sit and git," the scheduled sessions were interactive and inspiring. These events are meant to be conversations, and their leaders acted more as facilitators than as experts. Although there is sometimes the hero-worship factor, "Wow, I'm sitting here listening to that Twitter star ________," once things get rolling, there is an ongoing dialogue that energizes everyone in the room. Strangers band together for quick collaborative projects and share their products eagerly. There's a brainstorming mentality: everyone learns from others' experiences and anecdotes.

Among the sessions I attended, I particularly enjoyed

• Design Thinking: 21st Century Skills for the Real World - Christian Long, David Bill, Ethan Bodnar. Participants were split into groups and guided through the process of solving a real world problem for an attendee-volunteer. The five steps - Discovery Define Brainstorm Prototype Test - can be applied to any problem; the design does not need to be for a physical space but can include learning environments as well. Christian gave us one important guideline, "You can only be wrong if you’re not listening to the client/her story."
• The Future of Student Inquiry/Research: Environmental Scanning and Scenario Building - Joyce Valenza, Gwyneth Jones, Shannon Miller. Although the three session leaders are school librarians, the conversation was inclusive of all educators. Participants collected and shared research tools, then defended their decision as to whether a statement like "Wikipedia is a good student resource" should be categorized as "Rocks" "Sucks" or "Not sure." The ensuing mini-debates challenged people to intelligently defend their choices. As with many of the session activities, this type of critical thinking exercise could easily be adapted for classroom use. I know we had fun with it!
• What's Wrong With This Picture? - Darren Kuropatwa, Dean Shareski. An introductory SlideShare was the inspiration for the activity that followed, as participants were invited to "play and learn and talk." Table mates collaborated on a photo challenge ("Create video or image that depicts something unreal, preferably with no post production") now archived in a Flickr slideshow.
• The Power of the Product: Creative, Meaningful & Daring Ways to Demonstrate Information Mastery - Gwyneth Jones, Diane Cordell. Again, two librarians facilitated a conversation for educators in general. This was my debut as a presenter at EduCon, and it was quite an exhilarating experience (thanks in large part to my partner and inspiration, the Daring Librarian). Our goal was to create our own product, a slideshow featuring less-traditional ways for students to explain and illustrate their learning. I enjoyed chatting with participants, including a group of young teachers from New York and Meenoo Rami, the founder and moderator of #engchat on Twitter. The SLA student streaming our session told me about a QR project in her English and Social Studies classes (researching Philadelphia buildings, then generating a QR code to link individual buildings with the students' information); I let her use my iPhone to scan the code on my business card so she could see and feel the scanning app in action. Gwyneth is still tidying up the slides that were created, but the finished product will be available here Additional resources can be accessed via the TL Virtual Cafe Power of the Product page.
  

Commonalities of Successful Sessions

• active
  
• interactive
• inclusive
• universal
• product-driven
  

Stories
A number of session leaders talked about "stories." Schools need to focus more on storytelling: helping students to understand stories from the past, stories from the global community and, more importantly, giving them the tools to articulate, capture, and share their own stories.


Back in the "real" world
In one sense, EduCon can be almost depressing. As Liz Davis noted in her reflective posting, My EduCon Struggle,

"While I did have a great time seeing people I only see once a year, meeting people face to face for the first time, and bringing a colleague from my school, I'm not sure what I learned. That is very difficult for me to write. I know I learn constantly and I certainly took back some good ideas. But many of the sessions, all of them well done, felt like things we have been talking about forever.

I'm tired. I'm tired of complaining about what schools aren't doing. I'm tired of lamenting what kids aren't learning. I'm tired of struggling to figure out effective professional development. I'm exhausted by the term 21st century skills."

Before my retirement, I also struggled with this. For a few days in January, it seems like you move in a bubble of excitement and optimism. Then you return to your home district, where innovation is an afterthought and no support is given to those who long for permission to tinker and create something new and meaningful for their students.

My professional response then was to chip away at the establishment, connect wherever, and however, I could with individuals, keep petitioning my administrators for more freedom, more tools, more more more. It was frustrating and largely ineffective.

Now, I believe that real reform will not come from within the system but from without. EduCon offers the opportunity to connect with innovators. This year, I've either had direct conversation about, or indirect connection to, several projects that may be game changers. I'm going to use my greatest gift, the gift of time, to contribute what I can to some of these collaborative enterprises.

EduCon is not a destination; it's the starting point of a journey.


"EduCon 2.3" by dmcordell

Reflections At the End of the Year

As the calendar year draws to a close, many bloggers are posting reflective pieces. Some people focus on achievements won or lessons learned. Others resolve to be better, stronger, more effective or more famous (because, let's face it, no one is altruistic all the time).

These past 12 months have been interesting ones for me, with some unexpected disappointments that were more than offset by surprising bonuses. There's no need to be more specific: I know I am blessed in family, friends, and the freedom to choose my own path.

Two songs drifted through my mind today, each appropriate in its own way for this pensive time of year.

Make of them what you will - they are an early Christmas gift from me to you.


John Lennon - Happy Christmas (War is Over)

"So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun"





Alanis Morissette - You Learn

"You live you learn
You love you learn
You cry you learn
You lose you learn
You bleed you learn
You scream you learn

You grieve you learn
You choke you learn
You laugh you learn
You choose you learn
You pray you learn
You ask you learn
You live you learn"

Looking Back, Looking Forward

"New Year's eve is like every other night; there is no pause in the march of the universe, no breathless moment of silence among created things that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening that come with the coming of darkness on other nights." -Hamilton Wright Mabie


During the past decade, we've had two college graduations (four, if you count our children's spouses), two weddings, two retirements, and a 35th anniversary. One very sad note was losing my dad to cancer. But he's still with us in so many ways.

In my professional life, I

• transitioned from full-time employment to semi-retirement (I miss the students and my colleagues, but oh, the joy of a self-scripted schedule!)
  
• went to my first NECC (San Antonio), AASL conference (Charlotte), and EduCon (Philadelphia)
• began blogging, tweeting, plurking, and interacting on Facebook (as @dmcordell)
  
• took my first online workshop and began a wonderful relationship with the CyberSmart! Education Company
• met some of my PLN in Real Life (the connections were immediate and immensely satisfying)
• discovered a new hobby/passion in photography
  
  

I have high expectations for 2010 and wish all of you a very Happy New Year!


Looking Back, Looking Forward created on Animoto





"cinderella" by twenty_questions

The Good, The Bad, The Extraordinary: Reflections on Rev Up Learning

"Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action." -James Levin


On Sunday, I returned home from Charlotte, NC, where I attended the AASL's national conference, Rev Up Learning.

I was a first time attendee and a member of Joyce Valenza's Geek Squad. Here are my impressions of the whole experience.

The Good

• meeting some of my online friends and connecting with them on a deeper, more personal level
  
• becoming acquainted with librarians from around the country...making new friends
• participating in the Unconference, headquartered in the Bloggers' Cafe area
  
• enjoying the sights - and tastes! - of Charlotte, most within easy walking distance of my hotel and the Conference Center
• having access to a treasure trove of sessions to choose from. The ones I attended, particularly Joyce Valenza's 2.o Learning Tools Smackdown and Buffy Hamilton's Not Just Another Brick in the Wall, were entertaining and provided valuable content
  
• listening to keynote speakers, danah boyd, James Patterson, and Marco Torres, who were inspired and inspiring

The Bad

• Internet connectivity was erratic and unreliable. Presenters were frequently unable to demonstrate key sites with a resultant lack of interactivity for the audience.
  
• the Bloggers' Cafe was tucked away out of sight (though we got the word out, and attendance was large and enthusiastic).
• the Celebrate Conference for new attendees was poorly handled. There were separate lines for getting validated and entering the room, and it was obvious that hundreds of eager newcomers would be turned away, disappointed.
  
• the Learning Times site did not function as promised. Those of us with blogging privileges were occasionally unable to post; visitors to the home page could not always view promised resources.
• some content was not available to non-attendees and non-members.

The Extraordinary

• the Geek Squad modeled those frequently touted "21st century skills": lifelong learning, effective information management, collaboration, creation of content. We talked the talk, then walked the walk. Through impromptu presentations and one-to-one mini tutorials, we reached out to colleagues and extended our own learning.
• when the official site had problems, an unofficial alternative space was created and shared
• many presenters added their handouts and slideshows to the Unconference wiki, in the true spirit of advancing knowledge

Overall, I consider my first AASL conference experience to have been a valuable one. In the future, I hope our organization will recognize and actively seek the input of its members, in both the planning and implementation of these gatherings. Some day, perhaps, the Conference will morph into something more akin to the Unconference.

For now, we have the opportunity to reflect on an experience that was mainly positive, and help move it in the direction of greatness.






"What is the good of experience if you do not reflect." -Frederick The Great

"Change is the end result of all true learning." -Leo Buscaglia

On the Occasion of my 200th Blog Posting

I wrote and posted my first blog entry on June 4, 2007. Re-reading that naive and hopeful little essay reminds me how far I've come and how much farther I still hope to travel.

My academic goals seem almost laughable: none of the technologies I envisioned using are in place. The best I could do for my students was to enroll them in a district-endorsed Blackboard account. All interactive sites are blocked (including PB wiki), YouTube is inaccessible, student email accounts, even those spun off of a teacher account, are forbidden. We are 19th century citizens of a 21st century world.

Personally, blogging has been an unqualified success. It provides an outlet for creative expression, a venue for professional reflection, and a connective conduit to people from around the globe.

I'm too impatient to wait until June to post this celebratory blog, so there will be a separate "Blog Birthday" message then.

Today, I decided to spotlight some of my own personal favorites from the 200.

Sentimental (tie)
Four Weddings
She Never Existed Before: Mother's Day 2008

Nostalgic (3-way tie)
Happy Birthday to Me!
My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Age of Aquarius

Shortest
W00t!

Best (and only) Guest Posting
Fly on Your Heavy Feet

Most Popular
I'm Nobody! Who Are You?
Why Would You Want to Do This?
The Student Voice
Something of Value

Most Creative
The Bloggers

Best Images - Summer
Nature's Peace

Best Images - Autumn
In October

Most Deeply Felt
Stars were with me most of all


Thank you all for sharing this Journey with me.





“200” by xiaming

A Barge Made of Ice

"If you're on thin ice, you might as well dance." –Unknown

For the second time this week, my school district has closed because of icy roads and unsafe weather conditions. So before the power lines come down and my computer winks off, I'd like to share a few random thoughts inspired by ice.

"When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at twenty, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch the waves of optimism, there is hope you may die young at eighty." -Samuel Ullman

Lifelong learning is a necessary choice in the 21st century, where technology, education, business, and society are in a constant state of flux. New tools offer the unexpected option to interact as an equal with virtual colleagues from all demographics without encountering prejudgment based on age or appearance. Only the vigor of your words reflects your "age".

Last night Carolyn Foote, Clay Burell, and I exchanged lines from favorite poems via Twitter. Scott Schwister has invented a new poetic form, Twitku, to fit the compressed yet eloquent Twitter format.

Long before any of us were born, Samuel Ullman retired from a successful business career and reflected on a lifetime of fearless activism in his poem, "Youth". An early 20th century man with a 21st century mindset, Ullman inspired both General Douglas MacArthur, during WWII, and the Japanese citizens struggling to rebuild their lives and country after that same war:

"Whether seventy or sixteen, there is in every being’s heart a love of wonder;
the sweet amazement at the stars and starlike things and thoughts;
the undaunted challenge of events,
the unfailing childlike appetite for what comes next,
and the joy in the game of life.
You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt;
as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear,
as young as your hope, as old as your despair."

"When I go out on the ice, I just think about my skating. I forget it is a competition."
-Katarina Witt

Although the drive to succeed is often a powerful motivator, the collaborative spirit is a vital component of the new millennium. A teacher in Maryland can set up an online resource for teachers, be actively promoted by a virtual colleague in another state and gather contributers from around the world. Information is freely shared, credit is given where due, and everyone benefits. A successful workshop or conference conducted by one member of the community is praised and endorsed by all. New voices are encouraged, invited to step into, even usurp, the spotlight. Everyone shares, everyone benefits. We are focused on the "ice" (educational outcome) rather than the competition.


"My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it's on your plate -- that's my philosophy." -Thornton Wilder

Ice in its domesticated incarnation is ice cream. While it's impossible to live entirely in the moment, an occasional stop to smell the roses, or eat the ice cream, is not only permissable but mandatory for good mental health.


So today I will do a little work, enjoy some "fun books", catch up on Reader and Twitter, and eat some ice cream.

“We are afloat
On our dreams as on a barge made of ice,
Shot through with questions and fissures of starlight
That keep us awake, thinking about the dreams
As they are happening. Some occurrence. You said it.” -John Ashbery

"c-c-c-chilly" by time stands still