Intentional Summer Posting Plans

This isn’t going to be much of a blog post. Sorry to disappoint right at the outset. I am intentionally posting this for two reasons. One – I need to set my thinking straight before I begin what I hope will be several blog posts in the next couple of weeks, and two – I need a bit of a disclaimer for those few who do happen into this space so they will know exactly where my delayed and scattered topics are coming from. Phil Macoun recently reminded me of the importance of intentionality in a recent post of his, so I’m approaching blogging this summer with that mindset.

Last summer, I purposefully engaged in a detour from work, or, more specifically, a summer detour in the form of a what I called my ‘detour bag‘. This summer I feel that I’m finally beyond the bulk of the processing about my Masters degree and I’d like to do some professional development over the summer. More specifically, I’d like to blog and re-acquaint myself with all those wonderful people who originally pushed my thinking way back when I started all this online pro-d years ago.

I have various blog posts cooking in my head and in half-written posts waiting for that publish button to be clicked. I will, however, honor my family as my first priority this summer so I’m not sure how much flow and continuity I’ll be able to create with my blog posts. I’ll be spending most of my days biking, hanging out at the lake, watching movies and attempting to fill the stomachs of my always-hungry boys. I do though, feel a need to read others’ posts, comment, write my own posts, and release thoughts out of my head to clarify. Here’s a list of what I intend to write about in the coming weeks:

  • my own blog post inspired by Michelle Baldwin’s recent post, No More Rock Stars
  • reflections on TEDxWestVancouverED
  • thoughts about my first edcamp, #edcampwest at UVIC
  • the Edmedia experience, including presenting in a lecture theatre, the Darth Fiddler experience and seeing/meeting the brilliant Helen Keegan
  • the past school year and how being a former high school art teacher helped me figure out my grade five students
  • the past school year and the incredible results of the inquiry project
  • the past school year and being a mentor x3
  • next steps and new changes in the Elementary Connected Classrooms project
  • saying good-bye to a great principal, waiting to say hello to a new one and welcoming back a former mentor

Now that I’ve written the list, that’s a rather intimidating goal to work towards while I’m supposed to be hanging out with family and enjoying downtime! It also speaks to how much has happened in the last ten months and makes me understand the need to unpack it all.

Now if I only had an iPad so I could blog while relaxing at the lake…

Windy day complete with waves splashing onto the shore.

Windy day complete with waves splashing onto the shore.

Photo by me.

6 thoughts on “Intentional Summer Posting Plans

  1. Hi Errin,
    I like that you’ve planned out what you would like to blog about this summer. I’ve neglected my blog this year, and keep feeling like I need to get back to it, but it feels overwhelming. Setting up a plan like you have sounds like a great first step. Good luck with your summertime blogging and relaxing; I look forward to reading your posts!

    • Thanks Claire! I want to blog this summer – it’s the only professional, work-related thinking I’ll allow myself to do – but I knew I’d need a push to get going!! I figured being accountable would be the best way to push myself to get the writing done!

      Thanks again for stopping by and happy summer holidays to you!

  2. Hi Errin,

    What a great list! I, too, have so many things I want to catch up on blogging about – including TEDxWestVancouver, ConnectEdCA and others. I just feel it might be too late to reflect on those things that happened what seems like so long ago.

    I look forward to your posts to come!
    Tia

    • Hi Tia! Interesting that you mentioned something that I thought about today. I was thinking about a blog post (TEDxWestVanEd actually!) and I thought to myself, it’s been too long to post about it. I immediately thought about the saying ‘hindsight is 20/20’. And then I thought about all the stories I’ve shared here and in other places that were really old, and how good it felt to finally get them out of my head and written down!

      While I do think it would have been much more timely to blog immediately after the actual events, for a number of reasons, in my reality I simply could not. But the stories of those events in my head are still bursting to come out! It will be interesting to see what stayed firmly implanted in my memory, even after some time has passed by!!

  3. Hi Errin,

    This is fun. You have inspired me to make a list of topics to blog about as well. Like you there are a bunch of 1/2 formed blog posts in my brain and it would be good to get them out of there. I’m particularly looking forward to hearing your thoughts about EdCamp and learning from you about Inquiry.

    • Hi Phil! The biggest challenge to all those posts, I’m now realizing, is finding quality time to write now that summer is in full swing! The other thing that I’m realizing is that my writing process seems very different without a superimposed schedule or routine dictated by work. I’m letting my brain wander around. It’s interesting and proving to be a learning experience all on its own!

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