LETS DO THIS!

I sit snuggled up under the blankets, coffee cup in one hand, one finger peck typing a post with the other.  This is my last day. This is my last day of summer.

My summers have changed over the years from the one before kids supplied with endless me time and no schedule to follow to the exhausting ones when my daughters were young to the ones now full of activity, play and jam packed memories.

My summers as an educator have been equally as different.  Some have been spent full of creating, making new lessons, building new units, others have been quiet with little time spent on anything school, still others have been spent packed full of summer projects and working with peers on projects.

None of those summers have been quite like this one.

I had no goals going into this summer, no projects to work on, no summer projects to work on, no extra meetings to attend and yet as I look back on my summer, never before have I collected, soaked up, +Evernote ‘d, pinned, talked to other educators, collaborated and learned SO MUCH!

From…

Information flowed in on +Twitter and +Google+  supplying me with links, pictures, ideas, news and resources to

Pinterest decorated my screen with resources, activities and strategies to

+Google+  Communities offered me an opportunity to share what I had learned with others and see what others were trying to

+Google Hangouts  Hangouts transported me to a world of online education as I watched, participated, shared, was inspired and learned from the +The EdReach Network  to

I even went to +Edmodocon  in my pajamas. I listened to amazing teachers share their tools, techniques, strategies, ideas via live video and tweeted ideas I liked, how they inspired me and “talked” to teachers from around the country about it …

As I head back into the classroom I am more inspired and filled then ever before.

I am inspired to take more risks, push more limits, bring even more awesomeness out of my students and share even more about what students can do with technology.  I am filled with ideas, eager to try them as they dangle and wait teasing me….try me, try me.

I am just so excited that I am filled with an energy and eagerness that I just can’t help but stand up from my seat, make a fist, pump it and shout from the top of my lung…”Lets Do This!!!!”

My “Lets Do This” List for 2013-2014
(ideas, strategies, tools I can wait to try)
  • Use +Subtext  to differentiate and improve accessibility 
  • Use +Flipboard  to make projects, to collect, share and organize information 
  • Improve my students use of +Edmodo
  • Create an +Edmodo group to share classroom going ons with parents that ALL parents are a member of
  • Make +SymbalooEDU our classroom app
  • Use +SymbalooEDU  to organize information (videos) to share with students
  • Utilize some of the new apps in +Edmodo  to optimize it as a tool for us
  • Add to my library of Portable Lessons
  • Improve my student communication with +Google Hangouts 
  • Hold 3-4 “Technology for Parents” Sessions this school year
  • Pair up with 1-2 staff members this year: show them the awesomeness of some of these tools, help them see how they can use them in their classrooms and work with them to implement them in their classrooms
  • Develop/Find consistent tool that is available for daily drill and practice of basic skills my students need consistent practice  
  • Implement 20% Time (Genius Hour) in my Language Arts class
  • Continue to be an almost completely paperless classroom
  • Increase and improve communication with the teaching assistants I work with through simple to use, efficient technology (not sure what that is yet?!)
What are we waiting for!  
Bring it 2013 School Year…

Francine Cooks: The Parlor

FrancineCooksPOSTTitleOnce upon a time there were two little girls. One was a little sister and one was a big sister.

“Who’s up for ice cream?” The little sister shouted.

And the big sister said, ” OOO OOO! Lets go to the ice cream parlor.”

They were all going to the ice cream parlor.

“Lets go in and have some ice cream,” the big sister said.

“OOO OOO I want strawberry ice cream said the little sister!” Said the little sister

The big sister said,” I want chocolate ice cream.”

The little sister shouted, ” Lets sit down and eat our ice cream!”

They were having fun eating their ice cream. The little sister thought, why don’t we go to the park. So the big sister said,” Why not little sis.”

They walked to the park. When they got there they had fun and played. When it was dinner time they went home to eat and they said,” why don’t we go to the ice cream parlor again tomorrow!” The little sister said,” yeeppie yeeppie!” The little sister thought it was a great idea.

So they went back to the ice parlor the next day. They got four ice creams. There was one for the little sisters mom and one for the little sisters dad. the little sister and the big sister had their own ice cream to eat too. The whole enjoyed the ice cream!

The End

Mommy Disclaimer….All the words and the ideas are completely Francine’s. I only helped with the typing, formatting, spelling and with Photoshopping the pictures. By writing her stories Francine hopes that other “kids” will learn to cook up ideas just like her!
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Talking To Strangers: BlogHer2013 Table of One

The hall where we were going to eat the first day was HUGE. So HUGE the energy fills you up, but too many tables to scan to find a familiar face or even new friends we had met and it leaves you linking…oh my lawrdy!

“There’s a table,” Kim said “Let’s go sit there!”

“Ok,” I smile and breath in deep summoning bravery to meet another new person.

We were trying to stretch out our comfort zones so we each sat on one side of her, not able to rely only on each other. We introduced ourselves. We made small talk. She was just finishing up her lunch and waiting for an appointment. Her gaze into the empty space in front of her told me her mind was somewhere else, preparing for what was to come. Soon two lovely women with big warm, smiles and a midwestern vibe sat next to us. Their smiles invited us into the conversation. It really was impossible not to talk to them. Then as quickly as they could share where they were from blogging worked it’s magic in just the way it it does unveiling that Kim, Dawn and Cathy were from exactly the same area, minutes away from each other to be exact.

“Can I sit here?” a voice comes from my left.

I look up to see young woman with a friendly and a laid back warmth.

“Sure” “Yes!” “Sit”, come from all the ladies at the table.

She sat.

We ate.

I checked to see what Kim was doing and smiled as she as she laughed and talked with the two women she had connected with.

“So how do you like BlogHer so far,”the young woman asked.

I told her about the two sessions I had been to, the energy and all the wonderful people we had met so far.

“What about you?” I asked hoping to learn more about her.

“I’m here representing a company, Find & Save. I don’t actually have a blog but after all these amazing stories I’ve heard here, it makes me want to start one,” she finishes with a smile and a long pause.

“Blogging is one of the most amazing things I have done. It has giving me a voice I never knew I had. It allowed me to meet and get to know the most fantastic woman. It’s incredible!”

“Oh I don’t know,” she answered looking down her food.

I pause and think maybe you overdid it. My passion is thick…or maybe just maybe that isn’t a look of no, but look I don’t know.

I smile at her and softly say, “You know you can be whoever you want online (and I shared my story). You can be and talk about whatever you want.”

“I don’t know,” she says.

“Start by writing about something simple… a trip to the park and then keep writing until you find your stories, your own voice.”.

We finish our food and it is time for Kim and me to leave.

My thoughts pause for a second…I wonder?! Should I?? So I take a deep breath and smile at her again, get up from my chair and walk over to her.

Kneeling down next to where she is sitting I look up to her and say, “Email me if you have any questions at all. How to get started, how to set up things, anything. I would love to help you with any questions you have. I mean it!” I smile again.

Taking the escalator down to the buses I smile at Kim.

“I’m ready. I’m going to do it! I was talking to that woman about starting a blog. It energizes me. It reminded me…again…. how much I love creating for others, talking to and working with someone until I am able to take their vision, mold it, bring the best out of them and make it oozz and shout who they are. I love it!!” I tell Kim (she listens, smiles and nods with a familiar duh! Laverne…I already knew that. Happy you could finally join me).

From that table of one a brand new confidence was found (I know…another…I can’t help it!). With a portfolio I am proud of, experience that makes me confident in what I can create, the nudge (who am I kidding it a full on shove) of several dear friends and that single conversation I am finally going to do it! I am going to open my very own Estys shop and really make my graphic designing a business. So with another reason to hold my head a little higher and my shoulders back a little stronger I am slowly working toward the goal of having the shop up and running by the beginning of the year.

Watch out Estys here comes Heck Awesome!!!!

EstyorBust

 

There is more to come….

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Talking to Strangers: BlogHer 2013 Discovering a New Inner Beauty

My husband barely stopped the car as I jumped out of the it at American Airlines terminal three.  I could hardly stand to surprise her by meeting her to help her with her bags.  I really couldn’t stand waiting to hug her and see her for real…in real life…standing in front of me!  I walked through the electric doors and scanned the baggage claim for baggage claim nine.  There it was.  There she was.  Jeans, long hair and a cute top.  Was that her? Should I sneak up behind her and squeeze her, because did I say I could hardly stand the wait.  What if it wasn’t her?  Also, do I really want to freak her out, the woman is going to spend four days in a hotel room with me.  I walked toward her and just as I was deciding to or not to surprise her from behind I turned to the right and spied a striking red haired, caribbean sea blue eyed beauty… GEEEEEEEE! KIM! KIM! {Hug} {Hug} {Hug} {Hug} {Hug} {Hug} I had finally, finally after two years (or is it three…I lost count) of getting to know her, learning from her, admiring her strength and growing with her during her blog facelift journey and then texting and FaceTime friendship…my goodness I was finally meeting her!!!!

Photo Aug 02, 8 13 06 PM

From that moment on two woman with a love for talking without waiting for a breath were each others wing woman, cheerleaders, the uhuh in each others extroverted problem solving session.   Our days at BlogHer were part local foods and enjoying local beer, part attending inspiring, go for it, dream big, take big risks sessions and part napping (seriously after amazing days and night of parties parties, then talking until 1 AM…2 AM…talking until we can’t stay awake anymore it’s exhausting!)

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Putting the finishing touches on my eye liner I stopped to make sure my line was smooth and a reflection caught my attention. The sparkle of my favorite sparkle top I wore. I smiled.  I added the finishing touches to my eyeliner and put on my lipstick. I stepped back to take a look at myself and smiled again. I was ready for a fashion show.  I sat on my bed as Kim finished blow drying her hair.  This was our last night of BlogHer and still, even after all that we had done and learned together I had no idea the biggest lessons I would learn at BlogHer would come at the Fashion Show and the simplest words.

Decked out in our sparkle tops, our favorite pants and heels as high as we could stand for the night (trying to wear cute, trendy foot wear and stand all night… it hurts! Bad!) We sat four rows back,  giddy about our good seats and about the fashion show.  In between my spew of the random shhtuff I know (long story…I’ll explain later) about bloggers we saw, tweets, giggles,  Kim’s night at the Roxbury sideways head bobs to the music playing and one of my hundreds of  “You know Kim…I think I…”  she leaned toward me, smiled and whispered softly looking me right in the eyes, “It’s always been there. You just believe it now.”

Days of learning to hold my head high and my shoulders back…

Days of learning (forcing myself) to make eye contact with strangers and smile…

Days of taking deep breaths and having conversations (wonderful ones…yes, another story) with strangers and not puking or dying in in nerves or failure…

Days of working on owning who I was and what made me me…

Days of talking to her non-stop (shut up! I told you I talked a lot but seriously Kim did a damn good job of keeping up… that girl can talk too!!!) being embraced for all of me…

…allowed me to finally truly love me and all the beauty I have inside.

So as I adjust to real life again and my BlogHer hangover has passed I find that ! have changed.  I carry myself differently.  My shoulder go back a little more when I walk,  I make eye contact and smile at strangers and friends more then before,  instead of shying away from conversations I jump in knowing I have something to offer and I walk a little taller.

All because a friend reminded me that “it” was always there!

It’s All About the Pie

Pie hole…

It is the “it” word in our house.

A word passed on from father to daughters.

A word that my daughters strive to use correctly but some how fail multiple times per day…much to our entertainment.

So what was it…how does the saying go?

Put pizza in your pie hole

Put pie in your pie hole

Put a pie hole in your pie hole

Put lips in your pie hole

…noooooo those are’t it!

How about these?

PIEHOLE2

PieWhole1

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Talking to Strangers: BlogHer 2013 A Four Part Series Because Just One Post Wouldn’t Do

TalkingToStrangersI’ve been talking to strangers for a long time here. It is no mystery to me the impact people I have met in this space and in social media have had on my life….treasured and unforgettable. On Wednesday July 24th2013 I headed to the largest blogging conference in the world. Suddenly many of the strangers that are friends would suddenly become real people (they’ve always been real people…now they’d be here in front of me in the flesh), in real life. Suddenly, I would be surrounded by other bloggers I know from their twitter or Facebook picture or from a post I read in passing. Suddenly, I would be surrounded by a whole heck of a lot of strangers! In real life stranger!

I have struggled to write my recap of BlogHer…hello it’s been three days…five days…oh my lawrdy too many days and I had nothing. Sure I had plenty of ideas floating around in my head but I could not come up with a way to tell you about it all without a long, very long, very very long post that was certain to leave you…zzzzz. So while I brainstormed and wrote rough drafts of my post (aka chat on twitter, catch up on others on Facebook, heart other fun fabulous pics on Instagram) I was suddenly inspired. Who said my recap had to be just one post? Did it have to be a recap? Did it have to be just one post and then a wise friend’s words found me…”because I’m the boss that’s why” and well because I do thing better when I do things my way!

Starting next Tuesday and then every Tuesday for the next three weeks I will be Talking to Strangers Laverne style…

Tuesday #1: Discovering A New Inner Beauty

Tuesday #2: A Table of One

Tuesday #3: A Cat, A Dog, A Pitch… Oh My

Tuesday #4: Random Shtuff I Learned

I hope you will join me the next four Tuesdays to hear the story behind each Talking to Strangers moment at BlogHer 2013!

TalkingtoStrangers2