Who Choreographs Your Happy Dance?

So, when you break into your happy dance, who has choreographed your moves?  Was it you? Or....are you waiting on the actions and decisions of someone else to make you "bust a move"?  Observation yields the following: In the day-to-day of relationships, career/work, spirituality, etc. there are the people who are inventing the new moves, and those who are following the lead of someone else and....unfortunately, the wallflowers who haven't stepped onto the dance floor!

So, when it comes to life, which are you?  Are you making deliberate choices that put you in control of your own happiness? Are you surrounding yourself with others who are doing the same?  Do you find yourself in the middle of a daily line-dance of  happy, positive people? We are out there....those of us who don't wait for someone else to take the lead....heck, most times we don't even wait for the music to start...we are dancing...join us!

And So It Grows.....

I haven't posted about PLNs in a while, but recent events have me thinking about their power again. At this particular time Twitter is my PLN vehicle of choice.  Why? Because it is a 140 character or less synopsis of the who/what/when/where and how of my fellow educators at a moment in time. Their posts may be exactly what I am looking for or may lead me to something that I didn't even know I needed (or existed)!!!

Sometimes my connections are purposeful.  I go looking for people who fill a certain need for me or I respond to people who need something I have to give.  But the real gems are those connections that happen completely by accident.  That's my most recent experience.....

I mentioned in a previous post that I had taken the ThingLink Teachers Challenge.  The facilitator for that event is Susan Oxnevad ‏@soxnevad. She's my most recent "gem."  If you go poking around the who/what/when/where and how of Susan you will discover why I have given her that label.  The knowledge, information and skills she has to share are incredible.

I hope you have a PLN and I hope it is providing you with the support that you need.  Check out Susan and the Thinglink Challenge if you need a kick-start.... you will be glad you did!

Susan's Cool Tools Blog

Accepting the Challenge

I recently accepted the Thinglink Teacher Challenge! This challenge is a professional development opportunity that has been joined by 300+ educators thus far.  I have used Thinglinks for several months and have made quite a few for students and teachers.  I wondered if accepting this challenge would actually provide me any new knowledge....well, it has already....just in week one!

This served to remind me that challenging myself, even in things I THINK I already know, results in personal or professional growth, the acquisition of new skills and a shift in mindset!

If we could just keep that attitude......accept the challenge....have a mindset that we WILL learn something new then we will....just like I did in week one!

I'm ready....let the learning continue!