Just yesterday, I had started on a 6 week journey of Reflective Writing Club. The final prompt is reflection on our passage.
My goal for participating in the reflective writing club were:
- To grow as a person and an educator
- Connect with colleagues and learn from them
- Challenge myself and share my ideas with peers
What have I learned from it? Have I achieved my goals?
Six week may seem like a long time, but for me it passed before I can blink. Yes, I did achieve each of this goals a little. I visited many of my colleagues blogs and gain insights from their knowledge and am learning to integrate technology with sound education. I am able to connect with wonderful Sheri Edwards and always graceful Laura Gibbs to name a few. I realized that I have a lot of ideas and yet struggle with deadlines.
Over the six weeks, I found out that I am spending way too long time forming and publishing my posts. At times, I looked at the prompt and over thought my responses. to meet the deadlines, I need to have better plan and time management. I am a new blogger. Experience, being comfortable in my skin, learning about new techniques and applying them to my posts will help me. Baby Steps is the name of the game here. I also need to know when to tweak the plan and get similar reason. e.g., while writing Does My Mother Knows My Despair? I was trying to add a picture with text. I spend almost two hours on learning about it. I have still not got hold of it. Rather than spending any more time on it, I decided to modify my plan and added the poem as document in the post. In nutshell, I need to
Sometimes, reading the post from my peers was like looking in the mirror of my thoughts; they had written exactly what I was writing. Then I wrassle with Do I scrap my post? Do I continue? At other times, my colleagues had a different way to look at the same prompt. Who knew a prompt for unplugging can be responded to as un-driving but Laura Gibbs did just that and in the process taught us a thing or two. I learned that
Overall, I enjoyed the experience. I am looking forward to other professional development from @One.
Are you participating in Reflective Writing Club? Another challenge? What are your thoughts on it?
#CCCWrite
Oh, this is so great, Purviben: this is great advice to share with my students, who are finding their way as bloggers in my class too, and I know that they struggle with some of these things too, like overthinking their posts. Every day in the announcements I share a little “success tip” so I am going to go add items to my success tip list now so that the students in my class can get the benefit of your reflections here. And here’s a fun graphic: https://goo.gl/eWyvcs
Laura,
Thank you^mil for being you.
I just visited your blog and shared one of your posts 69 Rules of Punctuation on twitter. I had forgotten about my other twitter account and was pleasantly surprised when you linked to it.
Peace in Learning.
Purviben
Congratulations! These are wonderful outcomes. For me, I always value seeing my thoughts reflected in those of others. It helps me understand how connected we are, when I often feel the opposite. I’m grateful that you took the leap and participated! I am also very grateful to Laura and Sheri, who have been such great community leaders.
Looking forward to having you in more @ONE offerings.
Michelle
Michelle,
Thanks for this beautiful opportunity.
I still need to press post on two of my posts. I should have done by the end of the day today.
Joining the reflective writing club has provided me with an opportunity to connect with so many peers. I call it small group Conferencing and PLN.
I am looking forward to joining more one offerings.
Purviben
I’ve never been part of a writing club where I met physically with others. I think I would like it if I could find anyone around who would do it. I’ve been writing with other bloggers for a long time now and love the community that forms.
I think overthinking is the killer of most inspiration for bloggers. Sometimes we just need to get things written down. I would tell my students that, but sometimes would forget my own advice.
Deb,
It is a good idea to have a shoutout for bloggers to write at a physical location.
What do you think of Write-meet where we arrange to write at the same time but at our own place?
BTW, How is Chloe with Mom & Dad’s return? Is she running rounds around you?
Best wishes.
Purviben
This is a great reflective post. I like how you’ve pulled out a variety of things that you’ve learned and highlighted them in yellow text boxes. It’s a good way to break up the text visual and pop out the main ideas. I agree with so much of what you said here, and I’m intrigued by the idea of a Reflective Writing Club (Note to self: find time to visit that link later). Happy writing!
Molly,
Thanks.
BTW, you brought me to another time & world while I was reading your
A Brenton Memory Slice
For a second, I thought I wa in Hobbit world or a storybook. Beautiful, enchantic pictures with equally heart tugging story.
Best Wishes.
Purviben
Laura,
Thank you^mil for being you.
I just visited your blog and shared one of your posts
a =href69 Rules of Punctuation on tweeter.
I had forgotten about my other tweeter account and was pleasantly surprized when you linked to it.
Peace in Learning.
Purviben
That infographic is one of my all-time favorites! I try to collect lots of beautiful and/or funny punctuation things for my students so that it becomes something to really think about… not just something that’s confusing or annoying. 🙂
Laura,
Mine too. Do you think we need to come up with one in different race / muscle cars for boys too 🙂 May be then boys will read and learn the rules. May be we can put them under the hood. over the rim of tire…
On a different thought, let them admire the beautiful flowers as well, ya?
Purviben