What May Come

2011 is a year full of optimism, opportunity, and potential. I've struggled to make myself a regular participant of the blogging world. While I have hope that I can do better, I know my life makes it impossible at times to keep up. January is no exception.

I like Saturday mornings for looking through all the posts on my Google Reader, updating my To Do list, and taking notes and making plans with all the great information and ideas I've read. And lastly, most sparsely, I sometimes update my blog.

Here are some goals I've already set for myself this year, as well as some upcoming activities that are going to keep me busy:

1. Goodreads Reading Challenge - I challenged myself to read at least 50 books this year. I had initially set my goal for 75, but I didn't think that was a realistic, attainable goal. There are only 51.2 weeks in a year; I'd have to finish more than one book each week to accomplish that goal. If I read more than 50, sweet; if I only read 50, I am still successful.
2. Read 10 Non-Fiction titles in 2011 - I got this idea from Beth @ PointsWest. I don't read enough non-fiction, and I'm not talking about professional books on education. I want to read biographies, histories, amazing facts, etc. I want to learn about more than how to be a great teacher.
3. I'm participating in MotherReader's Comment Challenge 2011 - If I want to take blogging more seriously and make a real effort to exist in the blogosphere, then I need to start putting myself out there. Let's be honest. I've not had a single comment on this blog since I first revamped it in 2009. Pathetic.
4. At the beginning of February, I'm attending the FETC technology conference in Orlando. Our middle school classrooms became one-to-one classrooms this year thanks to the generous donation of a friend of our school's company. It completely changes the pedagogy of the classroom. Our reading classrooms have begun using Goodreads as a way to discuss and share our reading. For the first time, we are also using NoodleTools to instruct and let students write research papers. And the coolest thing that's happened with technology this year is students are bringing their e-readers in for independent reading. They are reading more simply because they have a cool new toy to do it on.
5. For three Saturdays, two this month and one in February, I will be participating in my college alma mater's education program's grant project. It's called a Democracy Lab. I'm not quite sure what's in store for me there, except that I will be spending the bulk of my Saturday morning and afternoon at JU, and will be presenting something to my co-educators at work. Hopefully, I will be getting some valuable, if not useful, information out of this program. And the most exciting part of this prospect? They are going to pay me to participate AND give me some money to use for my classroom. I'm in!

I'm off now to work on my goals: comment on four more blogs, finish reading The Dead-Tossed Waves, write a blog about the upcoming Newbery Award, and a "Just Finished" review on The Forest of Hands and Teeth.