On Getting my Life Back....

AHHHHHHHH...... yes, I see the light at the end of the tunnel and it's shining brightly. After spending most of my vacation week and two 14 hour work at home days, the ASSessment is done! (At least what I could do at home.) I still have some activities to do with the kids at school this week, then I'll gladly pack the binders up and ready them for UPS pickup.

So, now that the HUGE monkey is off my back, I can focus on moving forward. I've been thinking about which direction I want to go in terms of my whole brand and new media presence and have spoken to someone that I trust about revamping my site(s). That is definitely a priority at this point and will get the ball rolling for other changes coming down the pike.

During an evening of chatting with Chris Penn about a variety of things, the convo turned to the social media circles and I mentioned that there were sooo many things cropping up and that living in this world takes up time. He said something very profound which made me sit up and think:

"Just don't get too caught up in it. We spend a lot of time learning the tools of social media without DOING something with them."

So, that's it... not just spending time playing and meeting people, which is fun and nice, but to use them to work towards our goals. Trouble is, when you're not really sure where it is you want to ultimately end up. For me, my initial foray into the online world and community began as a Patriots Super-Fan but there is so much more out there and so much more that I'm interested in.

• Yes, I'm intending on continuing to use new media to move forward with my Patriots passion, but there's always that fine line that I walk between wanting to take it to the next media level and remaining "The Fan".
  
• I'm a Special Educator, and love what I do. Unlike many in the podcasting community, I don't share their aspirations of "quitting the day job". Of course, this may have to do with the fact that the Pats Passion which fuels my podcast is a past-time and hobby, while I love working with my students and if I HAVE to work, there is nothing else I'd rather do. (Of course, if I didn't have to work, I would be home in a minute, but that's not even a realistic thought.)
• I LOVE podcasting and the community itself. However, having a podcast about the Pats requires ample time in the Patriots community as well. Time that I used to spend hanging with Pats people in the forums and chats, is now shared (and at times replaced) with time hanging with the podcast/new media community folks.
  

• I still plan on starting a non-sports related podcast and it's just a matter of getting a chunk of time to get it up and running.
• Of course, I'm learning about the technology as I go along, as I'm a geek world "new blood". (I've been a book nerd my whole life, but fairly new into the tech world, so every day is a learning experience for me.)
  

So, where am I going? What direction am I taking this? What am I going to DO with it? Steve Garfield has some ideas on this subject as well Thing is... I love many things but they're not necessarily related... Yes, they are all tied together through this new media world but there are just so many hours in each day and we've just one life to live. I guess time will tell....

Btw.... just 37 days of school left so I'm REALLY going to get my life back soon!

Technorati: assessment, Chris+Penn, Steve+Garfield, Autism Podcast, patriots, brand

In My Language...

Having two Autistic students who are new to public school this year, I've been literally trying to absorb as much knowledge about Autism as I can in order to understand them and meet their needs. I've come across this amazing You Tube Video on several blogs (beginning with Chris Brogan) across the net and it's completely floored me. Amanda presents with multiple self-stimulatory behaviors that I see on a daily basis in my classroom. As I watched and got to the second half, my jaw dropped. Watch all the way through and you'll see why.





I don't think I'll ever look at my boys in the same way again. Granted, not all non-verbal Autistic people are capable of such eloquent language and cognition varies from child to child, but I'll not take anything for granted. Obviously, Amanda Baggs has an extensive vocabulary and supreme intellect and she is not representative of all non-verbal Autistic people, but had she not gotten her hands on a keyboard, we might never know.

I've just discovered this remarkable woman and have yet to read anything else yet, but have subscribed to and will read her blog Ballastexistenz.

I've also been a subscriber to Autismpodcast since it's inception and find it very helpful and enjoyable. It's a nice blend of personal experience (Michael Boll has an autistic son), expert advice and roundtable discussions. As a member of The Autism Project of RI, I'll be attending various trainings over the next few months and reading everything I can on the Autism Spectrum... man... going to need that 25th hour!

Link to all of Amanda's videos.

Technorati Tags: autism communication language video Amanda+Baggs
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