Finally I am back in ...

Well it has been a long 2 years.

After trying a number of times to first locate the sign in information for this blog and then trying to work out a way of linking or combining or 'something' numerous 'google' accounts and log ins so I can once again POST here ....

I have done it!

I found the original log in details and opened them in another web brower.

I then sent an invitation  to myself (under different log in details) to be an author.

Accepted that in the different web brower - then back to the other web brower to also make me admin.

AND SO --   maybe 2015 will the year of regular posts and updates.

One thing I have learnt is never give up and keep on going back to things because eventually you will find a way to make it work.

Hope to 'see' a lot more of you and me in 2015
(lol - and that finished with a little rhyme)

Cheers
Kathleen  

One or Many?

And so here we are again. Almost another year over any my 2012 plan of becoming a regular blogger ... well look at the posts and make your own judgement.  While admitting failure is never easy, claiming persistence and determination to try again is a strength and just trying again is a character building experience.

 

One thing I have learnt this year is that maybe the idea of trying to run a number of blogs with different focuses is not the best way forward. 

 

And so I am going to try and just blog regularly here and then maybe link in the other blogs where relevant. Sarah is my hero in that regard. Sarah's Blog

 

I am also not going to worry too much about finding the right graphic. (I can waste hours doing that).

 

And I am going to work out exactly how to back this up as last year I lost ‘access’ and then had to go through heaps of stuff to get it up again. 

 

I follow heaps of other blogs with tips, tricks and ideas. On a daily basis I think “Wow great idea!  I should do that”

 

Roll on 2013. My year of doing (not just thinking and planning!)

 

(Hummm – but my first thought then was I should just spend a few hours sorting out stuff and organising my future posts!)
.

Windows Live Writer

 

I have FINALLY been able to add this blog to Windows Live Writer. I am hoping by adding this tool I will blog more often.

 

Now just to:

1.  Add my other blogs

2. Sort out the whole ‘where are my pictures’ / link that site / platform etc

3. Learn all about embedding

4. Learn about the features in here and ….

5. BLOG more often!

 

Roll on 2012 … This is going to be a GOOD YEAR!

Back to School ... so sharing "For Joshua and His Mother"

Inspired by posts on www.mamamia.com.au  about  the FIRST first day of school being just around the corner for many, I thought I would share what I wrote for my first born about 18 years ago.

When I re-read it all those feelings come rushing back.

If you like it please feel free to copy, use, change and / or share.

My best friend changed changed the name to their child and the pronoun from he to she .. and gave it to them. (I'm not sure if she actually 'fessed up to not writing it herself ... but no matter :) 

I hope you enjoy and I would love to hear your stories about "first days of school".

For Joshua and His Mother

My first-born starts school tomorrow.

The knowing looks, gentle teasing and old hand advice that follows my announcement contrives to make me one of a group ….

 “First Time School Mums”.

Those that have been there, make me feel that this is a ledge they have walked on -

and others, whose children are safely on their laps, assume that I am where they will be.

Yet I'm not on a well worm path.

l know, like most of my life, those who have, 'gone before me' look back and say -

"Yes. I was there"-

But l tell you it is different.

This is my son - not yours.  And the ledge he and l stand on is, on top of our mountain, made by the triumphs, and challenge of our lives, and shaped and carved by the rivers of our pains and sorrows.

So we stand here, my son and l,

our toes gripping the last remnants of the cliff face that represents his babyhood,

staring into the chasm that encompasses the ‘School Years’ ..Years'

Wanting to stay on familiar ground: No not really -

Straining to take flight into the great unknown and watch him soar.

Maybe I'll even fly along side for awhile longer -

Until the heights of other unknown lands beckoned him

where l will eventually be allowed to visit

but never really call my own.

As we stare here, my son and l

l look down into his face, the face my body created -

and see more of the baby than the boy.

MY mind wanders  and l think

"What do l want to say to you  ...........”

l want to tell you:

You are a special person.  Your desire to know, understand and uncover the intricacy in life, and nature has kept me, spell bound and enthralled

As l have watched you grasp, evaluate and assimilate - each new tuft of information.

Thank you for allowing me into the boundless imaginative corridors of your world. 

It is a pleasure and delight, to watch to grow, learn with you

And to re-visit my childhood through your eyes.

The sense of humour and fun you are developing is magical.

Your appreciation for the ridiculous (like me) and the many times we have 'connected' with a look and a smile in a way that is shared by us two - over the heads, of others,

warms my heart with the knowledge

that you are my son.

l want to tell you:

To stand  tall and proud.  You are worthy of all your dreams.

l know the rules and boundaries are hard for your spirit to accept.

You have pushed them, pulled them and tried to find a place where, you could squeeze through them - and often succeeded.

But, the seed is there, planted by me l like to think –

the knowledge that some rules and walls must remain for a life time -

but, others will crumble, as you develop your wings

and go searching further for new truths, knowledge, wisdom and experience,.

But as you test, your boundaries your innate kindness is there also.

That sense of justice -

A belief that there should always be rightness in the world. 

There lays my biggest fear.

Son, life is not always fair and just.

Nor does the equation of right and wrong always balance the scales.

But remember -

Continue to believe that they should and as you grow –

stand for those beliefs and lead others to stake their claim.

The world needs more people like you.

Those who will continue to believe in dragons and dreams long after the others have grown

and grown tired of them.

They are the ones who allow their dragons to die

and detach themselves from their dreams that had the power to make them fly. 

They do this in the name of maturity - yet know - the two are not exclusive. 

You can be all grown up and still save a small part of you

for the child you once were.

Yes as we stand here my son and I

I think this is what l need to tell him..

I open my mouth on this momentous occasion and say  -

Have you got your hankie

Remember to use your manners

I'm sure you'll find a friend

Oh your teacher will be nice

Don't throw your bag -you'll squash your lunch

Do you know where the toilets are

Oh okay I'll go now – Are you sure you don’t want me to stay

l'll unpack your bag

l know you can do it

Yes, yes - sure - run down to the monkey bars

Oh, Josh –

l love you –

Have a great day!

So as we stood there my son -

l let the moment, pass.

No fancy words to herald in this moment.

No solemn symbolic rite of passage.

No final tribute to the last six years.

just a squeeze

a peck

and a school boy running with his mates

As I stood there, and watched my son

l caught, a glimpse of his face,

eyes bright

and shiny -

strong arm gripping the metal as those long brown legs swung back and forth

l can hear him laugh - at some school boy joke,.

l am melancholy -

Just  for a moment

l glimpsed -

more of the man than the boy.

Responding to another blog :)

<a href="http://sarah-stewart.blogspot.com/2011/10/any-ideas-on-how-to-teach-social-media.html">Sarah Stewart: Any ideas on how to teach social media without a computer or internet?</a>   My thoughts! (and practising how to do this :) )

Pages & a To do list / page.

Well that sorts that out.  The pages are static and you can't post to them like on the home front page. ok ... well for now I'll leave my to do 'page' but need to reconsider if I even need pages if they are not going to be 'interactive' ....  Hummm and I do know I could start another 'to do blog' ...  hummm I might have to think about that :)

Add a page to a blog

DONE!  Nothing like starting with a success :)  Humm 2nd edit. OK 50% success ... added the page - now just how to post this comment to THAT page and not this home one ....  hummmm

(thinking, scratching head and looking for ‘instructions’) ...

Oh ... I found you (again)

First up!  Thanks for the comments from the beginning of the year! As anonymous said “didn’t know anyone had been here” .. and getting back in was an a bit of problem .. BUT seems to be sorted now.

And ...

Sarah “serendipity” is one of my favourite words ... and I hope some of the things I posted on your blog about your current project were of value?

Clarrisa “Pragmatism . . .sounds like translational research”  - Ummm maybe? What is ‘translational research’? ... (will have to google that later J

Lee – pleased you like it!  So did I when I heard it and yes it was committed to memory J

Thanks Chris and Aditya for well wishes and thanks Rajettan for the links and info.

Well now I found my way back into my blog 3 things:

1. I registered and did NOTHING on the Facilitating Online Course in 2011.  So disappointed in myself that I let ‘life’ once again take over my true desires.

2. Well here is to .. Again starting again and

3. It fees like I have lost the last 4 months. I know I have been incredibly busy but how can it possibly be June already.

And I’ll answer that myself for myself ... It is June ‘already’ because ... each day has 24 hours and x number of days (ie groups of 24 hours) has passed. 

I always remember a wonderful older gentleman at some time management seminar saying ...

No one can manage time because time just is.  A second, a minute, an hour, a day, a year .. is and will always be exactly the same.  It is 1 second, or it is 60 seconds to equal a minute, or 60 minutes to be 1 hours ...  or 365 days to be a year (and then he made a joke about the pesky days in a month and leap years) ... BUT his point was ... ‘Time’ doesn’t go faster or slower and no matter what we do we can not manage or control or influence it. We can only control our actions within the concept of time or influence our own internal perceptions of the passing of time ....

I understand and agree 100%.

So could those minutes, days and weeks that I lost .. please come back because I don’t think I always controlled my actions or influenced my perceptions efficiently or effectively enough.

That being said, I really need to action the rest of this report in a very controlled manner over the next 4 hours (right after I just update a post on another important point!)

Hope you all have a GREAT Saturday afternoon

Talk more soon

Cheers Kathleen

PS while I so remember his message I am sorry I can’t remember his name. But I guess that is the sign a good presenter the information is more important than the person ... What do you think?

And so it begins ... (Again)

What a start to the year!  I am still digesting the experiences over the last week or so with the floods in Queensland and indeed the continued flooding around Australia.  As such, this post will not be about that; except to say, my heartfelt sympathy to all who have lost so much and even those of us who have lost a little (in comparison).

This post is just a ‘getting back into it’ post and to confirm I have made plans to be part of the Facilitating Online Course in 2011. http://wikieducator.org/Facilitating_Online . Now whether I will be informal, facilitated or formal, I haven’t yet decided, but I love the options and the accessibility of the experience.  I have heard such great things about this course that I am looking forward to getting into it.

I hope to blend, or maybe utilise is a better word, the skills of online facilitation with activities required to operate my (assessment only) RTO.  In particular, I am thinking about activities such as validation and moderation, industry engagement and the enrolment / induction process. 

I also want to build and enhance my PLN / PLE, digital identify and capture my professional development in such a way that is useable (showable?) for Auditors in order to demonstrate currency and competency.  

I am going to link my learnings and activities in the course to my ‘under construction’ eportfolio as well further strengthening other professional relationships and associations.

The plan is to do all this, while helping my adult children get back on their feet after their house flooded and continue to do the work that pays the bills.

It is going to be a big year! There is a lot I want and need to do and achieve but, funny enough, I am looking forward to it.  

Oh and I also hope for lots of ‘blue skies’ for all of us.

YAY .. it's back ..

Wow Cool!  My blog is back and now to get back into it!