Edublog Opining, Mentoring, & Haters

Ain't it grand? Freedom of speech, blogs... opinions? The ability to mouth off & share?
Buckle up dear readers, this is a wordy one...I'm gonna opine! Whether one person or one thousand reads it - I think very fact that we can publish to the WORLD freely our thoughts & ideas without license or permission... THAT my dear friends is a true definition of Web 2.0h,  the read write web. And I reckon, THIS is what we should be celebrating not hating on the nomination & voting process of Edublog Awards OR #Eddies12!
I've gotta say being recognized for what ya do feels grand. It would be a load of BS to say otherwise, right? And though being included as a finalist after being nominated by your peers is heady stuff - it's the very fact that WE CAN EFFIN WRITE whatever the hell heck we want to write is the real winner.
For a matter of fact the Edublogs is quite democratic & anyone, anywhere in the world can nominate any blog! It's not an American award, it's a worldwide award!
I've written before about why the Edublog Awards mean so much to me - for building my PLN & I won't repeat it. So, here is my shameless campaign for your vote for me (of course! ;-) and the people nominated who I think deserve the recognition! Though I gotta say, posting this less than 24 hours before the voting deadline means it can't be that much of a hard sell campaign, right? Don't answer that yet!
Best Individual Blog 
It's a first time nom for me for this category and I gotta say WOW! I know I sometimes blog more about tech stuffs than strictly librarian stuffs but I was dead honored to have made this list. So yeah, I'll ask for your vote on this! Cheers! Other amazing noms in this category are SO numerous and amazing that I'm frankly gobsmacked!*

NeverEndingSearch – Joyce Valenza

Blogging About The Web 2.0 Connected Classroom – Steven Anderson  

Teacher Reboot Camp – Shelly Terrell

A Principal’s Reflections – Eric Sheninger

Blogging About The Web 2.0 Connected Classroom – Steven Anderson

Cool Cat Teacher – Vicki Davis

Free Technology for Teachers – Richard Byrne

Langwitches Blog – Silvia Tolisano

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day

Practical Theory – Chris Lehmann

The Daring Librarian – Gwyneth Jones (what!?)

The Principal of Change – George Couros

Great Advice About Kids Blogging... About Kids Blogging
From Sylvia's amazing blog Langwitches - I found this brilliant idea about Student & Classroom blogs: "....share the classroom blog and student blog list with your students. Let them audit each one, noting components that they like and don’t like. Let them review and articulate their findings and most importantly let them vote for their favorites."

Here are my two extra cents.  Have the kiddos rate the quality of the writing, authentic voice, variety of topics, creative graphics (!), the posting frequency (have they really blogged lately?) including my pet peev, NOT apologizing for not blogging lately and maybe then have them come up with a random catch-all "likeability" honor! Kids dig that.
Have the kiddos:
• create a rubric as a group for judging blogs.
• choose a favourite & do a laptop gallery walk.
• defend their choice & giving examples.
This will encourage kids to read, teach, & learn about blogging!

WOW...so simple and obvious yet so elegant! A wonderful way to teach great blogging & informative reading at the same time!  Do you smell that? Oh yeah....that's some Common Core cooking, baby!

Mentoring and the Best Librarian Blog
Sheesh, this is a pickle, right? I mean, whoda thunk it years ago I would even be ON a list with people like this? It's like the Who's Who in the flippin Library world! Of course always a bridesmaid and never a bride! I've been nominated a couple times since I started this blog but I've never won. It would be cool to win, I can't lie.  This year I was blown away when I saw that the amazing (and slightly intimidating) Carolyn Foote of the award winning blog Not So Distant Future nominated me! WOW! I finally met her (after Tweeting for years!) at #ISTE12 and I have to confess I was unaccountably tongue-tied in her presence! Anyway....this blew me away! Humbled to the point where I feel squirmy. #Awkward
With this category, it's a true pleasure that the #Eddies12 librarian change agents & movers, shakers, and friends get recognized here! I'm also proud that I've even mentored a wee bit a few of these fine peeps. I'm looking at you Matthew Winner - The Busy Librarian, Librarian Tiff - Mighty Little Librarian, and Jennifer LaGarde -author of The Adventures of Library Girl!  Honestly, on a day to day basis I feel that ya'll inspire & surpass me at every single turn! And that is awesome!

Be a MENTOR!
As Joyce Valenza mentored me, it's important to adopt a young or enthusiastic librarian or educator that you have bonded with. You can't personally mentor someone you don't know - or gosh forbid, don't like (insert fakey fawning social-media climbing friend-jumping people here). Instead, find authentic, enthusiastic, positive, RELIABLE, hard-working, innovative, fearless, daring, funny, cool, creative, and amazing people and cheer them on! Offer to be a sounding board. Nominate them for awards & recognition.  If you're offered a speaking gig & can't make it - give the organizers their name! RT their great Tweets and speak about them to others.  
Here's a real-life example:  in September a writer from Education Week emails and asks to interview me about the Librarian's role with the Common Core - I could speak on it but I know that Tamara Cox & her friends are more expert on this topic AND...they will be speaking soon to that at an upcoming TLVirtual Cafe webinar - so I bow out & give the reporter their contact information. The Education Article Common Core Thrusts Librarians Into Leadership Role is published and the blog post Common Core: Love it or Hate It?  that Tamara wrote to accompany it is nominated for Most Influential Blog Post. Pretty kick ass, right!!? Paying it forward!  Include them. Only by finding & celebrating other amazing educators can we bring up our whole profession. Drop those who are downers, promote those that are positive, and be prepared for the haters.
A Dirty Little Secret. Haters. 

I've been pondering for a few months, getting up my nerve to write a blog post about professional jealousy and the people who will hate on you in your district (or school) when you dare try cool innovative stuff in education and maybe get a little attention for it. But I'm afraid a post like that is gonna open me to a bit of criticism, is gonna sound more self-aggrandizing than usual, or come off negative.  I really do TRY and be positive on this blog! Is that something you would like to read? Because it does seem to be the dirty little secret that you find happens when you start stirring the pot becoming a change agent. Mostly passive aggressive stuff, but it hurts.  And it's sad, too! Your thoughts on this are desired & actually really needed!

Back to the #Eddies12 noms....La la la!

Best Teacher Blog  - Nicholas Provenzano 
Best New Blog Level Up Book Club
Best Social Network Level Up Book Club
Best Administrator Blog – George Couros
Most Influential Post - Common Core: Love it or Hate It?
Best Twitter Hashtag #TLChat
Best Podcast Infinite Thinking Machine
Best Use of Media/Video  Karen Mensing (my nom) 
Best Educational Wiki Webtools4utouse (my nom)
Best Open PD TL Virtual Cafe (thanks Joyce & Steve!)

Lifetime Achievement. Since Joyce Valenza already won this last year --- May I suggest two estimable educators for this? Sue Waters (my nom) and Doug Johnson. Both are so well deserving, both are wonderful, inspiring, cool, nice, generous people who give FAR more than they take!

ANYWAY....those are my picks!
Click Here to Vote ALL AT Once Now! Sweet!

Google Communities!
Speaking of Communities and TLChat ....well, I started a new Google+ Community for us! If you haven't gotten my invite already (they wouldn't let me invite whole big circles!) Please consider this an invite and Join us! 

More about G+ Communities

Creative Cursing or Minced Oaths: For middle schoolers & above only! Don't attempt this unless you got the swagga to pull it off - and don't blame me if you get in trouble! Oh and darn you Orbit for taking a few of my favs (oh and Thanks Orbit for giving me a couple extra!)

•  Shut the front door!
• OMG WTF! = Oh my Goodness! Where's the fire!?
• OMFG = Oh my fairy godmother (of course!)
• Son of a biscuit baker
• Darlin, sit your Assateague Island down (bonus points for Maryland geography! - After they gasp & laugh, I then ask my kids with a bland inquiring face what Assateague Island is known for?  - Answer...Wild ponies!)
• Holy Shitake Mushrooms! (then ask them if anyone has ever had one!)
• Codswallop! (British slang)
• Oddsblood! (Shakespeare) 
• By Odin's Beard! (Anchorman)
• S'Struth! 
• By the Power of Greyskull! (He Man)

Curses of the Ancients

I warned you it was wordy! And Ooops I gotta little overheated up there! I hope my mum doesn't see the "effin" part cause she always said that a substitute for cursing is the same as cursing (hence my creative semi-appropriate for school curses above! LOL)

Freedom to Blog. Purists might not like my conversational style of writing, excessive use of exclamation marks, my occasional ALL CAPS shouting emphasis, overuse of the word YAY & WOW and my affection for ellipses....but gosh darn it, it's my right and privilege to use 'em! Because this is my blog & these are my never-so-humble opinions   Will you opine differently? Sure, Possibly, Maybe! Is that ok? Nope...it's GRAND! and I hope you give me YOURS in the comments! Cause they make me feel all warm & tingly, your opinions do!

(*See? Pretentious use of Aussie/Brit term! W00t!)