What I would be doing tomorrow…

Because of my deep love of words, I have always been very excited by unique writing projects (such as NanoWriMo and Myths and Legends), but this one is by far the best thing I have seen in a very long time.

If you haven’t seen 1,000,000 Monkeys yet, please go there now and check it out. It is basically a writing space that allows you to collaboratively create a story based upon the idea that socially choosing the path for the story will end up making for a much more interesting read. The possibilities are endless for this type of writing, but I will let their FAQ explain it a little better:

This site attempts not only to harness the literary power of one million “monkeys” typing but also to generate some truly wonderful texts and social networks. It is part Exquisite Corpse, part Choose Your Own Adventure, and it works by having multiple authors work on the same stories with each adding their own segments. Each segment (or snippet) will have the opportunity for 3 offshoots — those that are ranked highly will gain offshoots of their own, and those that are ranked poorly will wither and die.

If I were in the classroom, I would be using this site for the rest of the school year to write a story that twists and turns around every writing thought my students could build upon. However, since I am not, I will need to live vicariously through someone else. If anyone else uses 1,000,000 monkeys before the year is out, let me know. I think it is just BANANAS (pun most definitely intended).

So, Any Takers?

The Name of the game

Everything is beautiful at this very moment. My wife is sick with our second child-to-be, asleep on the couch, but still sick. Our dauter is asleep, for the moment. I am thinking about the future, both mine and ours.

I believe that I have the power to create anything that I can conceive. That opportunities abound. This is not ficion. I know it to be true.

When did it get so fun to just be with others that you choose?

The more an more I think about my next steps, the greater my sense of hope increases. It is not in looking toward a goal that I find happiness. It is in seeing the passionate struggle as the best part if my day. Because it is.

I know that this is not my normal style of blogging, but I am always telling my students to push the boundaries of your niche. So, I guess I am pushing mine. As I blog from the one and only bathroom in my house and plan for a house big enough to see my children graduate from high school (whatever that may look like), I wanted to let everyone hat reads my blog know that I saw a good day today, and I have no reason to believe hat tomorrow will be any different.

The company I keep now…

I’m not sure how many people truly mean it when they say it, but I am truly honored by my inclusion in the Most Influential Blog Post category of the 2007 Edublog Awards for The Ripe Environment.

To be along side Karl Fisch and his amazing work to create a mirror for our schools…

To be next to Konrad Glogowski and his visual portrayal of pedagogy…

To be nestled in with Scott Mcleod and his viral networking power and ability to see the greatness in a single idea…

To be among Kris Bradburn and the challenges put out by Wandering Ink…

That is what I am most honored by.

Thanks to all who nominated me. If you care to, please vote for this blog. I don’t imagine I have written as influential of blog posts as the above bloggers, but I would like it not to be an absolute slaughter in the polls.

I turn 23 tomorrow.

It sounds so young, even to me. Perhaps it is the CSAP in me that has got me thinking about my goals, but I have some enormous expectations for myself. Right now I can’t think of any other way to be.

Expectations before I turn 25 (not hopes, not dreams; things that I know will happen):
1. I will have a child.
2. I will have a master’s degree.
3. I will have a book published.
4. I will have a salary that makes my family’s life comfortable.
5. I will have a cd pressed.