Week 22 - Creative: Door

May 30, 2018 (150/365) • Week 22 - Creative: Door

[A symbol of transition, a door or a gate provide a passage way.]

#dogwoodweek22, #dogwood52, #dogwood2018 • ƒ/2.2, 1/1172, ISO32

"Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls." ~ Joseph Campbell

De rigueur

August 31, 2016 (244/366)

de ri·gueur də riˈɡər,rēˈɡœr/ (adjective) required by etiquette or current fashion.
synonyms: fashionable, in fashion, in vogue, modish, up to date, up-to-the-minute, all the rage, du jour, trendy, with it, customary, standard, conventional, normal, orthodox, usual, comme il faut; compulsory, necessary, essential;

As educators scramble to set up classrooms while students decorate lockers and unwrap new school supplies (Don't you just love new notebooks, pencils, markers, etc.?!), I am inspired by Charles Schulz's creative space in Santa Rosa, California. "Sparky" surrounded himself not only with the necessary tools to do his work but also with photos of his travels and family, with words of inspiration and notes of gratitude, and a not-so-subtle reminder that « Ici, le sourire est de rigueur! » -- "Here a smile is fashionable." What a great reminder as a new school year begins to greet people and challenges with a welcoming gesture and a positive attitude.

Footprints

July 28, 2016 (210/3660

“Our memories of the ocean will linger on, long after our footprints in the sand are gone." ~ Anonymous

Outré

July 26, 2016 (208/366)

"Just living is not enough... one must have sunshine, freedom,

 and a little flower." ~ Hans Christian Andersen

Google Geo Teachers Institute

 July 25, 2016 (207/366)

"Without geography, you're nowhere." ~ Jimmy Buffett

It's great to be back at Google learning about Google Geo Tools
and sharing with some amazing educators! ‪#‎cagti16‬

Paradise Ridge

July 24, 2016 (206/366)

"Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy." ~ Benjamin Franklin

Paradise Ridge, Santa Rosa, CA

Napa Valley

 July 23, 2016 (205/366)

"Wine is bottled poetry" ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

*

Cheers!

11

July 22, 2016 (204/366)

"A wedding anniversary is the celebration of love, trust, partnership, tolerance and tenacity. 

The order varies for any given year." ~ Paul Sweeney

Golden Gate

July 21, 2016 (203/366)

"Still round the corner there may wait, 

A new road or a secret gate." ~  J. R. R. Tolkien

Home Sweet Home

 June 20, 2015 {171/365} Sweet Home...

"Where we love is home - home that our feet may leave, 

but not our hearts." ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

It was a whirl wind trip to California. I've been in five airports in the past three days, and while it's always exciting to discover new places, it always feel great to come home. Today, between 4:00 am and 4:00 pm, I flew over the Pacific, the Grand Canyon, the Rocky Mountains, and the Great Plains. Yet when we finally circled Chicago before heading north along the shore of Lake Michigan, that warm feeling of home came over me. Still, during my brief layover at O'Hare, I felt that familiar urge to hop on a plane to Paris. Yet fifteen minutes later, when we touched down in Milwaukee, it sure felt good to be home!

San Diego

June 19, 2015 {170/365} Iglesia

Church of the Immaculate Conception 

Old Town - San Diego

For the past two days, I've been providing professional development at the Vista Unified School District in Oceanside, California. It was a last-minute invitation, but I'm so glad I took the opportunity to stretch myself. On Thursday, I spent the day at Temple Heights Elementary School teaching students about tech tools (Google and iOS applications) to facilitate and support personalized learning: tinyurl.com/pl-vista. Today, I was at Vista Visions Academy, a K-12 completely blended learning environment, where I modeled the inquiry process and provided tools and resources to support questioning, researching, discussing, creating, and reflecting: tinyurl.com/inquiry-vista. 

It is always inspiring and motivating to discover new ideas and perspectives as a lead learner. It was also fun to imagine going to school in this environment. The photo below is the "cafeteria" and the open door (left) is the classroom where I taught today. Toto, I don't think we're in Wisconsin anymore!

Oceanside

June 18, 2015 {169/365} Oceanside, CA

[Photo of the day (above): Live sand dollars]

Mica gives the sand it's beautiful golden hue

Iconic California 

A cocktail with a view

Palm Tree

June 17, 2015 {168/365} Palm Tree

Advice from a Palm Tree: Soak up the sun. Stand up straight and proud. Showcase your natural beauty -- flaws and all. Keep stretching yourself, but remember your roots. Enjoy the view.

Google A-Z

July 31, 2014 Photo (212/365): "Google A-Z"

Take a tour of my Google photos from A to Z...

A = Android

B = Bikes

C = Cupcake 

D = Donut

E = Education

F = Froyo

G = Googleplex

H = Honey

I = Ice Cream Sandwich • J = Jelly Beans • K = Kit Kat

L = Leisure

M = Maps

N = Nexus 7

 O = Optical

Photo via Pinterest (No, I didn't take pictures inside the Googleplex!)

P = Pods

Q = Qualified

R = Road

S = Stan

T = Transportation 

U = Unique

V = View 

W = Wired

X = X Factor

Y = Yellow (& Blue & Red & Green)

Z = ZZZZZ  - I'm exhausted!

(Wish I could try out one of those legendary nap pods ;)

After two intense days of learning, working, and playing with my #gtamtv14 cohort of "Outstanding Educators, Creative Leaders, and Ambassadors for Change" -- an group of awesome people, I'm exhausted! Time to pack and get a good night's sleep. Monday, I return to Pewaukee as a Google Certified Teacher, ready to work hard and inspire others to iterate and innovate with Google. Thank you to my new Google family for an awesome adventure!