I have ended my school week early so that I can attend the Colorado Language Arts Society Regional Spring Conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  I’m looking forward to the opportunity to recharge my batteries a bit as I dig into the work that other teachers are doing.  I’ll be presenting on two collaborative projects that I have been working on — one a collaboration with my students and a colleague’s middle school students via an online discussion board, the other a collaboration between my students and some preservice teachers and their professor at Colorado State University.   
        The preparations for the presentations (say that three times fast) have gotten me thinking an awful lot about blogging and how it is a collaborative project of sorts.  I am writing assuming that you, whoever you are, are reading.  More than that, I am assuming that you are thinking about what I am saying and, if you’re so inclined, are responding. 
        I have had some fascinating conversations over the last couple of weeks via this space, conversations that are really just beginning.  As if the conversations occurring in this space aren’t enough to keep me busy for quite some time, there’s also the conversations that I am eavesdropping on.  RSS and a comment button or two are easy ways to collaborate with the online community of educators that I am learning from.  Talk about professional development. 
        Here’s a sampling of what I’ve learned in the past week:
        ** There’s a ton of really great Open Source software out there for school use.  (Thanks, Steve!)
       ** How to teach students to take notes in the dark when watching a movie.  (Thanks, Mike!)
       ** That blogging is sometimes "like an avocado."  (Thanks, Nancy!) #

These bloggers and their ideas, and others that I don’t have time right now to mention,  have been like a mini-conference for me.  I’m thinking about what they’ve said, and what others have said,  and my brain continues to spin.  This blogging experience has become a professional development opportunity for me.  I read and write and feel refreshed; and I’m just getting started. 
        What is blogging doing for you and your teaching?  What collaborations (virtual or otherwise) are lurking out there in the blogosphere, waiting for just the right time to rear their heads? #