Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Tucking in 2007 Part one: Words and Images

Yes, yes, I know....it is already 2008, however I still have some loose ends and reflective thoughts to share, hence this blog 'series' on 2007.

Taking David Warlick's lead, here are images from the past 12 months, along with some brief commentary and references to some favourite blog posts over the year.

January 2007
Refreshed and relaxed from 2 weeks on a beach in Bali, off we went to the Bangkok international teacher job fair, hearts in hands. A highlight of the trip was meeting Justin Medved and visiting the International School of Bangkok. Another 'highlight' was signing contracts for new teaching positions at Qatar Academy in Doha. At the time I was dubious as to whether this was a step in the right direction for us as a professional couple or as a family. However, fate took us in hand that day and has smiled kindly on us.

Balitwo032

February 2007
A 4-hour bus and ferry trip into a new region of Bangladesh to attend Sohel's wedding. As usual, getting out of Dhaka provided a fascinating perspective on life in this wonderful country. We realised how much we were going to miss being here and seeing the colour and bustle everyday.
Sohel_Wedding_trip027

My favourite photo for 2007 is from this trip. This is my daughter, Violet, with a friend selecting more music from her iPod, taken on the banks for a river on our trip amongst a throng of onlookers (expat's are good novelty value).
Sohel_Wedding_trip069

My favourite blog post for 2007 comes from this month, A Day in the Life of a Global, Connected Educator.

March 2007
My trip to Düsseldorf to present at the ECIS IT conference allowed me to get my first experience of Germany. It was Spring and cold, daffodils, Easter eggs, beautiful scenery and buildings, including a lack of English signage.
Dusseldorf024

April 2007
As a sequel to the Flat Classroom Project, the Horizon Project was launched and became an all-consuming global collaboration between 5 classrooms. This blog post from April fills in more details.
ISD_Elluminate_11

May 2007
Our first Grade 12 graduating class at the International School Dhaka. I was on the planning team and we pulled out all stops. This photo is me with my IT tech team at the graduation.
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Of special note from May is the blog post about mobile phones and student output from the Horizon Project.

June 2007
Well, how can I describe June in a few lines. A few lines of tears is more accurate.
We left Bangladesh, after taking possession of our new family portrait painted by a distinguished local artist (the sad news is this was destroyed in our shipment moving to Doha!). This is a very rushed picture of it, taken before it was packed.
Family_Portrait_2_sm

After leaving Dhaka I flew straight to NECC in Atlanta to meet Vicki Davis for the first time, join Edubloggercon, and have a whirlwind time with many wonderful colleagues. It was an unforgettable time.
Here is a collection of images from NECC 2007.
BubbleShare: Share photos - Print Christmas Coloring Pages.


July 2007
A quiet time back in Australia. Highlights include meeting up with Jo McLeay, visiting Sydney and holidaying on the Gold Coast.
This is my daughter and I taken half way between Melbourne and Sydney at a famous Australian monument called, 'The Dog Sits on the Tucker box'.

Sydney07003

August 2007
A blog post written in August that shares reflections and images of the past academic year. In August I worked with colleagues to launch Edubloggerworld, met up with John Turner in Melbourne, one of our Horizon Project teachers. My family and I also moved back to the Middle East to start teaching positions at Qatar Academy.
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September 2007
Qatar Academy and our new lives in this blog post. Flat Classroom Project 2007 is launched.

October 2007
Settling into life in Qatar, took the opportunity to go 'dune bashing' for a day.
Qatar_Dune_Bashing_07041
K12 Online conference....such a great collective of insightful educators.

November 2007
Flat Classroom Project 2007 in full swing. We are using a Ning to facilitate communication and sharing between students and teachers. An issue with advertising on the Ning in the Middle East here was a catalyst for Ning to offer ad-free networks for education. My blog post tells more.
Also this month I went to Madrid to present about the Flat Classroom Project at the ECIS conference. Another great event!
DSC00091

Also November was the month I presented to the Board and asked for more funds to move Qatar Academy into the 21st century. I had help preparing for this from colleagues around the world to which I owe them all many thanks!

December 2007
Flat Classroom summits for teachers and students as well as final report writing, moving house etc. etc. took all energy and time. Wonderful, fantastic student work! I have not written the last about this yet. This is an image from LA student Zak's presentation in Elluminate.

LA8


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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Julie, Thanks for sharing! You make my life seem so boring! Those are terrific highlights to a fantastic year. May you have a blessed 2008! I know you will continue to have great impact on the school in Qatar - they are so lucky to have you!