New Year's Resolution?

Perhaps this is my new year's resolution: work on my blog. I've started and stopped a few times (you can tell from prior entries). This year a few big things have happened that merit reflection -- even if no one ever reads this! LOL. So, the first big professional thing that happened is that I was appointed to a tenure track position. Yippee! After reading camperkev's blog, I realized the power of the blog to track important life events, learning, and so on ... As I move through the next few years of the tenure and promotion experience, this blog can help document my own learning and professional development. So, that's what I'll blog about without worrying about perfect language, interesting insights, or re-tweetable ideas. The next big event this year is having an article published in the Community College Review (January 2011) issue. Woohoo! I've started on the next article by submitted a proposal for the upcoming annual conference for the Council for the Study of Community Colleges. I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of being a faculty member. While there are challenges and I often doubt myself, I never doubt that I'm where I'm meant to be.

So much technology, so little time...

I'm re-reading for the third or fourth time Will Richardson's book, Blogs, Wikis, & Podcasts ... and I must say that every time I read it, I'm inspired to learn more about the power of technology in education. We're truly in a new world -- one where we access and create information in different ways. Richardson's focus on the potential of technology is what sparks my interest. I want to become part of a larger community of folks developing content on the web & I want to use the web to develop scholarship. I see possibilities in how students conduct their dissertation research even as I see how I might expand conversations about my research interests ... What I realize today is that even though the task may seem daunting, it's time to jump into the deep end of the pool and start paddling.

More good news...

This week I was also notified that a proposal I submitted to present at the NASPA national conference was accepted (yay!) and that a book review I wrote was published in the NASPA Journal. What a great week overall ... Looking forward to seeing students in class again tomorrow - lots of interesting presentations: one, an educational partnership called Careers through Culinary Arts and another Enough is Enough dedicated to ending violence on schools & campuses. Great stuff! In the other class, we're considering the use of technology in classrooms -- blogs, wikis, and podcasts, oh my!

Woo-hoo!!

This week I got the email every new faculty member hopes for ... you know, that one that tells you your manuscript has been accepted for publication in a (peer-reviewed) journal. I had to read the email several times to make sure I was actually reading it correctly -- happily, I was! This notice oddly brought to light the solitary nature of faculty work: I was in an office alone reacting to this great news & no one was close by to celebrate with ... Email and social networks have alleviated some of this isolation -- within minutes I was sharing the news with others and getting virtual hugs back from them. I've saved all the messages! Sharing the news on Facebook brought feedback from friends near & far ... another example of how we create online communities that come together just when we need them.

BTW, this is the first peer-reviewed publication I've submitted and the first that was accepted. I hope this sense of elation never gets old ... And while I know that rejection notices linger in my future (as they do for everyone), I know that even a rejection or revise & resubmit notice helps me move forward in creating solid, meaningful research. For now, I'm basking in the glow of the accepted publication & am looking forward to completing my next article.

Time to update my resume/CV so the article is listed as "forthcoming" instead of "under review" ... Woo-hoo!