Plurkin' and Lovin' It

What a treat!  Laurie Fowler is guest blogging today.  See her entry below. 

I am a guest blogger today on Yes Tech! Pam Shoemaker and I are partnering to complete one of the many tasks assigned to those of us taking part in Steve Dembo's 30 Days to Being a Better Blogger. So here is my post. Please take a look at her post on my blog, Fresh Fowlers.

I joined Plurk in July 2008, probably as the result of a blog post about it or because of something I heard on a technology podcast.  I really can't remember. Or maybe that is just when it started.  At first, I was not sure about it. But then, I played around with Plurk and found that just like my Gmail it kept my microblogging entries or plurks grouped together in conversations. I found that you could add friends so I looked for names I knew from podcasts, blogs, and online projects. Wow! I found over 100 people who share my passion for technology and education; and, much to my delight I found people who love to talk about important stuff like politics, fun stuff like games to play, and silly stuff like TV show and sport updates.  Plurk is truly a unique circle of friends and colleagues with which I am privileged to be associated.

In my short tenure at Plurk, I have witnessed some Awesome Plurk Incidents. Here are some of the ones I can remember:

• I reconnected with a friend who moved from AL to NC several years ago.


• I met people I had listened to on podcasts or whose blogs I read regularly.


• A group of us "plurkers" were able to offer support and encouragement helped a fellow community member who was having MAJOR trouble getting her dissertation accepted by her committee so she could graduate.


• I met all kinds of teachers from across the world—UK, Australia, NZ, Canada, South Africa. And I have met a ton of teachers from across the U.S.


• I have created this extensive network of technology coordinators, teachers, library media specialists, and retired teachers who are always sharing links to great articles, videos, student created projects, collaborative projects, podcasts, and web sites.


• I have a great support system for my new venture into Weight Watchers.


• There was a mom with a son in college in Chicago was able to get a plurker from Chicago to check on him when he had a kidney stone. That is a powerful network when you can reach across the country to help an online friend!


• Another mom with son accepted to the University of Alabama wanted to know information about Tuscaloosa from me.


• And finally, I connected with others who are doing the 30 Days to Being a Better Blogger especially Pam Shoemaker who invited me to share my thoughts on her blog here today.  Thanks, Pam!

About Laurie:  "I operate my own professional development consulting business, Ready, Set, Think!, from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I have a BA in ENglish and Classics, a Master's in Educational Administration, and a Ph.D. in Instructional Leadership with an emphasis in Technology.  I have 18 years of experience in the K-12 arena and have also taught undergraduate and graduate classes at the University of Alabama and the University of West Alabama respectively.  I am a self-avowed Geek Girl and love to play with new technology and new web sites."