Month: January 2014

The Magic of 11.

Sonya Van Schaijik PTC 01, SOLO Taxonomy , , , , , ,

Late last year, I was tagged in a blogging meme by my online friend and TeachMeetINL mentor @arjana. She was one educator I did not get to meet face to face on my trip because between us we could not align our stars. But Arjana next time it will happen. Either you come to me or I come to you. I also liked the way she gave me feedback via twitter on my blogging meme.


I have been procrastinating writing and have been doing everything else to avoid updating my reflections. Her tweet was the jumpstart I required.

So I completed the set task and it took me three days to craft as I was away with a mini ipad to write with. I created a draft using notes and played with the idea in between swimming, sleeping and snorkelling.

As soon as I returned to my chrome, I added links and finalised my first post for 2014.

But I still cannot figure why because I posted the entry on our New Years day yet it states that the post happened on New Year’s eve.


11 has been a re-ocurring number for me in 2013 so I laughed at the unusual number. I had spent 11 weeks on a TeachNZ sabbatical and when I trawled a collaborative initiative that was part of my sabbatical output for last year, I identified 11 bloggers who had reflected on their contribution to the TeachMeetNZ project. I did not find it easy nominating virtual friends as who do I chose because I already read so many interesting blogs. For my part, I deviated from Arjana and focussed on New Zealand educators only and from that chose the ones who had reflected on TeachMeetNZ. I have been following the hashtag #bloggingmeme with interest and was excited to read @helenoftroy01 contribution by creating a Blogging Meme Doc to track the blog entries and to avoid a double up or more of being tagged. My initial chart using inspiration pales in comparison.


Those of you who read this and are New Zealand educators, what Helen has also done nicely for me is identify some of you who I will be shoulder tapping for our next TeachMeetNZ virtual session. So be ready. You will end up with a digital badge for your portfolio and a cut 3 minute video to embed on your site.


The Blogging Meme Doc has also been a motivation for me to comment on blogs that  people have written. In some ways I do feel responsible for setting the beast loose on the New Zealand tweachers. I am one of those lurkers who have been reading but not commenting as much as I could be.


If you are tagged in twitter, I would like to read about you and may I suggest being like @MFaaeaSemeatu and used her Blogging Meme as a motivation to encourage new bloggers to get started. I also liked the way Manu used google+ so combined two social medias to spread her meme. She tagged her nominated bloggers via google+ and also via twitter.


Anne spread her #magic and responded so fast with her Blogging Meme post like within the same day. From my other nominated bloggers I  have 4 who have completed the task after a few days and I will be honest and say ‘Great job’ as it took me all week from when I was tagged.

I have watched @1MvdS in her patient, gentle, persuasive way gently coaxing her Blogging Meme group into writing by giving regular updates on who had completed the task and come on the rest of you.

I enjoyed reading @MsBeenz entry and learning a little more about her and have @Allanahk remind us that this is not the first round that we have had something like this happen.

So no great pressure @hanna_fale @SwanwickC @digitallearnin @phpnz @EmmaWinder25 @emmerw @nzteachnology @hunch_box . We are supposed to be on holiday. I like the way some of you have literally disappeared from twitter but I know it will not be for long.

Anyone else reading this, if you want me to come and read your post and practice giving a comment, do tag me.

Where to next:
I stumbed on this via @FabMomBlog twitter and have made 31 my new challenge number. Don’t worry I will not be tagging anyone to join me but it you want to do let me know. In March 2014 my goal is to write daily. Like Manu, I will tag you to come and give me feedback.

My learning from all this: the 4x C’s
As my SOLOtaxonomy mentors @arti_choke and @ginnynz01  regularly remind me, reflect on the process and don’t just celebrate the product.
  • Stop procrastinating and just get on with the task. I have made better connections with New Zealand educators because part of the meme asks for 11 facts about you.
  • Something as simple as this can generate collaboration like the Blogging Meme doc.
  • We can use other social media in the task and not just twitter to celebrate the product.
  • What meme could I create to encourage blogging?  What ideas do you have?

How to embed a tweet? Thanks to @SchuKnight who willingly shared this little gem.


How to change the date on blogger to reflect current time? Thanks to @annekenn for this other little gem.

Blogging Meme

Sonya Van Schaijik PTC 01 ,

I’ve been tagged in a blogging meme by my online friend Arjana Blazic @abfromz.  Here you can read her blog post titled Eleven. 
       

The blogging task includes:
  • Acknowledge the nominating blogger.
  • Share 11 random facts about yourself.
  • Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you.
  • List 11 bloggers.
  • Post 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate to answer, and let all the bloggers know they have been nominated. Don’t nominate a blogger who has nominated you.
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So here I go:
11 random facts about me

  1. I’m a mum to two gorgeous young men.
  2. I was born and spent the first decade of my life in Samoa. Now I live in New Zealand.
  3. I am proud of my Samoan heritage and proudly wear the woman’s malu.
  4. I joined Twitter in 2008.
  5. I recently travelled right around the world as part of a TeachNZ sabbatical and met heaps of amazing global educators who I had connected with via twitter and Facebook.
  6. I love to snorkel and my favourite place to see fish is off Rakino Island.
  7. I can bird watch for hours and enjoy visiting Tiritirimatangi a bird sanctuary in the Waitemata Harbour in Auckland New Zealand. I always see a kiwi at night when I visit.
  8. Reading is my favourite past time and lately this has included research and educator blogs.
  9. I hate large pieces of uncooked onions in anything.
  10. I am learning more about coding and recently joined the coding academy.
  11. I have set some goals for 2014 and have included attaining my Google Certified Trainer, and my ACE Teacher qualification.
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My answers to Arjana’s questions.
1) What is your favourite book?
That is a tough question as it depends on how old I am/was?
I love to read and have read many amazing books. I will highlight the writers from Samoa for this one such as Lani Wendt who wrote the Telesa Series.

2) How much time on an average day do you spend online?
Too much.

3) iPad or Android tablets?
I love my iPad mini with SIMM card so much that I have given up my iPhone.

4) What do you consider the most valuable thing you own?
My Malu because it is a visible sign of commitment to my Samoan language.

5) What is your favourite way to waste time?
Genealogy hunting is my favourite way to waste time and I enjoying finding pieces to our family puzzle.

6) If a movie was being made about you who would you choose to play you and why?
Moira Walker -because she is Samoan and would take time to get to know me.

7) If you could have an endless supply of food what would that be?
My favourite dish is Fai ai Fe’e -this is octopus cooked in coconut cream with the octopus ink. My grandmother would make it for me when I visited her.

8) What’s the best holiday you’ve been on?
My recent journey around the world. However a sabbatical comes with responsibilities and I am still working on my summary.

9) What’s the worst haircut you’ve ever had?
The worst and the best haircut was when I cut my own hair at 7 years old. I went for weeks without a fringe.

10) What three things do you love most about your best friend?
The way we can reconnect even though we might not have seen each other for long periods of time. The way we can talk about anything and everything. The way we both know when the other is thinking of us.

11) What is your favourite smell and what memory does it remind you of?
Banana cake cooking because this was another dish my grandmother would make for me.
Thank you  Arjana for tagging me. I really appreciated it and have put time aside snorkelling off Rakino Island in our New Zealand Summer holidays to write this.
Lastly but not least when number eleven is mentioned, I remember the 11 weeks I spent travelling the world.
I tag you….‏@hanna_fale @SwanwickC @digitallearnin @phpnz @EmmaWinder25 @emmerw @1MvdS @annekenn @nzteachnology @MsBeenz @hunch_box @MFaaeaSemeatu
Here are the questions?

  1. What language do you use when you become emotional?
  2. What is your favourite movie genre?
  3. Who inspired you to set up your blog?
  4. Who are your mentors and why?
  5. What is one survival tool you would choose to take on a journey?
  6. Where do you like to go to for thinking time?
  7. Which do you prefer watching on the television, or live streaming.
  8. List 3x goals for 2014 and explain why you chose them.
  9. Tell me about your closest mountain, river or other natural landmark?
  10. What is your earliest childhood memory?
  11. Write your favourite whakatauki, quote or proverb and explain why you chose it 
Check out the google doc, once you have completed to see who has already been tagged.