If you build it...

I have turned one corner in my work on the final project, and it turned out to be so obvious, but it took the view from another to see it. From my last blog you can see that I was focused on recruiting. I still am, but it has become secondary. My problem is that I was recruiting without any place for people to go. I've been working hard the last week to get a hub up and running. I opted to go with Google Sites and despite some issues with embedding some videos and widgets it has gone well. Right now I feel pretty good about where I am, and now I have something to show prospective collaborators.

I also am figuring that at this point I have myself and the other history teacher in my school, in addition to two history teachers from a middle school in Verona. Even if it turns out to be just the four of us this year, it is still four times as many people as I've collaborated with in the past, which is an exciting idea to me.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still looking for prospects and if you see them please send them my way, but I'm living by the, "If you build it, they will come" mantra and I feel pretty good about it.

If you are interested in checking out or sharing my work it can be found at:

http://sites.google.com/a/oregonsd.net/middle-history/home

Thanks for any help you can give.

599 Week 1

Over the last week I have been trying to cross the first bridge towards completing my final project. This consists of contacting individuals who may be interested in joining a group of middle school U.S. history teachers to share resources/planning/ideas/students. I've been able to make a few face to face contacts over the last month, but since then I have been relegated to looking for groups on Diigo or history groups online or on twitter and contact people this way. This has feels a lot like cold calling people which I don't really like and makes me somewhat uncomfortable. I've been able to reconcile this is my mind by saying they have put their names out there on these lists and in their groups, so they must be interested in expanding their connections. It still feels like I'm telemarketing though. I'm hopeful that I'll get a response to some of my initial feelers in the next couple of days.

In the meantime if any of you through your school districts or other connections know of a progressive minded U.S. History teacher who might be interested please send their info my way. I would very much appreciate it. Thanks.

Time to go, I've got more "calls" to make.