MAGIC...

MAGIC

Flying home – ran out of blogging, tidied desktop and found the excel spreadsheet of my archived tweets….

What PURE MAGIC to find my first tweet using my word….

I now just can’t wait to find the first tweet where I capitalized it!

Aha – found….

So I first used the word magic on 10 June 2010 and began using it capitalized on 11 November 2010. 

There sure has been a lot of MAGIC in between then and now and I know that there is an abundance of MAGIC on the horizon.

The 7^th of June marks the beginning of an amazing new venture for me – the 100day project – http://100daysproject.co.nz/

I have chosen MAGIC as my theme for the 100 day project.  I am going to post a quote with the word MAGIC on it, on a photo I have taken.  That is the easy part.  The challenge for me is that for everyone of the 100 days I am going to add MAGIC to someone’s day.  It will likely take the form of FISH “make their day”, or RAK – random acts of kindness, or PIF – pay it forward!  What ever it is, every day will be an opportunity for me to cement this in my practice for life.  I find it incredibly easy to find MAGIC and I am really looking forward to sharing this journey with a multitude of others… the ultimate goal for me is to empower others to seek and find MAGIC in their life everyday….

Another absolutely MAGIC moment is that this week I will post my 10,000^th tweet.  I would love to know how many times I have tweeted the word MAGIC… I will never know how many times I have used the word, but I do know that MAGIC is everywhere.  It is everything that is outside the mundane routine of life.  It is waking in the morning before the alarm, it is greeting your family, it is a chance comment or words of gratitude, it is sunshine and rain, ice and wind, it is photos and pictures, flowers and fungi… it is learners and learning, technology and opportunities… When you start to really define what MAGIC is, you become aware of the magnitude and immensity of the MAGIC which daily wraps itself around us and makes us smile….

What is the MAGIC for you right now?

Information is not knowledge

It is the greatest truth of our age: Information is not knowledge. 

Caleb Carr 

Transform ourselves...

If we transform ourselves, we have the potential 

to change the world.

Laura van Dernoot Lipsky

A MAGIC day in class...

Sometimes you have an experience that you just have to blog about...

Recently I spent time in a class who are working 1:1 on iPads.  They have the most amazing flexible learning space and they are working on individualised learning programmes.  

I have made no secret of the fact that I believed 1:1 devices could cut down on the collaboration, interaction and discussion in the learning journey.  I now find I am more open and welcoming of the opportunities 1:1 affords.

I was very pleasantly surprised to experience: modelling; sharing; teaching; learning; challenging; justifying; questioning; inquiry; searching; summarising; and oh, so much more...

I was able to talk to a number of learners and hear their reflection on their journey.  These learners were clearly able to articulate their privilege; their choice of own pace learning; ubiquity of access; ability to work in high trust environment; opportunities for instant access to learning support; ability to record and re-visit learning; built in breaks... and much, much more.  

I am aware that this has most definitely not happened by chance or happened overnight... This programme is inspired by an enthusiastic, passionate teacher who is travelling a very exciting journey with these learners.

I will follow this journey with incredible interest as we journey a very exciting learning time for our students!

Queenstown MAGIC!

Sharing the snow experience…

Last night it was snowing heavily as I drove into Queenstown and I woke up to a white blanket wrapping the town in its freezing hold! 

Schools are closed and roads home are closed and south to the school I was to be in tomorrow are closed, so here I stay.

The true benefit of a fully blended work role meant I was able to work away and enjoy the beauty of this place.

Late in the day I had the privilege of tweeting a school in Auckland with some photos and skyping a class.  This was amazing as I was able to share with them the look and feel of the snow… even showing them snowball throwing…

I promised them snowman photos so set off to walk downtown not wanting to risk driving the rental car… Well, about two blocks along and the slope became unmanageable… boots and snow – not a good mix!  A taxi ride downtown and off I set in hunt of snowmen… I had limited success, but did find a cute little snow family keeping an eye out from the Queenstown Green!  

A coffee at Patagonia and a lot more photos, followed by a taxi ride back up the hill to dry out and warm up!  I hope you enjoy these photos.  I had a lot of fun making the snow angel and the cute little snow girl on the table…

My car is safe in the basement downstairs but this is probably what it would look like if it was out in the snow!

I would love to answer your questions about snow and skype you tomorrow if you would like to see it again…

Giving...

Direct from the Smile newsletter to you...

"Giving is so often thought of in terms of the things we give, but our greatest giving is of our time, and kindness, and even comfort for those who need it. We look on these gifts as unimportant - until we need them." - Joyce Sequichie Hifler

The Secret

I just feel the need to post this message in full tonight.... A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda Byrne Creator of The Secret From The Secret Daily Teachings Whatever you want to bring into your life, you must GIVE it. Do you want love? Then give it. Do you want appreciation? Then give it. Do you want understanding? Then give it. Do you want joy and happiness? Then give it to others. You have the ability to give so much love, appreciation, understanding, and happiness to so many people every single day! May the joy be with you, Rhonda Byrne The Secret... bringing joy to billions

A Mother's day like no other...

Well… that is a Mother’s day I will never ever forget!

I took Mum to church in the morning and she was really not well.  I got her home and back to bed and was feeling the day was not going quite as planned as I was hoping to bring her home to my place for brunch.

Can you imagine my surprise when I pulled up the driveway and saw Katie standing at the top of the drive……

The little monkey drove down from Christchurch to surprise me for Mother’s day. What a MAGICal day we had!  We had a stunning brunch and got some great family photos on the back lawn. 

I got another gorgeous heart for dream of an aroha wall from Jason and he helped my hang my collection to date.  This really has been a very special Mother’s day full of love and time together and the creation of very special memories.

Katie and I went to surprise Mum and owe what a surprise it was for her.  She was sooo excited to see Katie again!  

We spent the afternoon chatting and catching up and as the afternoon wore on I began to dread the thought of Katie having to drive all the way back to Christchurch on her own!  I hopped onto the Air New Zealand site and booked myself a flight home from Christchurch for Monday!  YAHOO!  Katie and I fitted in two visits to Lauren and Nana, had a coffee at Starbucks then headed off for Christchurch!  What an awesome drive.  We talked non stop the whole way.  We had a yummy dinner in Timaru and arrived at Katie’s flat by 9.30.

What an incredible Mother’s day.  I got up early and worked online for the morning then shot out and fueled up her car, took it through the carwash and bought her a tiny oil filled heater to take the chill off her bedroom.

Back to work online, dealing with my emails, planning school visits for the term and updated online.  I am truly in love with the power to work in a fully blended way.  It really doesn’t matter where in the world I am, as long as I have an internet connection I can work.

At 5pm Katie dropped me to the airport and here I am flying home.  What an absolutely incredible Mother’s day!  One I sure will never forget!

Thank you Katie!  You are a truly wonderful daughter!

A mother's heart...

A mother's heart is the child's classroom.

Henry Ward Beecher

A mother's heart...

A mother's heart is a patchwork of love.

Author unknown

The MAGIC and mystery of metamorphosis...

There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly.

Buckminster Fuller

Give your heart to your work...

Your work is to discover your work and then with all 

your heart to give yourself to it!  

Buddha

Do your little bit of good...

Do your little bit of good where you are; 

it's those little bits of good put together 

that overwhelm the world.

Desmond Tutu