Happy Thanksgiving

Today is a special day, a time when anyone and everyone should pause and simply acknowledge appreciation for blessings that might otherwise be neglected. I'm extremely grateful for all of the kind people who continually enrich my life with generosity and wisdom. This year has been especially bountiful in terms of the incredible number of gracious individuals who have blessed me with a veritable cornucopia of creativity, collaboration, company, and kindness. For all of this I am truly thankful and I want the world to know.

First and foremost among those who consistently serve up camaraderie and good cheer are my steadfast friends Joe and Michael. Ever present, ever patient, ever practical, my friends provide guidance and solutions that continually bring my ideas to fruition. My friends are powerhouses of can-do attitude. Both are equally imbued with mind-boggling reserves of energy, the wit of Mark Twain, and the patience of Job. No matter what the circumstances, Joe and Michael help me get the work done and usually make me laugh in the bargain. Whether the two of them help me plan and deliver professional development workshops throughout the nation via ISTE's NECC (2007 and 2008), FETC, or serve the classroom teachers and students I meet on a daily basis, their wise council always augments my efforts. Thanks, Joe and Michael!

Also key to my success are the efforts and assistance provided by my friends from Georgia Public Broadcasting like Patrice Weaver and Katherine Aiken who organizes the GPB TIE Network. I appreciate the rich resources and collaboration that my friends from GPB and TIE give me. Their efforts magnify my own and, though a growing network of other, committed indivuals, help to my ideas about change and 21st Century learning resonate through and beyond the state of Georgia. I'm thankful for meeting and having the opportunity to learn from the likes of such intelligent and giving people as Jeanne Auensen, Mike Horn, Pattie Morton, Shaun Owen, Cynthia Rutledge, Dana Ward, and many, many others who are involved with GPB TIE.

I appreciate the willingness of friends and other thoughtful people outside of Georgia who show me kindness and provide me a means of disseminating my ideas. I'm blessed with the advocacy of people who are helping me grow professionally. I thank my lucky star for people like Debren Ferris, a Project Manager at ISTE and the exceptionally talented folks who comprise the Google Teacher's Academy. Debren connects me with schools, administartors, and teachers who are interested in my ideas. She's helped me make new friends all across the country. My friends in the Google Teacher's Academy have helped me help others use Google's powerful resources to enrich learning experiences for countless young people--and all for FREE!

With so many blessings to smile about there's no way I could ever forget to be grateful for the men and women I work with on a daily basis as part of Georgia's network of Educational Technology Centers. This blog is a project I do on my own time outside of my capcity as an employee of the state of Georgia. That said, much of what I put into this blog happens as a result of what I see, do, and learn when I'm collbaorating with my friends and counterparts at other ETCs in Georgia. In the same vein, I am grateful for having the chance to be part of a great team within my own center and to have an angel of a boss who gives me room to explore new ideas.

For all of these and other beautiful blessings--my family, friends, and kind, Preclectic subscribers--I am most thankful!