What’s in a name? – Transition Zone

A while ago I decided to say goodbye to TechEd-dy, my EduBlogs hosted blog, and move to a self hosted solution. I figured it was time to take the next step. I purchased my domain name and installed WordPress on my server. I found a theme that I liked, and then I got stuck.

I wasn’t sure what to write about. When I first started blogging I was a newly minted Technology teacher and coordinator and TechEd-dy was a way for me to reflect on how to meaningfully integrate technology in my classroom. Everything was cool and new and there was always something to write about. The only hiccup ws that my Dad liked the name because (much to my dismay) he had a good friend called Eddy.

Along with my new blog, I also have a new job and life responsibilities. I am still fascinated by the role technology could be playing in transforming education, but I am more interested in the transformation and less in the technology. I still wear a Technology Coordinator hat but now also wear an IB MYP Coordinator hat that is shifting my focus. I find my musings these days to be more about curriculum reform and institutional change. I am about to start a Master in Educational Leadership at Royal Roads University which I anticipate will lead to further reflections on change and leadership. So, change and leadership seem to be emerging as the bookends framing the way this blog will move forward.

But I needed a name. I tried Phil’s Blog for a while, but that just felt too informal. What’s in a name? For me a name puts some constraints on what I write and keeps me focussed. A name helps me to move forward with my thinking and not flounder in abstraction. A name seems to give my writing a purpose of sorts. It took a while for the name to arrive. ‘Transition Zone’ actually hearkens back to my first degree in Ecology, where I was fascinated to discover that most biodiverisity (the interesting stuff) is found in succession or transition zones. Recently it has become clear to me that I like transition and change, because that is where the rich conversations and experiences happen. I like looking for ways forward when things are messy. I even made a bit of a video about this a while back.

So ‘Transition Zone’ it is. Let the blogging begin.

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