Monday, November 7, 2011

A New Path

I started down A New Path the other day...



...it was a clearly marked and the way appeared to be straight and clear!



But then, an Adversary blocked my path and I had to wait for him to pass.



It started to get a little darker...

...and darker...
...but I could still see the light filtering through.


Then my Path began to twist and turn...


...I had to cross over water...


...and under a barrier...


...but my Path eventually led me to the View from the Top!


My Energy spent, it had me ready to find some a place to Rest and Rejuvenate.


And remember what is truly important...


All the Best,

Whitney
© 2013 All rights reserved, Whitney Merrill

"An ant on the move does more than a dozing ox." - Lao-Tzu

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Garage Sale


We had a garage sale the other weekend - releasing the old to make room for the new.  It is amazing what attachments we form in our lifetimes to 'stuff' and why.  For me, it is books - which I have found represent my attachment to my assimilation of knowledge and experiences.  I realized that I was holding onto these books, many of which I skimmed over while reading several simultaneously, so that I could potentially 'refer' back to them at a later date.

It's been 30+ years for those Tolkien books there in the picture and I promise you that I have never cracked the cover on those since I finished reading them in 6th grade.  The power of the experience of reading those books as a young boy had stayed with me my entire life - I do remember reading them and literally expanding my consciousness with each page.  Such creativity, imagination and magic - truly life changing for me personally.  And so, I held onto them.  And what is the harm in that?

Nothing really... other than the expansion of today, the new joy of assimilation, the experience of NOW, the book I'm reading today.  There will never be another first time reading The Hobbit, but there will be a first time experience of my next life changing book, story, moment or experience.  I want all of my focus and attention to be available for that experience so that I am as present as I possibly can be.

That is why I gave up my books even though I held onto them for many years... to make room for today.  Give it a try, you may never know what will happen next.... :)


All the Best,
Whitney
© 2011 Whitney Merrill All Rights Reserved



Pumpkins and Dogs

October 2011 Coastviews Magazine Cover
Photo by Whitney Merrill

Monday, October 3, 2011

Look Up

Redwood Sky - La Honda, CA
You're heads down, working hard, no stopping to 'smell the roses'.  Busy, busy all the time focused on getting ahead at work, trying to save for the college fund and for retirement.  Go, go, go -  run, run, run.  If you stop, you're a 'goner' and you'll sleep when you're dead right?

Seriously people, this is not sustainable - for you, for you family or for the environment around you.  And I know that you know it so we really don't need to go there now do we?  But, I would like to ask the simple question: what can you do about it for just yourself? (at the very least)

I've been looking at Google Earth pictures of our World recently - it is amazing what it available for us to See now.  You can see images pictures of people walking on a beach in Australia from a satellite shot on your iPad.  However, I realized that it had me looking down a lot - so I decided to Look Up.

I have found that there is a lot to be learned from looking at the sky.  The tops of trees swaying in the breeze, clouds traveling by, birds on the wing, the moon and planets in rotation and the conscious Universe expanding constantly beyond our view (and minds).  But more importantly, it makes you slow down.  There is just no way to Look Up without pausing for at least a few moments (unless you want to fall down)!

I suggest the following exercise for those of you having difficulty with your rate of speed of life - just look up once per day.  Whether it be when you're getting a cup of coffee, taking your lunch break or getting home from one of those busy, busy days at work - just Look Up, breathe and pause for a moment.  It is a nice view where you are right now, isn't it?  :)

All the Best,
Whitney
© 2011 Whitney Merrill All Rights Reserved

"I have seen slower people than I am--and more deliberate...and even quieter, and more listless, and lazier people than I am. But they were dead." - Mark Twain

Monday, September 26, 2011

Every Moment


Imagine what your life would be like if you were present to the fact that Every Moment was precious, sweet and wonderful.  


 






Where you felt like you were truly experiencing the world around you each day as you woke up, looking forward to new experiences and opportunities (including chocolate chip muffins).







Where every time the horses came by your backyard fence that you wanted to feed them carrots and say 'Hi Horsies!!' at the top of your lungs (no holding back at all).

















Where you sometimes inspired, cajoled and persistently 'nudged' those around you to play, to laugh or to run along the beach (just because you could).

















Where every tide pool was a magical world filled with yet unfound treasures, all waiting for you to notice them and wonder at their beauty (and give them funny names like Cashmools).










Just imagine what that would be like for you...now that you're all grown up.
(an Energetic Picture of you could be inserted right here)


I suggest that you give it a try (again), if just for one moment.  And remember - you are Wonder, you are Joy and you are Love - Right Now.

All the Best,
Whitney
© 2011 Whitney Merrill All Rights Reserved

"At the center of your being you have your answer; you know who you are any you know what you want." - Lao-Tzu

Saturday, September 24, 2011

LOA for Today: True Power





The Pantheon - Rome, Italy
picture by Whitney Merrill (2011)




Most rarely align with their true power, because it seems illogical to them that there is power in relaxation, in letting go, or in love or joy or bliss. Most people do not understand that their true power lies in releasing resistance—which is the only obstacle to their true power.
Most people do not expect their path to great abundance to be one of ease and of joy. They have been taught that struggle and hardship and sacrifice are requirements that must be met before the reward of great abundance can be realized. Most do not understand that the very struggle they deliberately involve themselves in, in their quest for success and advantage, actually works against them.
There are so many things that you have been taught to believe that are counter to the powerful Laws of the Universe that it is difficult for you to think your way out. And that is the reason that we present this path of much less resistance.
We want you to breathe rather than try, to relax rather than offer effort, to smile rather thanstruggle, to be rather than do. For your true power is experienced only from inside the Vortex.
- Abraham
Excerpted from the Getting into the Vortex Guided Meditation
Abraham-Hicks Law of Attraction

Monday, September 5, 2011

Blast Off, Go!

San Francisco Giants Ballpark

The excitement of a 3 year old prior to a new event (in this case his first baseball game) is something of pure magic, wonder and joy.  Albeit slightly exhausting, being around this energy is truly uplifting.  :)

It also had me remember those 'new times' that I had as a child, constantly creating in a state of bliss.  As an adult, I have seen that many people tend to forget that this is our natural state of being.  We have learned or been taught that life is repetitive, boring or 'not fun'.  Well, this can be unlearned too.

Try going to something 'new' with a toddler or just going along with a friend that is passionate and loves what they are doing.  If they want to 'ride on your shoulders' or just ask for you to join in, try saying 'Yes!' instead of 'No.'  And I suggest smiling for the pictures too - you never know how happy you might look. :)

All the Best,
Whitney
© 2011 All Rights Reserved, Whitney Merrill


"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be."
 - Lao-Tzu (Tao Teh Ching)

Friday, September 2, 2011

Running on the Coast: HMB International Marathon


by Whitney Merrill

Pillar Point Harbor, the starting point of the Half Moon Bay International Marathon. Photos: Whitney Merrill.
September 2011— 
It’s 5 p.m. on a Tuesday afternoon on Purissima Street in downtown Half Moon Bay, and Amy Rhodes and Dr. Humphrey Lu are stretching out in front of Lu’s pediatrics office, preparing for their weekly coastal run together. Normally the talk would involve the weather, and catching up on the news, but with the Half Moon Bay International Marathon just weeks away the focus is on the upcoming race and their preparation for it.
Rhodes says, “We met each other through Team in Training and found out that we run at the same pace. When I brought my kids for their doctor’s appointment with Dr. Lu, we ended up talking as much about running as the kids, so we decided — fewer kids’ appointments, more running appointments. Having a running partner really helps; when you make a commitment to run with someone else you’re more likely to keep it.”
Lu says, “For the marathon, I’m doing the 5K, supporting Amy, and prepping for theSan Jose Rock ’n’ Roll half-marathon the week following. The last five to six miles are extremely tough so it’s really nice to have someone cheer you on. I could talk to you about running a long time. I know it’s important to exercise but I didn’t really start to enjoy it until I started  Team in Training
for a marathon — it changed my life. I love the discipline, bonding with people on the team, suffering together! It really empowers you to finish a marathon; it makes you feel that you can do anything.”

Amy Rhodes and Dr. Humphrey Lu in training on the California Coastal Trail at the end of Kelly Street, Half Moon Bay.
There are four options to participate in the Half Moon Bay event: full marathon, half-marathon, 10K event, and 5K family fun run, which has no entry fee. The marathon starts from Pillar Point Harbor and heads north along the harbor out to Mavericks around Foo Rock, up the bluff and out to and around the Montara lighthouse before returning back to the harbor. It then continues south along the coastal trail with the 5K and 10K turnarounds at Miramar and Dunes beaches, respectively. The full marathon continues on around the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay before returning back to the finish line at Pillar Point Harbor.
Lu and Rhodes head out for their training run of eight miles by turning down Kelly Street and heading out on the California Coastal Trail along the bluffs of Poplar Beach, where they enter the southern leg of the marathon. The full marathon will be USA Track & Field-certified, and will therefore be recognized by the Boston Marathon and other events which require qualification on a certified course. The entire marathon follows the coastline, allowing the runners to experience beautiful views. It is also run during our wonderful fall coastal weather season, virtually guaranteeing sun combined with ideal running temperatures in the 50s and 60s. Sam’s Chowder House is the founding sponsor and it will have the ChowderMobile at the finish line area.
This year the marathon is going green and working with the Council for Responsible Sport to seek gold certification. Included in the green plan are the following suggestions that runners and spectators can follow:
• BYOB: Bringing your own water bottle will greatly reduce the number of paper cups used out on the course. Each aid station along the course will feature a BYOB station with pitchers of water to refill your bottle.

Map showing northern turn-around at Point Montara Lighthouse in Montara and the southern turn-around at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay. Map and further details can be found at http://halfmoonbayim.org/course/.
• Recycle: The goal is to have less than one pound of landfill waste per athlete. To make this happen, the race will provide recycling bins for bottles, cans, plastic and cardboard — so please use them!
• Carpool: If you have friends who are running the race, please share a ride. You can meet new runners by signing up for Pickup Pal on the marathon’s website.
Rhodes and Lu continue along the California Coastal Trail to the Ritz for their final training loop. From up on the trail you can hear the seagulls, smell the sea breezes and see the surfers riding the waves below. It is truly a wonderful place to run, and to be inspired at the same time. Lu sums it up well, saying, “The great part about running on the coast is that: 1) The weather is much cooler and more ideal than over the hill, 2) You can’t beat running on the coastal trail, especially running on the bluff and looking out over the ocean, 3) It’s nice to see people you know and to feel that you’re part of the community. … I think it’s great to see your doctor running — not just having him tell you to exercise but actually doing it. You have to lead by example.”

Road along Miramar Beach part of the marathon route.
The marathon comes to the coast on Sept. 25, 2011; the full marathon starts at 7 a.m. Hope to see you there!





Sunday, August 21, 2011

The Starfish Journey

Cape Cod Starfish - Eastham, MA
I returned to writing after what seemed like a short break for traveling and found that over three months had passed.  Like a Vision Quest, a Walkabout or even a Sabbatical, I define a Starfish Journey as an adventure where you take a a significant amount of time to expand your consciousness and spread yourself out before returning home to your new found center.  One of the differences of a Starfish Journey is that it is a water journey, requiring that you don't venture too far onto land and away from your tide pool of spiritual nourishment.

My journey took me to several countries and oceanside locales, some that I had visited before and some that were new. Capetown, Las Vegas, Barcelona, Tunisa, Rome, Florence, Cannes & Cape Cod - some were warm and inviting and some brought back memories of fear and loss.  Visiting them all in this lifetime in a compressed period of time via airplanes, ships and cars was my expansion.  Coming back to the tide pools of my youth on Cape Cod was my rejuvenation.  Experiencing it all together with my wife & son in love, joy and happiness was my centering.

What I also re-learned for myself is that no matter how far we go away, we always return in some way.  Whether it be external or internal experiences, life is more like a circle or a spiral than a straight line.  However, It is the journeying outward that can assist us in orienting to the center of our personal universe.  Like an astral body that is drawn back down to earth by gravity each time, sometimes you have to take the leap to feel the pull.

I encourage you all to try a Starfish Journey for your next expansion adventure - I try and take one every several years.  It does not necessarily have to be far ranging or diverse - time, water, open eyes and an open heart are all that is required.  Just remember to come back to your tidepool! :)

All the Best,
Whitney
© 2011 All Rights Reserved, Whitney Merrill

"Wherever you go, there you are." - Anonymous (or The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, 1984)

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Summer Cover

I had one of my Half Moon Bay pictures featured on the cover of Coastviews Magazine this month - very psyched! Hope that you're enjoying your summer as much as we are! :)

All the Best,
Whitney
© 2011 All rights reserved, Whitney Merrill


Friday, June 10, 2011

LOA for Today:

Cape of Good Hope - Capetown S. Africa

"In order to help someone who's in a very different vibrational frequency, you've got to adjust your vibrational frequency so that they can hear you. And if we were standing in your physical shoes, we would not adjust our vibrational frequency down—ever. We would not introduce more resistance in our vibration for any reason whatsoever, because disconnecting yourself from resources does not give them more to eat."

--- Abraham
exerpted from a Workshop based on the Book Law of Attraction

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Best of BLOG: Praise as a Paddle

(Best Of BLOG: re-posted from the Energetic Incubator)


As with water flowing downstream, we can choose to flow in the shadow of the rocks or sparkle lightly upon the surface.  We can look downstream (to see where we are going) and upstream (to see where we have been), but to maneuver yourself in this flow it is sometimes necessary to 'dip your paddle' in the water where you are right now.  How you do this can make all the difference in steering you away from obstacles and keeping you flowing easily along your journey.

Communicating praise to others is one of the best methods for guiding your 'paddle' to assist you in your course adjustments.  By 'pinging' others with praise, we learn exactly where we are, where we have been and where we are going through the process of validation.  What we are saying with praise is "I like this about you", "There is a part of me that aligns positively with that part of you" and "We are flowing in the clear water together in this regard."  Conversely, criticism says the opposite and ultimately serves to slow our journey and muddy the waters, making it difficult to navigate or stay on the surface.

At first we may make 'tentative' strokes or perhaps even 'over adjust' with our praise, but as with anything practice and repetition can assist us in developing mastery and eventually navigating by 'auto-pilot'.  A daily suggested practice is to praise 3 people: one in your present, one from your 'past' and one from your 'future', where 'past' and 'future' refer to people that are floating either upstream of downstream of you right now.  Examples of 'past' might be a former boss, co-worker, mentor or friend who you still admire but are not actively communicating with right now.  'Future' might be someone you just newly met who inspired or excited you.  And 'Present' could be your spouse/significant other, close family member/friend or just someone that you see each day at the coffee shop.

In praising, simply find one thing that you like, respect or notice as positive about that person and communicate that to them.  Start with 3 people and then continue the practice each day, observing how you are flowing along your journey.  Are you flowing on the surface or under the rocks?  You choose.

All the Best,
Whitney
© 2010 All rights reserved, Whitney Merrill 

'Praise is like sunlight to the human spirit, we cannot flower and grow without it.' - Jesse Lair

Friday, June 3, 2011

Solar Eclipse at Midnight

This shot was taken in Tromsø, Norway at midnight May 31 by Rhys Jones.

During the Arctic summer, the sun dips low on the horizon but never sets. That means a solar eclipse is theoretically possible at any time. But this week's eclipse was the first visible from Scandinavia since 2000, and the deepest since 1985. The next one won't be for another 73 years.

  - from Wired (via NPR)

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Spirtual Turning Points

Coastviews Magazine Article
Victoria Marina-Tompkins: Guiding people through the major life transitions

by Whitney Merrill



Victoria Marina-Tompkins, photo courtesy of Paula Kirkland.

June 2011 — Victoria Marina-Tompkins has written and published a new book entitled Spiritual Turning Points: A Metaphysical Perspective of the Seven Life Transitions. A longtime Coastside resident known for her deep wisdom and compassionate nature, she has an active private practice at the Flight of the Hawk Center for Contemporary Shamanism in Half Moon Bay. She sat down with me recently in her El Granada home to share some of her personal story and her purpose for writing the book.

Marina-Tompkins was born and raised in the Bay Area where at the age of 8 she started her musical training on the violin, later majoring in music performance and psychology at Cal State East Bay in Hayward. She began her professional music career when she was 19, working at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco; her first show was Two Gentlemen of Verona: A Rock Musical. She went on to do a wide range of work, playing for commercials, movie soundtracks and the symphony — and with Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr. and many others.

Marina-Tompkins said, “I loved making music in my 20s. I met my husband — a jazz sax musician — and was living the creative life.” During this time she had a son and studied Orff Music for Children at the University of California, Santa Cruz, which opened her eyes to tribal-based rhythms and drumming, improvisation, and world music. “People think that being a professional musician is glamorous, but it’s very repetitive,” she said. Orff Music “felt more rich, and I saw that all children are innately musical. You just have to give them the ability to express that.” In 1985 she created Tunes for Tots, a music school for children based on the Orff-Schulwerk method of teaching.


Alaska represents the mysterious passageway of death through which we all must pass. Photo courtesy of Victoria Marina-Tompkins.

During this time Marina-Tompkins also began her study of shamanism with Michael Harner and Angeles Arrien — and her study of women’s spirituality with Karen Vogel and Hallie Austen Iglehart. She said, “Growing up, I was interested in spiritual matters, and explored tarot as a teenager. I was always interested in what we can’t see but that we intuitively know is there.” She began to make a transition, changing her focus from music to spirituality. She said: “It was my experience as a musician that helped me to understand that there is something greater than yourself, higher than high. You get out of your little self, into your bigger self, connect to the Tao. Connecting with spirit seemed very natural.”

While Marina-Tompkins had taught music to children for years, the move to teaching shamanism was a critical turning point in her career. Linda Yule, her friend and a psychotherapist, suggested they conduct a class — and they did, and the students liked it. “At that time, no one was teaching shamanism on the coast,” Marina-Tompkins said.


The iris represents the True Self as it prepares to unfold after the internal work at mid-life. Photo courtesy of Victoria Marina-Tompkins.

That class led her to found the Flight of the Hawk Center for Contemporary Shamanism in Half Moon Bay where she taught programs in cross-cultural shamanism and developed a private practice in intuitive counseling. Marina-Tompkins describes her approach this way: “I like combining astrology, esoteric studies, and spirituality, grounded by shamanism that is very earthy.”
Through her years of working directly with people in her practice, she “saw that there were very natural transitional periods. Many times we react with fear when we come to a point like that and fall into resignation or depression. I learned that these were opportunities and that we live a lot of lives in one life. Part of my belief system is that we have the opportunity to choose from fear or from love. We may get stuck in old patterns but we always have the opportunity to choose every day. When you look at the little choices as practice … the big choices are easier.”

Marina-Tompkins’ book focuses on the seven major transitions of life, from birth to death, and provides specific guidance and examples of how to make these transitions in a positive way, to live a truly powerful life. Readers can learn about the 2 year old, realizing that the tantrum is the child trying to create self identity. Or that teenagers choose their self-defense mechanisms in response to expanding this identity, and that we address identity issues again in mid-life as we seek the emergence of the True Personality and engage in our


Life Tasks. And throughout, the book is filled with people’s stories.
Marina-Tompkins said: “I could not have written this book until I did. I needed 20-plus years of stories, otherwise the ideas are abstract.” She continued: “Illustrating the seven transitions through people’s lives makes the concepts more tangible. Storytelling is healing. We heal through sharing our stories and listening to the stories of others. We see the common threads that run through all of our lives.”
Marina-Tompkins said that she had three primary reasons for writing the book: “To bring together my life work, to give back what I learned, and to be of service … to help other people. Indigenous people say your only responsibility in life is to bring forward your gifts. … Maybe my contribution is the combination of all three.”

Her book can be found on the Coastside at Ocean Books on Main Street and at Harbor Books in the Shoppes at Harbor Village. It is also available online through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iBooks for Apple. Formats are hardcover, paperback, and e-book. She is currently teaching workshops, performing radio interviews, and continuing her private practice with clients worldwide.

Coastviews Magazine Article Link

Monday, May 9, 2011

14


It has been several weeks since I have posted to this BLOG as I took on a new and expanded position at work that kept me very busy, as well as traveling a bit overseas.  Where I had intended a small break from writing, it became more pronounced where a Next Step taken led to more, and more, and more, etc.  Like waves of sand blown by the wind I found myself stepping from crest to crest with little if any breaks in between.

Recently I want to see a friend & advisor to reconnect and ground.  After sharing some of my new experiences as well as my challenges of not finding enough time and space for rest/rejuvenation during this expansive period, she reminded me of the practice of listening to the spaces in between.  We sat and listened to the birds outside the window, concentrating on the silence between each chirp. What became very clear to me after just a few minutes was that it is this silence in between that actually turns the sounds into birdsong.  As with musical notes played one after the other, there is no melody without the pauses in between each note.

Upon further reflection I noted to myself that without proper timing and spacing and proportion, notes played sound cacophonous and grating.  For it is the art & craft of arranging the silence and notes that can create a masterpiece, just as light and color in a building space will make us say "Whoa!".

Barcelona Cathedral
With this in mind, I took some extra time for myself to walk in nature and listen for and watch all of the spaces that naturally occur in nature.  In the redwood grove near my home I noticed not just the tall trees that have stood for hundreds of years but the spaces on the forest floor that hold ferns and pockets of light and air.  When my son and I planted some new flowers in the planters on our patio for Mother's day we were mindful of creating spaces in the soil between so that each could breathe and grow.  And yesterday morning when I took my solitary early run out on the beach there were 14 pelicans flying just overhead - I saw the space between each and noticed that they split into two groups of 7 as they passed.

It is my practice to interpret that which is presented to me in the world around me, and to notice when there is a message.  For me this was just such a message, reminding me that for every note played there is another note that will follow, as well as for every octave there is another as well.  I reflected that the note being played for me right now was my new job and that this was actually my 7th job since I graduated from college, denoting a specific position in the octave of my professional/corporate career.  Just as there will be a job after this one (eventually), there will also likely be a new octave as this one appears to me to have the resonances of the musical note G.  Or if you prefer The Sound of Music - "Tea, a drink with jam and bread... that will bring us back to Doe, a deer..."

And from this I come back to the spaces in between for when signing the notes and moving up an octave, there are breaths in between as well.  It is these breaths and space that I am refocusing on again.  Enjoying more time with my wife and son, scheduling events & outings with friends and re-grounding my connections to nature and personal time.


And then I will be off again, taking my next trip for work and another step along my Path.  However, this time, I plan on 'singing' more of the notes and paying more attention to the magical spaces in between. :)  I encourage you all to do the same.

All the Best,
Whitney
© 2011 All rights reserved, Whitney Merrill

"Doe - a deer, a female deer,
Ray - a drop of golden sun.
Me - a name I call myself,
Far - a long long way to run,
Sew - a needle pulling thread,
La - a note to follow so.
Tea-  a drink with jam and bread,
That will bring us back to Doe oh oh oh."


 - The Sound of Music (Do-Re-Mi)

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Perigee Moon



Apogee and Perigee of the Moon

Apogee and perigee refer to the distance from the Earth to the moon. Apogee is the furthest point from the earth. Perigee is the closest point to the earth and it is in this stage that the moon appears larger. Looking at the moon in the sky without anything to compare it to, you wouldn't notice any size difference. But the difference in size can in fact be quite significant.


If you were to photograph a full moon at apogee and perigee (using the same lens), here's how the two sizes would compare:
full moon at apogee and perigee
Astronomers have formulas for computing the exact distance at any point in time, but the average distance from Earth is 237,700 miles (382,500 km).

Effects of Apogee and Perigee
The apogee and perigee of the moon have an affect on the tides here on Earth. When the moon is at apogee, the furthest distance from the Earth, it has less gravitational pull which, along with other factors that influence the tides, can contribute to lower tides or lower variation in the high/low tide level. When the moon is at perigee, closer to the Earth, there is much more gravitational pull which contributes to the opposite effect: higher tides or greater variation in the high and low tide.
 - Source: MoonConnection

Chatter


The waves are still coming in to the beaches in Half Moon Bay filled with the energy being released on the other side of the ocean (Japan).  With those waves of the ocean there are also waves of chatter spreading throughout the world right now.  While sometimes useful, engaging and informational, I have seen that listening to this chatter has an unsettling effect on many.  

The question that I would like to offer up for today is this: "What is the chatter really telling you?"  And even more importantly - "What is the chatter telling you about yourself?"  

For myself, I have found that the chatter has me seeking out nature and special places ever more.  There is a different chatter in nature, as with these two birds looking for food on the reef amidst the waves and turbulence - being a part of it all and still being in communication.  I watched as they stayed close to each other for quite a while, even though the waves would often wash over their bit of reef and then recede back repeatedly.  Calling to each other here and there with their 'cheep, cheep, cheep' - the chatter of nature amidst the waves.

As I do not speak sea-bird, all that I could discern is that there must be something really good about that section of reef.  It had me look down at my section of sand on the Half Moon Bay beach where I had been standing and think to myself - "Yes, this is a really nice section of beach... and place to live... right now."  And then I went home to my wife and son for some 1-on-1 family chatter at the dinner table. :)

All the Best,
Whitney
© 2011 All rights reserved, Whitney Merrill

'He who knows does not speak, He who speaks does not know.'
 - Lao-Tzu

Thursday, March 10, 2011

LOA for Today: Focus on the Desire


"It's not necessary for you to exacerbate your contrast with struggle in order to get it into a higher place. It is not necessary to suffer in order to give birth to desire. But when you have suffered and you have given birth to desire, so what? You've got a desire. Turn your attention to the desire. Think about where you're going and never mind where you've been. Don't spend any more time justifying any of that stuff."

--- Abraham
exerpted from a Workshop based on the Book Law of Attraction

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Digital Natives

Digital Natives on the San Mateo County Coast: Technology in the classroom



by Whitney Merrill
Teacher Deborah Cowden, in classroom C-109. Photos: Whitney Merrill.
In classroom C-109 at Cunha Intermediate School in Half Moon Bay, each of the eight science tables has a stack of textbooks and a laptop on it. As part of the 2010 BookServer and the Digital Classroom project, Deborah Cowden has been using technology in both her science and English language development classes for the past year to transform the way her students learn and how she teaches.
Cowden says the 2009 Big Ideas Fest at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay provided the genesis of the Cunha Laptop Project. That’s where she met Brewster Kahle, founder of the Internet Archive. Through the efforts of the Archive, located in San Francisco, and the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education, based in Princeton-by-the-Sea, she had a commitment for 24 laptops to be delivered to her classroom in March 2010.
Cowden with books and laptop.
Then the real collaborative work began — working on agreements between the principal, the school information technology organization, parents and students. There were questions about security, access and permission — and questions about how students would use the technology. A sixth-grader heard the news about the new laptops and said, “That is really cool!” Cowden asked, “Why it is so great? We all have laptops at home.” The student replied, “This is the way we do things; this is the way we learn.”
Cowden uses terms coined by Marc Prensky, saying: “These children are called digital natives; they were born into this society with technology. We 20th-century teachers … the best we’ll be are digital immigrants.”
“Technology in the classroom changes my role. I’m a facilitator, they’re the learners,” Cowden says. In her role as facilitator, she builds online courses that students can access in class or at home. This allows for repetition and review at each student’s individual pace — and if students are out sick or on vacation, they can still access the courses. The technology also provides a collaborative environment, with discussion threads and access to the Internet for ongoing research and investigation.
Flip camera.
In science class the students are working on an over-arching question about air pressure through a student-directed project: How does air pressure affect weather? Cowden has student teams collaborating on pieces of the project and pulling research from various sources, including websites — some that she provides and some that the students find on their own. Cowden helps them develop information literacy — finding reliable sources and fact checking what they read. She is also working with Len Erickson and Coastside STEM — Science Techology Engineering and Mathematics — on a robotics class that enables her students to have ongoing access to a professional working in the field.
For their final projects, students produce multimedia presentations using video, PowerPoint presentations and music. Cowden shows me a few and I am amazed at the work being created by eighth-graders; many people working at technology firms in Silicon Valley would be hard pressed to create such a presentation or video in support of their own work.
Cowden's earth science learning objectives.
Cowden says that when students are given the opportunity to learn online, more of them are engaged — and more of them pass tests and complete assignments. In her eighth-grade technology class, the percentage of students successfully completing projects went from 25 percent to 75 percent. “Technology supports student-directed learning and it puts the responsibility of learning into students’ hands,” she says.
Cowden’s wish list for the upcoming year includes continuing the program, and expanding further into multimedia with additional Flip camcorders as well as keyboards and midis. She would also like for all teachers who want to use technology in their classrooms to be able to do so.
Science books and Wi-Fi connected netbook.
Even with all of the emphasis on technology, it is clear that her true passion is for her students and how they are learning. She says, “They’re making connections that I didn’t make until junior year in college. I get thrilled with who they are.”