It’s November 4, the first blogoversary for Evaluspheric Perceptions! I want to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation for everyone who has visited, subscribed, liked, and commented on posts on this site. You have encouraged me to do exactly what I proposed to do one year ago today – that is, to explore the beauty and complexity of the “evalusphere” and continue learning, evaluating, and educating. It’s one of my most exciting, challenging, and rewarding journeys, and I love writing about it.
Michael Quinn Patton (2010) likens complexity to hiking the Grand Canyon:
. . . sidetracks. Unexpected detours. Getting lost. Navigating through rough terrain. Negotiating ravines and ridges. Steep ascents and terrifying descents.
Diverging, converging, and crisscrossing. Watching for what emerges. Expecting the unexpected. Going with the flow. Riding cascades and waves of turbulence. (p. 8)
As a hiker, I can relate. It’s how I feel about evaluation, education, and learning. I’m excited about the year to come and the continued opportunity to share with you reflections from my ongoing expedition.
Thank you so very much for being part of it!
Patton, M. Q. (2010). Developmental evaluation: Applying complexity concepts to enhance innovation and use. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Yay Sheila! Congrats on your blog turning the big 1, quite the milestone.
Karen
Thanks Karen! 😀
Happy blogoversary, Sheila! I always look forward to reading your posts. What’s in store for year 2?
Thanks Ann! Well, let’s see…I’m working on writing up an interview with a well-known evaluator, a co-authored post with a fellow evaluation blogger, and perhaps some posts in the works on some other topics, but don’t tell anyone, OK? I want it all to be a surprise! 😉
Your secret’s safe with me!