Sorry Bob for the belated response, Twitter can provide a way of connecting with experts and engaging in conversations. See @biancah80 https://biancahewes.wordpress.com/2015/03/21/thanks-for-the-chat-will-willkostakis/
Tag: Connected Education
I guess our choices are to either leave those places or work to make them better, or passively hope for the best. I’m naive in this, I know, but I think small actions and people connections still count and can make a difference (this is the teacher in me, for sure, with the faith of seeds planted now blooming later on), so I keep on keeping on, hoping a positive energy and a way forward, step by step, might improve the whole.
I find myself still in these places/spaces, but far less active. I am still active and if people instigate conversation then I converse there. However, I have taken other measures to find conversations worth having. For me, this comment – syndicated on my own site – is an example of that. I no longer go around gatecrashing public conversations as I used to.
meaningful connections flickr photo by wonder-ing shared under a Creative Commons (BY-SA) license Social networks are connecting platforms, or they should be. For today’s invitation, respond …
The voices & ideas who have stood out for me this year as a part of my newsletter @kjinquiry @mrsfint @gregmiller68 @langwitches @BiancaH80 @Obi_Jon_ @davecormier @zephoria @twoodwar @wiobyrne @ChrisAldrich @antonyjfunnell @DrNomyn @ChrisWejr @austinkleon @LaTrioli
#tdc2553 @ds106dc
So for now, I will be on here. I will be in my classroom fully present. I will try to find a better balance between sharing and staying quiet. I will be in the Global Read Aloud community, the Passionate Readers community. I will be actually reading more of the fantastic things written by others whose work inspires me to be more than I am. I will be diving back into research. I will be looking at my own practices in order to grow. I will be by my fireplace reading a book. I will be at my dinner table laughing with my kids. I will be just Pernille, not Pernille that has a lot to say and doesn’t always know when to be quiet. If you see me on there, it is probably a cross-posting from Instagram or a very rare moment indeed. But until then, take care of yourself. I am trying to take care of me.
This is another insightful reflection from Pernille Ripp. It continues on from her apology earlier this year for stepping back. It makes me wonder what happens to the ‘edu-influencer‘ when they step back? As much agree with Joe Sanfileppo about the power and potential of being connected, what happens when those people stop answering?
The confluence of distraction and rapid change in today’s digital environment can result in confusion and frustration. We’ll focus on limiting distraction and choosing tools and workflows that will help you do more with less effort. The foundation will be a quick overview of digital productivity patterns (pomodoro, GTD, etc.). From there, we’ll move into successful patterns for getting work done in key workplace applications.
Tom Woodward reflects on the skills required for living online. He discusses knowing how you use your time, checking your data, avoiding distractions, optimising workflows and knowing the ‘basics’. It is interesting to think about this alongside Doug Belshaw’s work with digital literacies. It also has me reviewing my ten step program to being a connected educator.
Six educators who’ve become popular voices on social media share advice for developing online professional learning networks.
This is a reflection from a collection of educational ‘thought leaders‘. What stood out was the intent of self-promotion that many started with. Most spoke about the rich possibilities associated with Twitter, however I feel the same benefits can be gained beyond. One thing that I found interesting was how much time different people spend:
Ferlazzo: Far too much time. I need to get a life!
Fast: I usually get on Twitter after my kids go to bed at night. I’m often on there for an hour or so. I consider it my professional reading. If I’m not on Twitter, then I’m reading a book or an article.
Sheninger: We all can allocate at least 15 minutes a day to learn and get better. Why not make the time to do this on a platform like Twitter where we can personalize the experience? Balance is key.
Ripp: I do the quick check-ins a lot as opposed to spending a long time at once. I do try to reply to every single person that tweets me specifically, but sometimes that is a losing battle. I am still working on the balance between my online learning life and the life happening right in front of me every day.
It makes me think that being a ‘thought leader’ is something that needs to be maintained.
Unlike the flâneurs of old, I chose not to wander alone and enlisted travelling companions whose insights helped me see afresh; we’ll meet them too.
Don’t we always, life is better with companions! #ItTakesaVillage Enjoying your tidbits Ian.
We all stand on the shoulders of giants. Whether they have titles or honours or positions of authority, or have no idea that they have any influence whatsoever. I’d like to think that all teachers are giants to someone, at some time, which is an incredibly powerful role and responsibility.
Congratulations on your award Matt. I really like your idea of thanking those little giants who help us on our way each and every day. Don’t feel we do it enough.
It’s not only safe to swim on this beach, you will stretch your abilities extending with us.
So it is time for me to step back a bit. To do less work publicly, to share less, to not be so immediately available. To be just Pernille, the person who doesn’t have all of the answers necessarily. That only creates something because she cannot help it. That gives all of her when she is in a public space, but then steps back when she is private.
Pernille Ripe reflects on life as a connected educator. She discusses the stress, anxieties and perceived responsibilities that come with being an educelebrity. Although we often talk about the technicalities associated with being (digitally) literate, what is sometimes overlooked are the social consequences. This is something that Austin Kleon also recently reflected upon.
Let’s stay connected and let’s address the core of the topic: how do we help each other achieve our professional best? Whether in person, on the phone, by e-mail, or online, let our connection, above all, be human, compassionate and genuine.
Like the idea of connecting with classes around the world but not sure where to begin? Our new guide breaks down different entry points with lots of tips and ideas!
On the open web, we implicitly consent to more than I think we mean to.
Maha Bali reflects on her open education story. This involves responding to three questions:
- What does the open web mean to you?
- Why should we care about the open web?
- Who are you?
She talks about the challenges of doing a PhD remotely, participation in MOOCs such as Rhizo14 and the creation of Virtually Connecting. She also shares some of the limits to open education, especially in regards to those who are vulnerable.
This isn’t an issue for individual professors. This is an organized effort. Sociologists may know a little something about those. Learn how to organize, then organize.
Tressie McMillan Cottom discusses the challenges of being critical in online spaces. She says to learn how to organise and then organise. Some take-aways include:
- Beware the hand-wavers and the hand-wringers
- On the flip side, don’t be a hand-waver and hand-wringer
- If you or a colleague is under attack, help your institution to help you
- Take care of your family
- Master platforms
- Get long-term
I wonder what this means for K-12 educators and the call for connected educators?
The most useful network or community is the one you can build with your immediate team and colleagues in your school. They’re in the context and in the ‘know’. They’re accountable with you and they know the support structures — especially if it’s them — and can act on them. If you don’t feel you’re getting that support, find a mentor outside the context and learn to build relationships within. We need to be an active participant in those networks we choose to belong.
Matt Esterman reflects on the place of associations. Beyond reviewing our assumed attendances to such communities, Esterman recommends forming local networks. I have tried this in the past. The challenge I found with ‘local’ is catching up and being proactive.
Writing across each other’s blogs, I love how in some MOOCs, when people are focused on the same topic, one writes a post connecting ideas from multiple other posts, taking the ideas further, grabbing comments from elsewhere, and making something new, then recycling the ideas again. It’s a kind of “distributed” collaborative writing.
This is an intriguing reflection Maha. I like your points about writing across blogs, as well as connecting beyond ourselves. The one question I was left wondering is whether you would right the same post now? I too have written myself about the benefits of connected education. With both posts written a few years ago, I wonder if anything has changed? Would you still have the same outlook?
the true power in technology is not just the readiness. The skills. The playing around with tools to create something impossible.
It is the power to be seen.
To not be alone.
To feel that in the world, someone values you. That someone out there gets you.
A like your point Pernille. My only concern is that connections are not always guaranteed. As Bill Ferriter explains in regards to audience, connections are not a given, especially when we expect them to have certain comments. Here I am reminded of Clive Thompson’s argument about it being harder to write for ten than ten thousand:
Going from an audience of zero to an audience of ten is so big that it’s actually huger than going from ten people to a million.
Although connections are powerful, it is important to not over-hype the hoped for outcomes. All that we can do is create the conditions for comments. A point Kathleen Morris makes.
Can you remember the route by which you came to use Twitter to support your professional learning?
Ian, your post (and visual) raised many questions. I think my own experience of Twitter was somewhat multi-pronged. There was quite a bit of inadvertent nudging, during a course on thinking, while I also had a few friends on it. I have documented a part of my story here, as well as created a short video documenting it:
I really wonder if it is ever one thing, rather than an assemblage of parts. This has me thinking about blogging as well and how the take up of Twitter might compare with the early days of educational blogging? Would there be similarities? Do these things change? Would someone starting out on their path now be different to yourself starting out in 2009? How does it differ from a wider discussion of connected education? Always so many questions.
My criteria was: does I recognize this name, even remotely? Do I ever see or notice this person in my timeline? If not, the likely result was an unfollow. I haven’t yet made it to the bottom of my follower list, so more are likely to go.
Thank you Kevin for providing the impetus to weed my account. There is so much written about leaving Twitter and although I am not at that point, I have been feeling somewhat indifferent about it of late, so it was good to stop and reflect.
For so long I followed any educator who followed me. It just seemed right. But I have noted the consequence within spaces like Nuzzel. Although I have used lists in the past, but with my tendency to use Twitter on my phone, this can be tedious.
I went through and removed two thirds of follows. I basically kept those who I have had some conversation and connection with. I am not sure what difference this might make to how I use Twitter, especially with my dive into the #Indieweb. Time will tell.
📅 DigiCon15 Conference
My presentations from DigiCon15 Conference organised by DLTV held at Swinburne University, 24th and 25th July 2015
Digital Creating and Making (Fringe Festival)
Session Description
So often we come to conferences and see new applications flashed around, showing their possibilities and potential, only to discover that in practise they require more time and energy than was previously realised. What is often missing ingredient in all of this is constraint. This can be the time allocated or our particular knowledge and skillset, but it also exists within programs whether it be functionality or the focus of the task at hand. Too often such constraints go unseen, but by identifying them, it provides us with more clarity and allows us to get on with things in a more focused manner.
Quick Makes is about giving the chance to tinker with a range of applications and programs, each with their own constraints, to discover that creating, making and engaging with technology is not only easy but can be fun, especially when we are focused. From mashing up a website with Mozilla Thimble to creating your own visual with Google Draw, spend a few minutes exploring the potential for technology to make giving a voice to learning more doable.
Click here for the resources.
Becoming a More Connected Educator
Becoming a More Connected Educator (DIGICON15) – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires
Click here for my notes and resources.
Becoming a More Connected Educator (Spark Talk)
A Periscope video of my 12 minute Sparktalk for DigiCon15.