Connectedness
One of the most over powering feelings I get from ULearn this time is the importance and power in the connectedness.
You are not alone
So often I feeling disconnected from the people, colleagues and friends, who really get it. I feel like the lone voice calling the desert of apathy. And although it is great to read everyone’s blogs, keep up with Twitter, skype from time to time. I do miss the F2F time.
When I think back through the year just gone, where many of us have shifted schools, moved out of classrooms or are considering some such. I guess it is how life moves on or perhaps its more to do with wanting to affect change in the biggest and boldest possible way.
However, as Steven Carden reminds us it is the ‘powerfulness’ of the teachers in the classroom and what they are doing that has the biggest impact on the shape of society fo the future.
Classroom teachers need that ongoing PD, support and encouragement. We have our PLNs, our ongoing mix of connections through the web.
How are we going to ‘plug’ everyone in. Everyone needs learning network… ICTPD cluisters and EHSAS clusters are going some way to encourage that learning and sharing environment, however there has to be value in sharing with others from around the country, around the globe.
Hi!
Thank you so much for organising the Twitter breakfast. I really enjoyed catching up with – as you say – the people that we are so connected with and it was great to reinforce those connections face to face.
Cheers
Toni
Sorry I wasn’t at the breakfast. I am so disorganised. Thanks for links from the keynote.
For me the face to face connections were one of the most powerful aspects of ULearn. I also know that without my online network to help me establish these connections they probably would never have happened. I too know how it feels to be that ‘lone voice’, and fully appreciate how my wonderful PLN friends support me, encourage me and raise me up so that I don’t feel like the “only one”.
I agree that everyone could benefit from such connections, but does everyone see the value? Do they even want to? There are a lot of questions and I’m not sure of what the answers might be.
The one thing I do know is that I have a powerful network of people that I can turn to for professional support, friendship and to pick me up when I feel low. Would this have been possible 10 or even 5 years ago? I’m not so sure.
BTW – thanks so much for organising the breakfast – it was just brilliant to be able to catch up with each other in a relaxed, slower paced environment away from all the business of the conference venue.