Jul 27 2009
The Beginning
The other day one of the people in my PLN (@AngelaMaiers) asked the question, “What is the MOST important personal trait or competency 4 success in an online, global community?” My answer- courage. The courage to speak up and have your opinion heard. The courage to accept criticism and opposing opinions. The courage to speak what is on your mind. What I found out was that I had done a good job in surrounding myself with people in my PLN that are accepting, non-judgmental, great thinkers, encouraging, like-minded and very friendly. My new friends. So, thank you to my new friends for giving me the courage to finally start my own blog and put my thoughts out there!
I’m not sure when I started on Twitter. I think it was just a natural progression from my other obsession at the time- Facebook. I don’t do texting that much on my phone, so I thought Twitter would be something I’d like instead. As it turns out, none of my friends or colleagues are on Twitter. So, I was following news agencies and celebrities. When Ryan Seacrest was twittering about going to the gym or what he ate for breakfast, I realized how much smaller the world had just become. I mean I knew what Ryan Seacrest does outside of his professional life! I watched live as Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk) beat CNN to be the first on Twitter to reach 1 million followers. I read Oprah’s first tweet. I was hooked!
This past spring I went to a Google Learning Institute workshop at Rutgers University. Lisa Thumann (@lthumann) was the presenter. Before the date she sent all the participants an email introducing herself and giving us the link to her blog. As I was reading through her blog posts, I saw she was on Twitter, so I clicked on the link to start following her. This led me to start thinking about the other workshop presenters I have seen and admire. They’re techies like me, they must have Twitter accounts. So, I found Kathy Schrock (@kathyschrock), Leslie Fisher (@lesliefisher), Tim Tyson (@timtyson) and Vicki Davis (@coolcatteacher) among others. I’ve been wanting to read Will Richardson’s (@willrich45) book “Blogs, Wikis and Podcasts” but just haven’t had the chance. I’ve become very familiar with Tony Vincent’s (@tonyvincent) websites and podcasts for a course I’m creating. Who would have thought these people would become part of my PLN? I was finally connecting with people in my profession. They may not all be following me yet, but I’m following them and feel I can ask questions and share experiences. My virtual participation in NECC09 is what brought me to where I am now with Twitter and PLNs. I’ve attended many conferences and workshops but never NECC. I’ve always wanted to but my district won’t pay for it and it always coincides with our timeshare week in Florida. So this year I participated virtually and thanks to Twitter, Ustream, Elluminate and various other backchannels, I felt like I was there. It was truly amazing! I have to say a big thank you to everyone who shared their presentation materials, posted pictures, allowed themselves to be live streamed and tweeted from workshops. I got to put faces to names/avatars and participate in some great conversations. During NECC my head was spinning with ideas to take back to school as I was listening and reading. I want to take Flat Stanley global. I want to connect the third graders with students in other countries as they study the continents. I want my 4th and 5th grade students to collaborate on documents. I want to do more podcasting and digital storytelling. I want to close the gap between my school in Rockaway, NJ and the rest of the world.
This fall I am teaching two professional development courses in my district, web 2.0 tools and podcasting/digital storytelling. Even though I started creating these workshops before my PLN was cultivated most of my materials have resulted from the many links, blogs and videos you all have shared. I feel more confident in my knowledge and less isolated in my own learning.
I’m not sure the direction the blog is going to go in yet. I hope that I can help support others with my experience and knowledge as an Educational Technologist.
This is your first attempt? Wow- awesome.
This is the kind of post (biographical, authentic, energizing) that all “refusniks” should read. So glad you shared this. I look forward to reading more!
Thanks George. It was hard setting it up, but once I started writing I was on a roll.
Erin,
What a great start! I relate to so much of what you stated here. I am awed that a fourth grade teacher in a New Orleans suburb can have conversations with the great educators I’ve only read about, or was lucky enough to hear present at a conference.
I started having ocnversations with some of them by commenting on their blogs. Then I discovered Twitter. What has happened over the last few months has been amazing. If anyone in the education profession wants to build a personal learning network (PLN) quickly, Twitter is the way to go.
I hope to hear more from you in the near future.
Thanks Paula. I enjoy reading your tweets as well.
What a great start. I have had many of the same experiences in the past two months. Good luck with your future blogging.
Great blog, Erin. I’m so proud of you, and I am so fortunate to have such a great friend and resource!