There are so many ways to connect that I often wonder if I’m making enough of an effort.
This month is Ten Minutes of Connecting month by OSSEMOOC, where tips and strategies are being shared on how to make the most out of connecting with Ontario school and system leaders (this connectedness, I’ve come to realize, is not limited to Ontario!). It has been an insightful month of blog posts from Pinterest to Flickr, from blogs to Twitter Chats (even this archived post); I can’t get over how many options there are.
Here’s the thing – I don’t have accounts for many of these collaborating service sites; nor do I want them (right now anyways). There is so much going on with technology in education these days that being an eLC in a system role, I find it difficult with the time that I do have to connect as much as I would like to (don’t get me wrong, this is a good thing – the shift is happening!).
As mentioned in an earlier post, I am wanting to connect more this year, as I feel it’s the best PD out there – period. What better way to get information from timely blog posts, articles, twitter chats, etc… when you want it.
This brings me back to the initial post of the month as part of this series: Dedicating Time. The title of the series alone Ten Minutes of Connecting really got me to thinking about how to make the most of connecting. You don’t need to stay up super late or wake up super early (guilty) to connect; ten minutes a day is all that you really do need.
Earlier this month, I participated in my first twitter chat, where I learned a few things in a matter of 15-20 minutes. One thing that I did take away though was not to worry about participating more than I can. Instead, I learned to set attainable goals (ie: blog weekly – thanks Mark!), which took that unnecessary pressure off that I had put onto myself (silly me).
I have Twitter, Google+ and WordPress as my means for connecting right now, and couldn’t imagine more at this point. When I’m at my desk, I have Tweetdeck open, and I take a peak when I have a minute or two. When I’m on-the-go, I use Flipboard to streamline all of the content that I want in one place at my phone/tablet.
The most subtle tips really do go a long way; this series of posts has helped me better understand the concept of connectedness and to do so as much – or as little – as you can. I am getting more information now that I was ever able to by dedicating those ten, twenty or thirty minutes a day to do exactly that – connect.
Thanks for this reflection, Peter. As a blogger, making your thinking visible, you are already more “connected” than you know, because “lurkers” – those online learners who are just starting to think about sharing – are reading your work all the time. You model courage when you share, and you help others reflect and learn.
I really like your “take” on 10 minutes to connecting. We are trying to offer a smorgasbord of tools for connecting so that learners can find what works best for them in the time they have. I believe that we need to connect well beyond Ontario in our learning so that we can pull the best thinking from around the world into our practice.
Thank you for modelling connected learning. As a facilitator and leader of Technology-Enabled Learning and Teaching, you make it easier for others to see their way to networked learning through your own professional practice.
I look forward to reading more of your reflections.