Super Secret Society

It's been a while since I've published my thoughts on this blog, having spent the past few years focused on supporting teachers in my local community.  Today, I'm reaching out to my online colleagues to share an idea I'm hatching this week, in support of students who are feeling lonely and disconnected.


Where Have Our Children Gone?

While no one was paying attention, a large proportion of our teen community has decided that free time is meant to be spent alone, in private, with a glowing screen.  Whether connecting on social media, binge-watching video, or playing video games, our young people have retreated to their bedrooms.  I'll wager that you, or parents you know, are wondering what happened to their children.   Whether interacting on their mobile phones or portable computers, the most connected generation of all time, seems to lack for opportunities to engage in a face-to-face context. The steady diet of dopamine and serotonin, induced through follows, likes and comments, seems to have stifled the urge for physical interactivity that used to characterize the lives of teens.

And now, in school districts across North America, adults are trying to get a grip on how to engage young people in helping themselves.  The term 'mental health strategy' has become and education obsession as educators, parents and community members attempt to fix what's wrong with a generation that seems to be withdrawing from traditional society.  Never before has a generation of learners cried out so loudly for help with their social and mental well being.


The Birth of a Secret Society

As I sat in a large group planning meeting last week, student success teams from our local high schools attempted to make practical sense of the guides and supports that were available to school communities.  Action plans were drafted to be shared with our board level student success leaders, and a follow-up was promised.

While this work was underway, Jane McGonigal's book 'Reality is Broken' began rattling around in my brain.  During my drive to/from school, I had recently finished reading the audio version of the book and I was inspired by the ways in which game mechanics were being leveraged to increase social engagement, to connect co-conspirators, and to solve problems.  Long story short: before leaving the meeting, I had purchased a domain name, created new social media accounts, and had a draft in my mind for a new community-building game to be called 'Super Secret Society',

Meaningful Missions + Human Interactions = Joy.  

This is the secret sauce for the Super Secret Society.  I believe that ordinary days, spiced with a positive community extra... can become extraordinary. The semi-mysterious logo was designed by blending S+S+S into a symbol that is reminiscent of that doohickey we once needed to play 45 RPM records.  The symbol is circular, representative of how positive behaviours might be 'paid forward'. What goes around comes around. My hope is that others will find themselves engaging in socially generous behaviors that are sparked by thoughtful missions.

What type of missions are you talking about?
With a goal of creating a culture at our school that is based on friendliness and personal engagement, the missions that I'm collecting for broadcast can be characterized as fun (wear mis-matched socks); interactive (take time to notice the eye colour of your friends); challenging (stand up against an unnecessary use of vulgar or hateful language); generous (share something from your lunch with someone you've not shared with before); habit-forming (hold the door open for at least 5 different people today).

Who participates?
The missions will vary in difficulty depending on one's personality and comfort with social interaction.  In general, tasks can be accomplished by anyone young/old; student/teacher; parent/child.  Without realizing it, other community members are also participating.  The more a person takes on challenges, the easier future missions will seem, and the more connected an individual will become to those in the community.

How does one discover the day's mission?
Missions are posted on Twitter, Instagram.  Participants can access the missions by following supersecretsoci on either platform.  Only those who follow will have access to the missions.  The group is top secret after all! (For those without social media accounts, the missions will also be posted openly on Pinterest.)

How are missions accomplished?
Missions are accomplished in secrecy!  Don't let on why you're doing any particular task... just complete the assigned missions and enjoy the fruits of your labour.  To accept a mission, simply click the like button/heart icon to confirm that you've received the instructions.  If you'd like to document your achievement, each day's mission has a matching hashtag that can be used to share your personal experience.

What's the payoff?
The payoff for individual participation is positive human interaction.  The payoff for school or family participation, is the fostering of a collegial community climate.

Can I tell other people?
Since there is a bit of joy at figuring out that the society exists, my hope is that hashtags appearing in the posts of game players might spark the curiosity of new players.  "What was that sock photo with the #sss0001 tag all about?"  There will be times when a mission will ask agents to gather co-conspirators but if you know of individuals or groups who would make good agents, please share a link to supersecretsociety.ca  . Perhaps at your school, the logo, posted conspicuously, and paired with a QR code can be used as a cue to induce the curiosity of potential agents.

What if I have an idea to share?
If you have an idea for a super secret mission, please share your idea.  Inspire people you'll never know, to interact in positive ways.  Together, we can create ripples of friendliness, fun, and fulfillment.




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Personal Learning Neighbourhood

A few days ago, Ben Wilkoff posted From Network to Neighbourhood, a reflection on the cul-de-sacs of his personal/professional learning network. This morning I was walking when I received a message from Jabiz Raisdana who teaches on the other side of the planet.  His note prompted me to take a minute to reflect on some of the more distant members of my PLN.



There are many, many other educators with whom I engage in public (and private) conversations on a regular basis.  My neighbourhood/network was founded in late 2007 via Twitter, but has expanded many times since that time through a range of tools, experiences and events.    If you're still trying to make sense of Twitter and the role it may play in your own PLN, Keri-Lee Beasley and Jabiz Raisdana have just published Twitter - A Cultural Guidebook.  The book is based on Seven Degrees of Connectedness, and is available as a free download.

Like Spokes on a Wheel

As the ETMOOC gets underway in earnest, many of the participants will be blogging about their learning, some for the very first time.  As participants draw connections between their ideas, these blog posts will rub up against one another, and like spokes centred on a common central idea, we'll all be able to move forward together.  This, in spite of the fact that reading habits, (and consequently writing habits) are changing.  These ideas led me to the two minute reflection below...

Related Posts:
We are Called to be Open Spokes in a Fidgital World by Ben Wilkoff
Imagining a Classroom without Blogs by Clarence Fisher


Photo credit: Spokes by kozzmen

One Million Tweet Map

Want to really get an idea of what's happening in the world... as it happens? Watch tweets in real time as they appear on a map of the world via One Two Million Tweet Map.

What might you track this way?

 * uprising in a foreign country (neighbouring countries)
 * natural disaster (flood, earthquake, ice storm)
 * social event (television show, party)
 * major sporting event (SuperBowl, Olympics)
 * conference hashtag (#ISTE, #unplugd)
 * school community (zoom in on your school)
 * global holiday (New Year's Eve)
 * famous places (Disney World, the Louvre)

 

K12Online: 7 Degrees of Connectedness

This week the K-12 Online Conference kicks into high gear with video presentations that cross four strands.  If you know of any teachers who could use some mid-semester encouragement or motivation, please point them to the conference.

My presentation is based on 7 Degrees of Connectedness, and will go live in the "Getting Started" strand on Wednesday.  This video was produced with the support of a few of my online colleagues whose stories weave in and out of the narrative.  In short, my talk invites educators to foster authentic relationships by connecting with others through a range of social media tools.

What is it for you that leads you to pay closer attention to the learners in your network? Do you feel close to those colleagues you interact with, even if you've never met? Are you more attuned to those people whose voices are amplified because you met at a conference; exchanged stories; shared a meal? As our connections grow with online colleagues, we may find ourselves in qualitatively distinct relationships with co-learners. By sharing our ideas alongside details of our personal lives, we have a tendency to become more and more familiar to one another. Augment these connections with voices and imagery, and it can lead to deeper and more fulfilling connections. In this presentation Rodd Lucier (AKA The Clever Sheep), invites you to walk along with a few of his colleagues who join him in reflecting on how modern tools are impacting our online relationships. The concept of '7 Degrees of Connectedness' is introduced as one way to qualify the relationships we foster with online colleagues.
Presenter: Rodd Lucier Location: Komoka, Ontario, Canada

We Glow Like Fireflies

Have you noticed there are more of 'us'?
If you haven't noticed, then you haven't been paying attention.


More than ever, educators have taken to social media in general, and Twitter in particular, to connect with like-minded colleagues.

Like fireflies, we're letting ourselves be known to one another through the use of our own secret signals. Tweets are being used to build communities of learners on levels never seen before. Hashtags are binding learners who share common interests and a common vocation.

If you were on Twitter three years ago, you might have participated in the first synchronous educational chat. Like so many fireflies, we were in wonder at the discovery of so many educators ready to talk about teaching and learning.

After taking time to introduce ourselves to one another, the tweets came so quickly, that it was next to impossible to keep up. Looking back at an interesting parallel, I'm smiling in the knowledge that it was in the quiet of the nighttime that we found one another.

And it continues today...
We use Twitter to hail distant colleagues.
We nudge local teachers to share their own firelight.
We inhabit a digital staffroom where the the lights are always twinkling.

We do deep in our thinking - #edbookclub.
We follow distant conferences - #educon.
We play games - #namethattune.
We think in public - #pencilchat.
We build relationships - #PLN.
We become a community - #ds106.

We find ways to let our light shine... on our own time... in the night time.

And though we sometimes dim our lights, going dark to live in the physical world, we always come back. We're drawn to the light of an ever-growing cadre of educators who, to paraphrase Rob Fisher, "care so much about teaching and learning that it hurts."


Time lapse photos of Japanese fireflies were the inspiration for this post. I first encountered them in my daily 'Wired' news feed, and after following a few links, I discovered that they have been re-posted multiple times by fans. Finding the original images on the Digital Photo Blog, I was happy to discover that the images are licensed for sharing under a Japanese CC license by Tsuneaki Hiramatsu.

Roll Down the Windows

Every day brings changes to our world. Tools evolve; ideas emerge; projects are born. Through your personal learning network, you are already immersed in this change; but what about everyone else?

Your face-to-face colleagues may not truly understand it, but by now, they probably realize that you are part of some larger learning community. I like to suggest that it's time to take these colleagues by the hand, and to introduce them to this dynamic online world of professional learning. The good news is that there is an easy, and not-so-intimidating way to do it.

Like a dog in a car, the world just whizzes by, seemingly beyond our control. Even so, we choose to participate. We engage in conversations that matter. We keep informed about what our colleagues are doing. We amplify the best ideas we encounter. We share.

Sadly, many of our colleagues are so immersed in the day to day experience, that they may as well be riding along behind tinted windows that are rolled up tight. Focusing only on the path they're on, most of our fellow teachers have no idea of the range of thought-provoking conferences, collaborative projects, or innovative tools that are just outside the window.

How do we best introduce teachers to the test pilots among us who are creating and sharing a new vision for education?

My number one suggestion, is to invite your co-workers to roll down the windows in order to get a sense of what's happening in connected classrooms around the corner, and around the world. It's easier than you might think.

You don't have to share a new teaching strategy.
You don't have to impress with the latest gadgets or web tools.
You don't have to coach the development of personal learning networks.
You don't have to introduce Twitter, or hashtags, or social media.
You don't need to teach about curation or subscriptions.

Begin by rolling the window down just a crack, and your colleagues can experience a world of continuous learning. Here are just a few ways to introduce your fellow teachers to people and ideas that inspire.

1. Share the link to one crowd-sourced online newspaper.
The Tweeted Times is where I get my morning fix for the stories I may have missed the previous day. Another I visit for stories shared by my Ontario colleagues, is Doug Peterson's: The Best of Ontario-Educators Daily.

2. Point colleagues to one news feed.
Here, educators can read engaging stories that highlight the thinking of fellow change agents. The stories change every day, but the link stays the same.

3. Share a link to one of the pages you use to collect bookmarks.
Your entire bookmark library may be of interest, but you might also share only a specific tag like 'classrooms of tomorrow'. When you find something, they'll know where its at.

4. Point app-lovers to one education news aggregator.
A few years ago, I developed 'Clever App', a tool I use to access the news from my PLN at least a few times each week.

5. Send your friends to one great blog each week.
If you're a regular reader of blogs, why not share the feeds to some of your favourite writers?

6. Email one story a day.
You have access to dozens, but a teacher who never seems to have the time, might get hooked on one a day if you choose wisely.

7. Pro tip: Automate
If you have yet to discover If This, Then That, you might be interested to know that you can automate delivery of news to your colleagues. If you tweet a link, have it automatically posted to your delicious feed or to your blog. If you bookmark a resource, have IFTTT automatically email it to your friends.

Once they get a breeze in their hair, your colleagues might be eager to join teachers far and wide are learning and sharing everyday. On their very own, they may wind that window all the way down and ask you how they might more deeply engage in this world. It's then that Twitter, blogging, and personal learning networks might become part of the conversation.

What's holding you back? Go ahead and share one resource might lead a teacher to make a habit of professional reading every day. If you roll down the window, your colleagues may well engage in conversation across the hallway... or around the globe! It doesn't have to be overwhelming, just choose a simple way to share the powerful connections you've already discovered.

Photo credits: Zilla in the Car by Vagabond Shutterbug; Sheep in a Truck by smcgee; Coaster rider by Fellowship of the Rich

Deeper Connections Matter More

It's been a full four years now that I've been fully engaged in cultivating an online personal learning network, but I find myself finding the greatest value in those connections that have deepened through repeated face to face contact. The heady days of December in 2007, when I first dipped my toe into Twitter, led me to a jaw-dropping awareness that I wasn't alone. There were hundreds of like-minded educators who were yearning to be affirmed in their belief that there were better ways to teach and learn... and I was eager to connect with them.

Fast forward to the turn of the new year, 2012, and my personal reflections have focused on the reality that I'm not so fully engaged in finding people to follow, or in cultivating a tribe of followers. In contrast, I'm reading and writing fewer tweets, and am taking the time to savour those connections that matter most.

How do I know you're one of the key nodes in my network?

1] We've met face to face at at least one conference or event.

2] We've had at least one conversation via Skype or Google Chat.

3] We've shared comments on one another's blog posts.

4] We've collaborated in developing a presentation/document/video/blog.

5] We've sought one another out to share 'big ideas'.

I think it's these meaningful connections with other change agents that I was most looking for in the first 25 years of my career. Now that many of the teacher-learners I first met on Twitter have become my trusted friends, I don't so much miss the one-way interactions with the more widely scattered nodes of my PLN. I still leverage the wisdom of my network on a daily basis, but rather than dipping into a never-ending stream of tweets, I am more likely to check the pulse of the group via a daily check of my personal news: The TweetedTimes.

Without question, Twitter is the glue of my personal network. But the connections I value most, reach well beyond the Twittersphere.

Do You Have Time for a "31 Day Game"?

When I returned from Educon in 2010, I had an idea that has now had a chance to percolate for a full year. It's an idea that attempts to focus the thinking of a networked educators, providing us with common reference points for personal and professional learning. With the goal of further enhancing the toolkit for tweeting teachers, I have a proposal for the first ever professional learning game or PLG.

"What if..."
In introducing Twitter to colleagues, would it be useful to have access to a wide range of articles, videos and presentations that had been considered by the network to be worthy of deeper reflection? Might a month-long debate regarding the potential of educational resources allow educators to demonstrate critical thinking, inventiveness and openness? What will happen if teachers around the world are invited to participate in a common asynchronous conversation? Wouldn't it be great for teachers to be able to point to a specific body of knowledge and resources that were known to just about every teacher on Twitter?

Each day during the month of March, I propose that we consider two competing resources before ultimately voting for one of these tools to advance in a head-to-head playoff format. The 31 Day Game would culminate with a head-to-head competition among the top resources... on the 31st day of the month.

The game can be played at any hour of the day, but would only take place during a month that has 31 days. Each game would have room for the collaborative consideration of 32 topics. Future events might include:
1] a critical review of Web 2.0 tools;
2] a contest to select an 'Educator's Choice' book for a PLN book club; or
3] a fun head-to-head tweeting competition.

It all begins March 1st, but not until we narrow down the field to 32 Compelling Messages for Teacher-Learners. Nominate your favourite video, news story, or blog post by competing this short survey.

Over the past few years, we've seen educators make outstanding use of Twitter for personal and professional learning. Maybe you were around when we organized the first synchronous chats for education? Whether or not you've participated in time-specific chats, what do you say to taking it up a notch with the 31 Day Game!

Photo Credit: Leo Reynolds; ex_libris

Expanding the PLN Playbook

I couldn't help but smile as I read George Siemens' 'most awesomest' commentary about PLNs. Exactly a year ago I wrote a shorter but similarly themed post, asking teacher-learners to see themselves as 'collaborators'.

As a learner who is passionate about leveraging the passion and expertise among a diverse population of connected educators, it's reassuring to see more and more evidence of collaboration among edu-tweeps.


While folks new to Twitter, often reference their interactions as the "greatest professional learning experience ever", we need to recognize this public sharing environment as a first step into transparent professional development.


Maybe Twitter can be seen as the entry drug to more significant network collaboration? In all likelihood, it will take leaders to create opportunities beyond synchronous Educhat conversations, in order to remind educators that professional learning can be amplified by reaching beyond 140 characters.

To that end, what are you doing to create the next EDUCON, MOOC, or TEDx? Are you modeling risk and reaching beyond your comfort zone? How are you contributing to the evolution of our professional learning playbook?

Me? I'm working with an incredible team to breathe life into an event that promises to model collaboration on a scale that's never before been attempted; but that's story for the new year. ;-)

Learning in E-lationship

There was a conversational buzz that dominated the ECOO2010 conference experience. It began with ""Hey, I know you..."

Ed-tech conference attendees across North America, are experiencing conference events with networked colleagues, on a level never before seen. This past week, a great number of Ontario educators (and a few out-of-province tweeps) were energized to meet face-to-face with members of their personal/professional learning networks.

It's been a relatively short time since Twitter has been embraced by e-literate educators, but this tool has become a major difference-maker in the spread of good ideas. Conference attendees are readily self-identifying by Twitter ID, and are cross-pollinating their networks by introducing their 'followers' to colleagues.

To their full credit, the ECOO organizing team made a concerted effort to engage participants in the use of Twitter as a networking tool. Throughout the conference, attendees had opportunities to engage in back-channel discussions, to join in a Twitter scavenger hunt, and to attend a Super Tweet-up event.

I've written before about the critical role of the fourth 'R', but now I'm thinking of spelling Relationship in a new way. The positive vibes that result when meeting e-learning colleagues, might as well be referenced as 'elation-ship' or 'e-lationship'. It's difficult to explain to the disconnected, but it is empowering and invigorating to engage in first time face-to-face conversations, with familiar co-learners.

As part of my commitment to attend ECOO2010, I agreed to deliver in a Pecha Kucha talk during the last day of the conference. I couldn't have chosen a more apt topic: 'Twenty Things I've Learned in Twitter'.

20 Things I Learned in Twitter

View more presentations from Rodd Lucier.

It used to be that conference-goers could count on meeting peers who shared their passions and interests, but in 2010, conference attendees are counting the opportunity to meet with fellow tweeps, as the most rewarding part of the conference experience.

In assuming that you're already on Twitter, I'd be interested in your take. If you've yet to join us in shared learning year-round, what are you waiting for?

Vintage Ads & Social Media Inspiration

This morning, I came across some "super-neat-o" vintage ads for modern social media tools. It took some time to discover the provenance of these ads, but with the assistance of Lisa Lane, I discovered posters advertising Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Skype are free to download from Maximedia.

In learning more about these 'historic' print ads, I also stumbled upon a vintage video in the style of narrated black & white educational films. Though campy, the production quality is very good and the tips are apt for members of the Facebook Generation.



In case you just want to engage your students in critical thinking about authentic vintage footage, your learners might be interested in investigating a modern viral video. The story of a time-traveler who may have inadvertently used a mobile communication device in Charlie Chaplin's 1928 film: The Circus, is certainly being used for promotional purposes. (The conspiracy has even found inclusion in the Wikipedia entry.)



By coincidence, as these vintage ads were being bookmarked, I responded to a minor commotion as our chaplain hung up a modern poster in the hallway outside of my office. Whether you're looking for a creative way to introduce social media, or are interested in leading learners to think in critical or creative ways, the works of advertisers have the potential to inspire a wide range of media works.

Image credit: Print ads downloaded and 'hung' courtesy of download from Maximedia

Jedi Wisdom and Teacher P.D.

Over the past few days, we've collected a wide range of submissions with ideas about how educator professional development might be re-imagined. Using the Twitter tag #wwyd, educators near and far have shared their widsom, 140 characters at a time.

Although we've yet to finalize the product we'll be submitting for publication with the Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy, you may be interested in reviewing the creative posters developed under the direction of our collaborators.

What Would Yoda Do?

View more presentations from Rodd Lucier.

Content embedded within this project is open for use, remix, and sharing via Creative Commons. Whether downloading select slides to prime workshop thinking; sharing sample slides as models to develop a similar resource; or using the entire slidedeck to promote critical thinking, we hope this project will prod teacher-learners to pursue rich, relevant, professional learning.

What Would Yoda Do?

Reflecting On and Imagining Professional Development for Teachers in the Digital Age

A recent ‘call for submissions’ by the Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy, prompted three of us interested in the influence of ‘the digital’ on curriculum and pedagogy to convene a meeting and discuss how we might contribute to this conversation. Individually, we work in our own contexts (schools, school districts and university settings) to navigate the amorphous digital culture in ways that allow us to integrate emerging technologies into our classrooms and our professional lives in purposeful ways.

We decided that in many ways, a ‘call for submissions’ was really the academic version of crowdsourcing amongst a community of scholars. With that in mind, we have elected to further crowdsource the ‘call’ in the form of a question posed to our broader community of educational colleagues, thereby leveraging our various social media networks in ways that embody cultural participation and co-creation. As such, all participants will be viewed not as ‘subjects’ of a study but as co-authors of the resulting product.

A framework has been developed in order to focus the contributions around the status of professional development in education. In keeping with the spirit of ‘embodied practice’, we aim to create a slideshare presentation by remixing the content provided by participants. Embracing the participatory culture afforded through networked communication, we are starting with the simple question: What Would Yoda Do?


To this end, we invite members of our collective social networks to participate on or before Saturday, May 22, 2010:

Step 1: Review images shared by Stéfan through Creative Commons on Flikr called Stormtroopers 365.

Step 2: Consider a caption, comment, quote, or personal words of wisdom for one or more of the photographs that reflects:

· Current ‘pet peeves’ you have with current professional development experiences;
· Possibilities for re-imagining professional development that is socially and intellectually engaging.

Step 3: Tweet your caption, comment, quote, or personal words of wisdom on the topic of 'professional development' using the hashtag #wwyd
Note: Rather than restating a favourite quote from another source, we're looking for original messages.

Step 4: Tweet a link to the image (from the Stormtroopers 365 photoset) that you'd like us to use in referencing your tweet. Be sure to include the hashtag #wwyd

We will collate and organize submissions received, and then generate a slidedeck composed of the contributions (Sample slide). Our emerging thoughts in light of the current state of professional development in education, will be framed in response to our metaphorical question, What would Yoda do? Note that selected submissions will be published under a Creative Commons License CC BY-NC 3.0


Initiating Collaborators: Rodd Lucier (@thecleversheep), Ben Hazzard (@benhazzard) and Kathy Hibbert (@khibbert). We are grateful for the Creative Commons photography of Stéfan that inspired the theme for this project.

#EDYELP

Like educators around the world, I spend a fair bit of time teaching and learning online. As you likely know, the tool that I commonly use to connect with other teacher-learners, is Twitter. Why not use Twitter, to let the world know that even on their own time, teachers around the world, are busy learning?

Five months ago, a vehicle was created to help educators identify themselves as learners on Twitter. It's a simple hashtag, inspired by the "Yelps" sometimes heard from the tiny voices of Who-ville.

According to Dr. Seuss, it was on May the 15th, that Horton the Elephant first heard the voices echoing from the tiny dust planetoid in the classic children's book "Horton Hears a Who". What better date could there be for educators to let the world know that "We are here, We Are Here, WE ARE HERE!!"

How can you participate?
All you need to do is use the hashtag #edyelp when tweeting today, May the 15th.

1] Whether or not you're not an educator, you're welcome to send out a heartfelt thank you to a teacher from your past: "I'd like to give a shoutout to my favourite teacher of all time. Thank you Mrs. Beezlenut!" #edyelp

2] Tell the world why you're doing on Twitter: "I learn from a wide range of global educators on Twitter." #edyelp

3] Let us know who you are and what you teach: "I'm a Student Success teacher on Twitter, and I'd love to connect with other teachers in similar roles." #edyelp

4] Share you favourite Seussian quote. I personally think too many people see Twitter like the kangaroo "For almost two days you’ve run wild and insisted on chatting with persons who’ve never existed." #edyelp

5] Set up a search column in your favourite Twitter tool, and discover where other educators are on Twitter. "I'm looking #edyelp on Tweetdeck, hope to see you pop up!"

Even if it leads a few people to ask the question: "What is #edyelp?", it can do nothing but remind folks that Twitter is being leveraged for personal learning by a wide range of teachers who span the globe. You're already one of the leaders in the field making great use of Twitter, why not celebrate it with an #EDYELP?

Digital Pheromones and Maple Leafs

At the close of the Olympics, the chair of the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC), John Furlong highlighted the fact that Canadians were united in experiencing the 2010 Winter Olympic Games

“I believe we Canadians tonight are stronger, more united, more in love with our country, and more connected with each other than ever before. These Olympic Games have lifted us up. That quiet, humble national pride we were sometimes reluctant to acknowledge seemed to take to the streets as the most beautiful kind of patriotism broke out all across our country."

I believe that modern communications technologies played a pivotal role in bringing us together for the past 17 days. If you were on Twitter during the Men's Hockey Championship, you felt it first hand. In today's podcast, I consider our evolving use of communications technologies as 'digital pheromones'.



In case you want to relive the games, check out the Boston Big Picture Site for Winter Games Part 1 and Winter Games Part 2.

Tweeting with Change Agents

Admittedly, not much changed in schools in 2009. We still have classrooms that look and function very much like they have for the past 100 or more years. But 2009, did in fact seem to me to be a year where more educators participated in discussions about the need for change.

I suspect that many edubloggers can relate to Will Richardson's admission in What's Changed?, that he's done less blogging and more tweeting in the past 12 months. Though microblogging may be shallow, it has proven to be very accessible to educators, with Twitter being leveraged on both mobile devices, and school computers.

As a tool, Twitter is a double-edged sword: The depth of thought I used to see in the rich blog posts of change agents, has instead become a sequence of tweets, each distilled to no more than 140 characters; but many more educators have joined in the conversation.

In the first half of 2009, Twitter for Teachers was introduced as a resource wiki for educators. With over 500 registered users, it's still a great place to introduce others to microblogging. We also succeeded in bringing synchronous discussion to educators on Twitter via 'Educhat'. We've since passed the torch to 'edchat' which has proven to be a collegial way to welcome new teachers to Twitter.

In the coming year, I'll be looking for more opportunities to meet face to face with fellow Twitterers. If you have any doubt that the relationships we're building are authentic, join in a conference experience like Educon 2.2, or arrange a tweet-up of regional peers. Even if you can't be there in person, participation at such events can be transformative.

As a vehicle for change agents, Twitter offers a great way to connect many disparate voices. In 2010, here's hoping we can engage many more teacher-learners in the conversation.

Image Credit: left-hand

Twitter Flash Mob

Have you ever participated in a Flash Mob?

Thanks to so many good natured tweeters, educators may be just a few hours away from making our mark on today's Twitter trends. In order to hit a trending topic, we should all tweet right around the same time.

In order to do that, we can become a virtual flash mob to "EDYELP" a greeting from global educators to the Twitter community. Precisely as the clock winds down to 6:00 p.m. Eastern, send a friendly tweet to the sphere, and be sure to add the hashtag #EDYELP.

So, head out into every nook and cranny, we need lots of voices to pull it off! We won't have a big ball falling to the earth, but might just have a giant ball of fun shaking up the Twitter community:

YELP!

I was just looking at Twitter's Trending Topics for 2009.

Maybe it's just the hundreds of teacher-learners I follow on Twitter, but it seems to me that there is no other group making such widespread use of this micro-blogging platform for personal and professional learning.

I'm wondering what might happen if we chose one day to let ourselves be known. What if we 'edu-punked' Twitter's trending topics to demonstrate the amazing range of professional learning that takes place on Twitter?

Here's my proposal:
On Thursday, December 17th, let's do like the characters in Horton Hears a Who, and let out a collective "YELP", to let others know that we're here. Simply append #EDYELP to each of your tweets on that day, and we'll let the 'sphere know that "We are here; We ARE here; We are HERE; WE ARE HERE!".

Horton experts might point out that the ideal day for annual EDYELP would be on May 15th, when, according to the story, Horton first hears a "Yelp", but why don't we practice before the year is out...

Twitter in Person

I've written before that I think Twitter is becoming the new 'digital divide' in that, if you aren't in that space, you aren't able to participate in the meaningful learning that is the daily reality for those of us in Twittersphere.

As is the case at just about any educational conference these days, Twitter played a major role at this week's RCAC Symposium. This particular social media channel was mentioned by numerous presenters, and was the channel for ongoing #RCAC09 commentary; but it was in meeting my tweeps in person that I found the greatest rewards.

Today's podcast is a reflection on how Twitter is leading educators to deepen their learning relationships with colleagues both near and far.



Not sure where to begin with Twitter?
Start by downloading a nice feed-reader like TweetDeck, then peruse the resources and ideas over at Twitter for Teachers. Advanced users might want to review emerging Twitter apps at Go2Web20

Photo Credit: David Warlick