From connectedness to openness
Posted on: August 20, 2012
I thought that last week’s #edchat had a particularly impressive list of questions. Folks at #edsg attempted the topic on Twitter strategies to get the most out of PLNs.
It is a shame that we did not discuss the other questions. Maybe I will reflect on the rest of the questions this week.
One of the other questions was: As a connected educator what do you do differently now in teaching that is a result of being connected?
I am not nearly as connected as some of the educators in the Twitterverse or the blogosphere. I follow very exclusively on Twitter and I maintain this blog merely as an open journal for reflection. Any connections I make or lessons I impart are serendipitous.
But the connections that I have and make have changed not just my teaching but other aspects of my life.
I read more frequently in micro-bursts, e.g., during commutes, waiting in queues, during any interstitial time. I question established practice. I share my thoughts and resources more openly with the expectation that some will reciprocate.
Being more open has made me more willing to try new things, question more deeply, and write more carefully. It has helped me integrate my public persona with my more private one and I think that I am a better person for it.
I think this image illustrates the change quite well. I found it while I was preparing for a talk I will give next month, but it is relevant here.
The big difference in my teaching and the rest of my work is that I have torn down walls and barriers. I am more transparent in my dealings with people. The more connected I am, the more open I have become. This in turn has benefitted me and others around me.
