Connected Learner

In my first few years out of college, I worked in six different schools. Because of this, I’ve met a lot of great educators, and have built a substantial Personal Learning Network. As a result, my current curriculum is a mix of ideas I have gotten from others and a large chunk of my own. I have found that in Vermont, the world of education is small, and that the issues I deal with on a daily basis are the same ones educators face all over the state.

I have gotten to this point mostly without the use of social media. This is partially because Twitter has never appealed to me, but also because I have always been careful with social media in general. Having grown up in a society that warned me the of the dangers of the internet, and also having witnessed the effects of online bullying, you could say that I have a healthy weariness around social media. Nonetheless, I see the educational potential in these tools. According to blogger Wesley Fryer, “these powerful platforms have been used to positively connect people, empower organizations, and democratize free expression around our planet more than any previous technological invention” (SpeedOfCreativity.org). Now that I have become active on Twitter, I can see this potential, which is exemplified by some of the connections I have made.