Ms. B’s Thoughts

Sometimes the most brilliant experiences are those you never dreamed possible.  Knowing something will be great, understanding the people you will meet will be smart, and obviously comprehending the power of Google all did not prepare me for the feeling I had in Chicago this past week.  As I returned to school yesterday amid the energy and chaos of the NHS homecoming celebration, I was stopped numerous times–How was it?  My tired brain had a hard time producing the necessary verbage to properly explain my experience.  My face, however, must have conveyed the emotions.  I heard many times–you look energized, refreshed, excited.  That’s good.  That’s the message I wanted to convey, the one I could not find the words to express.

Bill Bass from St. Louis blogged about his experience and I concur that the best part was the expansion of my network.  Sometimes being in a rural area feels like you are on some lone planet in the universe.  I’m immersed in reading about new challenges and ideas in education while exploring all of the latest and greatest on the web.  Yet when I walk through the halls of my school, my brain (and my heart) hurts when I see some of the current classroom practices that are ancient, rote and routine. My GTA experience was like entering a country where everyone finally spoke the same language.  There was no explaination of theory needed, no precursor to any story, when you discussed engaging ideas for classroom learning.  You were surrounded by people who had different experiences, new ideas, varying personalities, yet all shared the same vision.  That is the power of networking.  Something you can’t explain in an hour of PD or 15 mintues of sharing at a staff meeting.  Why Twitter?  Someone may ask.  It is difficult to explain the power of blogging, wikispaces, twitter, Google collaboration, skype, ning, del.icio.us, or even browser extenstions (Thanks, Kern Kelly!) and all the other collaborative/networking features of the web until you have lived in that world.  What seems so crystal clear to many of us, is so obscure and unimaginable to those that struggle to download attachments to their desktops.  It is becoming more difficult to “Mind the Gap” as my UPWP colleague, Jan Sabin would say.  To remember where people are at and be cognizant of the gap that exists between the one with knowledge and the one that is learning the concepts for the first time.  My PLN is becoming increasingly important to my professional and personal growth.  It, of course, extends well beyond the web and includes many people and places in my local community, yet I would like to find ways to bridge the environment I live and work in to the one I enter through my 12″ PowerBook.  But this past week…due to GTA Chicago…that PowerBook world has exploded…and it is a wonderful thing!