The importance of being networked

In yesterday's blogpost Separation and connection I talked about the nature of social media and their capability to amplify human contact. Specifically, I made the point that Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) are enabled and strengthened when we make connections through social media tools. One of the key reasons educators need a PLN is to keep in touch, to maintain dialogue with their community of practice. Never before have there been so many opportunities to make contact with educators world wide, many of whom have wonderful creative ideas to share. Indeed, the fact that many social media users are altruistic and are willing to share their ideas for free to their community should be enough to convince most educators to join in. Clay Shirky had it right when he wrote:

'...the use of social technology is much less determined by the tool itself; when we use a network, the most import asset we get is access to one another. We want to be connected to one another, a desire that ... our use of social media actually engages.' (Shirky, 2010: p. 14).

The last line gives it away. We have an innate need to talk to others, to share and compare, reify our own ideas, learn from each other, and gain a sense of belonging to a group of like minded others. This is a deep seated human trait that many psychologists down through the years have researched. Think of Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of human needs (1954), and note that 'belonging' to a group and gaining respect from others are fundamental to his theory. In previous blog posts I have highlighted the need for professionals to share their content for free, and many are doing so. The advantages are enormous, bringing the altruism of others into play. When I share my slides and blogposts under a Creative Commons licence that enables repurposing, somewhere, someone has translated my content into Spanish, opening up a huge new audience for me in Latin America. None of this would be possible without social media, and the ability to connect into a world wide body of colleagues who are striving for exactly the same ends as me. To enrich, extend and enhance learning experiences for their students.

References
Maslow, A. H. (1954) Motivation and Personality (Third Edition). London: Harper Row.
Shirky, C. (2010) Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age. London: Allen Lane.

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The importance of being networked by Steve Wheeler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at steve-wheeler.blogspot.com.

Here's to the connections

That has to have been the longest day of my life. I have just travelled all the way from Auckland, New Zealand, to my home in South West England, via 3 flights, various bus and car rides and stop overs in Sydney and Singapore. I estimate that for me, Saturday has lasted 35 hours. But in reflecting on all the discomfort of long hours sat upright in cattle-class seats being served almost inedible airline food, with screaming kids and tactless fellow passengers all around, and the inevitable jet-lag, I have to say it has all still been worth it. I have flown over 26,000 miles across 3 continents on 10 airline flights. I never missed a single connection, but the social connections that I made are the ones I want to highlight as the most valuable aspect of my tour. I presented 4 keynotes, 5 invited workshops (image above taken at my keynote speech in Christchurch for Ulearn 2010) and 2 refereed papers and also recorded an Ed Talk for Core Ed, but those I met and talked to during this time will remain the most valuable experiences and best memories of my time downunder.

During my tour downunder, I have met many old friends, and made many new ones, and have shared some amazing experiences with them. I have previously argued that social media are more about connections than content, and these last 3 weeks have affirmed it for me. Here's to my old friendships renewed in Australia including: Philip D. Long (@radhertz), Larry Johnson (@Larry_Pixel) and Alan Levine (@cogdog) the latter two with whom I spent an excellent evening out on the South Bank of Brisbane. I also spent some time with Carol Skyring (@carolskyring) and met up with several of my colleagues from IFIP including Anna Grabowska, Andy Schaer, Phillipa Gerbic and Johannes Magenheim (@_jsm). In New Zealand, I strengthened existing friendships with Joyce Seitzinger (@catspysjamasnz), Jedd Bartlett (@Jedd), Derek Wenmoth (@dwenmoth) Kristina Hoeppner (@anitsirk), Carol Cooper (@TheELsite), Stephen Heppell (@stephenheppell) and Richard Elliott and we had a lot of fun and laughs along the way.

I also encountered many other 'old friends' from Twitter face to face for the first time including Steve Hargadon (@stevehargadon), Toni Twiss (@tonitones), Jenny She (@jshe), Helen Otway (@helenotway), Chris Betcher (@betchaboy), Robyn Pascoe (@serendipitynz), Michael Fawcett (@teachernz) and Erin Freeman (@efreeman). It never ceases to amaze me how much you can get to know people through social media without actually meeting them face to face. When you eventually do, you feel you know them quite well and get into deeper conversation quicker because the ice has already been broken (image on the left taken during my workshop at Waikato University).

It was also great to make so many new friends, including Mark Neal (@markneal100), Nigel Robertson (@easegill), Mark Northover (@kiwimarc), Lane Clark and her partner, Brett and Di Lee, Mary Welsh, Allanah King (@Allanahk), Jane Nicholls (@janenicholls), Jo Fothergill (@dragonsinger57), Megan Iemma (@megsamanda) and Teresa Gibbison (@ To all of you, and those who I have inadvertently left out of this list, thank you for making my stay downunder memorable.

More images of my trip can be found at this Flickr site. Images above courtesy of Kristina Hoeppner and Teresa Gibbison

Here's to the connections by Steve Wheeler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Why Twitter is so powerful

There are two types of people in the world. Those who get Twitter and those who don't.

OK, I'm joking, but Twitter does seem to divide people. What can you say that's worthwhile in 140 characters? some people ask. Others claim that much of the Twitterverse is vacuous rubbish that isn't worth reading.

Well, anyone who uses Twitter on a regular basis will tell you that the power of the tool is not so much in its content, but in its ability to connect you to other people. The same applies of course to any other social networking tool, but unlike Facebook for example, Twitter contains very few distractions. It's stripped down and very simple. There are no frivolous food fights, 'poking' or third party games such as Farmville contained within its wrapper. Twitter quite simply connects you with people who are interesting, informative or humorous.

And here's the real power: The more you connect on Twitter, the more connections you get. For me, the value of Twitter is in tapping into its social critical mass. I think that most people who try Twitter and fail to see its value don't give it enough time. If they persisted and put some time into developing their contacts and connections on Twitter, they may discover that it pays them back for the time they have invested. To do this they can use lists, following those who are good value and produce useful content, while at the same time tweeting content that others may find useful.

No, Twitter is not so much about the information and useful links you can gain access to. Twitter is powerful because it allows people to share their emotions - you can gain a window on their everyday experiences, and that often helps you in your own daily struggles. I am often encouraged by people who share snapshots of what is happening in their lives right now. It's an important dimension - I have made many friends on Twitter whom I have later met and strengthened my friendships with. Self disclosure is a risky thing, but others often reciprocate. It can all be summed up by a quote from one of my favourite authors:

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: What! You too? I thought I was the only one." - C. S. Lewis

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'Why Twitter is so powerful' by Steve Wheeler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 2.0 UK: England & Wales License.
Based on a work at steve-wheeler.blogspot.com.