I have been fairly active on social media for some time. Whether on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ (my two favorite ways of building my PLN), I'd always made sure I check posts and keep up with the latest. But I kept having this feeling I was taking the back seat and not really participating actively. Well, that has definitely changed.
Early this year, I posted a question on a Google+ Community and immediately got all kinds of solutions to my problem. It still amazes me how many people are willing to give you a hand, even though they have no clue who you are. One of those teachers who replied was Reinhard, a German Science teacher. A couple of weeks later, he sent me a message, connecting me to a fellow Argentine teacher who was presenting in an ARTESOL conference in Buenos Aires. We ended up meeting for coffee thanks to someone we've never met on the other side of the Atlantic.
Fast forward two weeks and I'm taking part of my first Mystery Hangout, where I got to talk to people in the UAE, Oman, India, Argentina, Germany, the US. Mind blowing.
Once you start, there's no going back. Reinhard invited me to a second Hangout with a US teacher form Ohio who was doing a PD meeting and trying to introduce Mystery Hangouts to her colleagues. You can check out Sebastian's Slideshare of the Hangout here.
Teaching can be quite lonely at times and the Internet provides you with the possibility of reaching out to like-minded educators. Educators from which you can learn. And who can also learn from you.
No comments:
Post a Comment