Ewan’s mom is pretty cool. Not only a blogger, grandmother and former educator but one who understands connections. I remember Anne Davis blogging a while back about hooking up with Ewan’s Mom in San Francisco. I remember reading it at the time and thinking, this is pretty cool and serendipitous. Here Anne, travels to San Francisco, when Ewan, from Scotland sets up a meeting between Anne and his Mom, or is it Mum?, who, also from Scotland happens to be in S.F. Wild stuff.
Mrs. Mcintosh (don’t know her so I can’t call her Chris) blogs about how technology is enabling connections like never before.
But isn’t Skype wonderful? And aren’t computers just the bizz? So this post is for all the saddoes out there who think people don’t interact if they’re stuck in front of computers.
Fortunately, I’m feeling more and more like teachers and schools are getting this. At least the ones I work with. Today I showed a small gathering of teachers what kinds of connections are possible and why they’re important. I brought Kathy and Sophie with me to show off their good work and experience/journey into connected learning. Fewer questions like, “Aren’t you worried about publishing kids work?” and “Aren’t kids spending too much time online?”. They are seeing the power and urgency of getting connected. Our conversations and goals are focused on helping students develop audience and learning networks.
It won’t be long before Catriona will be calling Grandma asking her for a visit.
She does get it but, importantly, is keen to learn more. She’s not just plumped for the first thing she saw how to do. She’s since had the curiosity to learn how to Twit, how to use Flickr, how to integrate Flickr and her blog, etc etc…. Does it come down to people ‘getting it’ – yes, without a doubt. But I also think there’s a huge element of what being a teacher is all about – being prepared to never stop loving learning.
Please feel free to call me Chris – everyone else does! 🙂
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