I’m sure you don’t really care about why I have not blogged (travel, work, need a new roof and have to get quotes and references, blah blah blah). I have about 4 posts I really want to write – and odd for me, write well and thoughtfully. I’m feeling quite inadequate. Then I see this… Lifetime achievement award 2008 The Edublog Awards. Oh my. Look who is on the list:
- Stephen Downes
- Scott Leslie
- Will Richardson
- Nancy White
- David Warlick
- Chris Lehmann
- Graham Wegner
- Michele Martin
- Jay Cross
OK, folks, all those other folks are amazing. They really ARE focused on education, while I meander all over the place. Yes, learning is a passion. But vote for one of them. They are really amazing, generous people who have taught me a ton.
To whomever nominated you, bless your sweet heart. I am deeply appreciative and there is a big smile on my face. Being in this group of people is the best reward. But don’t vote for me — vote for one of the other fabulous people on the list.
I also have to giggle. LIFETIME! A lifetime in blogging years, eh? I think I started in 2004, but my short term memory and my lack of affinity for numbers may prove me wrong. 😉 And if you have a magic wand, do you have a way to build a free week into my life this month?
No magic wand – just admiration and respect for you. And too late, I’ve voted. : P
Nancy, there’s another name on that list that people shouldn’t waste a vote on – mine! I’m flattered by whoever nominated me but I was gobsmacked to see my name there while your nomination didn’t surprise me in the least. How an introverted, classroom teacher who has never left his own country and only been active in the online world for three years can be even considered is what makes me smile! I’m waiting for someone to email me and say “Gotcha!”
Kerry – what can I say. I’m smiling. I’ll be gracious and say thank you. But I hope I get to the rest of my friends before they vote!
Graham, your comment reminds me of something that gobsmacked me 4-5 years back when a bunch of us folks interested in communities of practice gathered for a F2F. At the end, we had a conversation where we all realized that we each felt we were the outsider, that all the others were the core. I wonder why we often feel this way?
This medium that allows us to make our thinking visible to the world is something remarkable. In some ways, it shows us connections we never knew we had. So you, making a difference for the kids in your classroom – are making a difference for so many more of us than you might ever imagine.
That’s pretty cool, no?
On a slightly different angle, Tony Karrer blogs about awards http://elearningtech.blogspot.com/2008/12/you-like-awards.html
I think you’re trying out a cunning plan of reverse psychology so we do vote for you 🙂
Nancy, I certainly don’t underestimate the power of working with a specific group of students and by trying my hardest to be visible to whoever is interested in reading, I hope others will follow suit and make it ordinary practice for educators. My feelings about being out of place in this list is that everyone else has achieved amazing things using the social media tools that bring edubloggers together. It would be very easy to point to piles of evidence of the achievements of Stephen Downes or Will Richardson and to the changes they have made to how others go about elearning or using Web 2.0 tools to re-think education. I suspect that my efforts have made some difference but I have no idea about where or in what way.
Graham, the fact that you say you suspect your efforts have made a difference but you have no idea about where or in what way are the reason these awards are such a great idea. They give all of us a chance to dole out pats on the back to the people we feel deserve them.
Ideally we would do more about commenting on each other’s blogs. However, I know some people feel giving out attagirls and attaboys creates an echo chamber rather than a meaningful dialogue.
So enjoy!
Cheers —
KerryJ
Hm, interesting observation about “attapersons” and echo chambers. This makes me wonder about how we pass social signals in a medium that records everything. I think appreciation and reciprocity has a place in the mix, but I sure can see your point about it becoming a distraction and rather pointless noise. So maybe we need to pass the signals via ephemeral channels like IM or twitter. Well, maybe not twitter. That has a record too.