If someone had told me that in 2009, I would build an online community and start blogging, I would have looked at them with a puzzled expression on my face. I knew what Twitter was at this time last year, but I certainly saw no value in it. Who would want to know the ridiculous aspects of people’s lives that I had heard were being tweeted: going to get milk for the cat; lost my cars keys; have a runny nose. I have enough trouble keeping the details of my own life straight. I did not need to know about other people’s.
Then I learned about how to use Twitter as a tool for professional development and as a means to share ideas with people who are interested in topics that I care about. It only took one #edchat, and I was hooked. As of today, I have 430 Followers; I follow almost 450 people; I have tweeted over 1,400 times in the last 6 months. Wow! That is a community of people whose faces I know, in only the single expression of their photo, but whose ideas connect me to them. Who knows how that group will grow in the coming year? I have no idea if I will continue to follow more and more people, or if there is a saturation point, where there are as many ideas and information sources as I can process coming in. I am wondering if I will need to cull through the people I follow for the most significant. I will be interested to see how it evolves. I would love to know other people’s experiences.
Then there is this blog, a new and fascinating place to express my thinking and explore the world of 2.0 in my life and in Middle School. I want to continue the conversation that goes on here and on Twitter. My first 2010 goal is to put together a Survey Monkey for the 8th grade to do on their use of Facebook and other online tools. I will post those results when I get them.
Happy 2010 to all!
Middle School Matrix 
I’ve likewise been amazed at the growth of my pln – remember when we’d just call them “my friends”, or “my colleagues”? – the way I’ve grown as a result of the conversations. Over 3,000 tweets so far. And I find Twitter the quickest way to seek answers – it is my practical search engine. From the PLN and Twitter I challenged myself to a post a day in the month of October – I even developed a list before the month began, and posted according to my list. That helped me focus my blogging, and see how I used my blog as a form of personal professional development.
What’s next? I’m not sure, but if the past year was any indication, it will be amazing and enriching.
It is a remarkable journey, isn’t it? I really like the idea of creating a list for blog posts to organize my thinking and set a clear agenda for myself. I will add that to my list of ways to succeed on the journey we are on. Thanks for the comment and for sharing in our adventure!!
I can’t imagine what 2010 will bring and I love the question that you ask. For me, I will continue to try to extend my thinking and allow the members of my PLN to expand my thinking. I hope that by the end of 2010 more members of my school community will have their own PLN’s (staff, students, and teachers) so that we can become a true community of learners.
I hope that your enthusiasm is contagious in your school as well! I look forward to learning along with you in 2010.
Ms. Ferguson, It’s always a hoot to land on a blog page and find that really cool mosaic collage.
One of the first things I do after log-in to Twitter is to write down users I need to learn more about or connect with immediately. Today it was @tomwhitby. His name scrolled across my pad while viewing a much watched speak by Evan Williams on the start of Twitter http://ow.ly/QwBx as I toggled between tabs of TED and The Educators PLN.
I don’t think I mind replaying great content links like Columbia University’s School of Journalism conference call http://ow.ly/QwG5, because like you I am often intrigued at how new social media has developed so quickly. And even more so how I grown to become a big fan of Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, and Ning after years of delaying the plunge.
Well, I could go on and on, but what’s most important at this point is connecting with you and sharing that I am very excited about meeting you here in this space. Your content is extremely valuable and discovering it is genuinely a pleasure. Best wishes in 2010!
Carter | @K12Live