Table Turned

As a co-moderator of #NYEDChat I have had the opportunity to interview various educators at the different Long Island EdCamp events but on May 24th the table was turned. I was an interviewee. 

It was a surprise to be contacted by the @ILAToday team of the International Literacy Association to speak about the upcoming conference, #ILA16, in Boston this summer. Prior to yesterday's interview, I had the opportunity to prep with April Hall and communicate with the broadcaster, Larry Jacobs. It is always a wonderful experience collaborating with those who are like-minded and enthusiastic. 

Since I am a member and have been attending International Literacy Association's conferences years before it switched over from being called the International Reading Association (IRA), I was asked to give my perspective on the upcoming conference. I was pleasantly surprised by Larry Jacob's humor that immediately brought a light-hearted touch to the interview. At the onset, Stephen Sye, ILA Associate Executive Director, was asked to describe the differences between IRA and ILA. He noted that ILA is expanding its reach to include parents and community members along with educators. It is directing its attention to literacy around the world. He added that the conference this year, titled Transforming Lives Through Literacy 2.0, will have between 6,000 to 7,000 educators and exhibitors attending from July 9-11, 2016. On July 8th, EdCamp Literacy will be held and I will not only attend but hope to participate as a presenter. 

Besides the usual academic influence at the conference, there will be social events to keep the energy level high. Lit Night at Fenway Ball Park and the Inaugural Steps to Literacy 5K are highlights of the festivities. Other bonus features are free conference registration for pre-service teachers and the first timers to the conference session on how to make the most of the conference experience. 

Beyond attending amazing sessions with literacy experts, I will be presenting a workshop with my team, colleague Dr. Michele Haiken and poet Laura Purdie Salas. In our hands-on session, Transforming Writer's Lives with Digital Tools as Powerful Agents to Impact Literacy Instruction, Authenticate Voice, & Present Positive Perspectives, we will present a series of creative and collaborative activities to explore the power of digital tools to affect change in literacy instruction, engage learners as writers, and create agency in classrooms. In addition to presenting and attending sessions, I will be pleased to network with colleagues across the country and meet up with long-time conference friends, literacy experts, and poets, make face-to-face contact with Twitter friends, and be passionately caught up in the learning experience.

As a Wonder Lead Ambassador for Wonderopolis, I will highlight the inquiry/noticing and wondering process in my presentations and hope to connect many educators with the wonders of the Wonderopolis free site. You can find me tweeting from the conference floor and blogging about #ILA16 when I return home. 

Am I excited for this experience? I certainly am and hope that my passion for learning and being an ILA member was heard throughout the interview. You can access the archive of the interview here. 

With the table turned, I was able to experience what it takes to be a good listener and responder during an interview. I also found out just what a small world this is. During the interview, Larry Jacobs asked me if I knew a Twitter colleague, Tom Whitby, here on Long Island. It just so happens that I not only know Tom, a fellow connected educator and author, but I have interviewed him. Larry has known Tom for years so after the interview both Larry and I notified Tom of our meeting on air.

I thank both April Hall and Larry Jacobs for partnering to highlight the International Literacy Association's 2016 Conference and including me as an interviewee and spokesperson.

This post is also visible on my Wonder Ground blog site and can be accessed here.  

Unexpected Dilemmas

When faced with a dilemma do you attempt to find a solution or run away from the issues? I must admit when my Twitter account was hacked on top of two leaky faucets (with water running amok), and other minor disruptions, I was tempted to run out shouting, "I had enough." But...then, I paused, reflected, and tried to gain balance. It was not until I found the hashtag #GratitudeMonday (3 days) later that I could honestly say to myself, "Believe in the impossible." 

On Saturday night, when I returned from a full day of standing outside at a street fair in the "cold" autumn weather (for the H.E.L.P. bead sale to raise funds for education in Masese, Uganda), I found a myriad of inconveniences awaiting me. Being cold was the first one to tackle since it was thirty degrees outside and frigid inside. Recalling fourteen days within water, heat, and electricity during Superstorm Sandy set me in motion to get the heat on. Next task to tackle as I opened my computer...

"Yikes! Did Halloween come early? Who's tricking me because there are surely no treats in my Twitter account."

In fact there were only tricks in the account. 5200+ members of a global PLN vanished. I was locked out of Twitter! The only clues were a tweet and DM about strangeness on my account earlier in the day. Since I could not see anything from my end, I put those aside noting to myself to come back and change my password Saturday night. When I tried that step, I realized that it was too late to check off that task so I began the process of contacting Twitter Support. Did you know that there is no one to speak with and only tickets to fill out at @Support? Hours of trying to solve this problem only frustrated me more and then, I found the water leaks. By then, everyone had enough of the cold and minor aggravations so all was put aside until the morning. I went to sleep cranky but hoping for a better day. 

Day two started with more frustrating attempts at getting back on Twitter and shutting off the water, drying wet areas with a large fan, and spraying them with mold deactivator. I continued to stress about what now seems as insignificant=>how I would join the Sunday chats that I frequent and co-moderate #NYEDChat on Monday night. Clearly, neither option was going to happen so I decided to try and relieve the "cranks" by shopping, a popular distractor for me. When I returned with packages in hand, I went back to tackling my problems that were still there in full force. Day two ended with no solution to any of the frustrating issues. Therefore, I had no time to blog or exercise.

Day three started bright and early on Monday morning with how do I get back on Twitter. I must have submitted a dozen tickets and sent them off to Twitter Support. Twitter colleagues were there supporting me along the way. I posted on the Ed Chat Moderators' site on Google+ and host William Jenkins called on a colleague to support me. Tom Whitby, aka Godfather of Twitter, suggested that I open a new account to get me through #NYEDChat. Julie Szaj sent a tweet to Twitter Support asking for help for me. Blanca Duarte, friend and co-moderator of NYEDChat, led me through a process of getting a new phone line so I could open a new account. My home and cell phone would not suffice because Twitter would not recognize them. Did you know that you can get a free phone line at Google Voice or that there is an incognito window on Chrome that you can use when having difficulties? Thanks to Blanca, I used this and voila! a new account opened. Mark Weston called me from Georgia to support me and provide some Connected Ed "Love". My NYEDChat co-moderators, Tony Sinanis, Starr Sackstein, Lisa Meade, and Dennis Schug were there for me as well. Then, I saw the sign for #GratitudeMonday". With faith on my side and support from my amazing connected colleagues, I created a digital inspiration and sent it off with tweets to show everyone that I was back on the positivity track. 

Not until I was half way through the day did I realize how important the spirit of resiliency is in life. A new plumber fixed the water leak in the kitchen. The laundry room sink would be dealt with later. I took giant steps outside my comfort zone with the Twitter restoration project jumpstarted by a hacker. Many of the steps taken were based on collegial support that I would have no clue on how to do independently. Best of all, I survived the experience. Feelings of frustration, stress, and loss were there but so were tenacity and faith. By Sunday night, I had a new Twitter account, a restored kitchen faucet, and a way to open NYEDChat whose topic, ironically enough, was #edvoice. Twitter Support even wrote to me that they would like to help out and with some adjustments to my password, my original @cvarsalona account opened. #GratitudeMonday came to a close with many thanks to all who supported me and renewed strength in the faith that guides me.

Today, Day four starts with the dilemma of how to merge new followers from @cvarsalona2015 to my global account and how to have the right Twitter account on my laptop and phone. I will tackle those issues in due time. 

As for the hacker or hackers on Twitter who produce spam, they are the invaders who dishonor community spirit. As one of my tweeps, Olwen (@notjustup2u) said in a DM to me: "We need to be vigilant together in this community and aware that not everyone has good intentions. We have no control over what they (spammers) choose to do but we can support each other to stop it where we can." 

Support and belief in the impossible are important as we continue to blaze the Twitter trails. Continue to join me in the Connected Educator movement to impact life and learning.


Please turn your attention to the Slice of Life Tuesday segment on Two Writing Teachers to read other educators' views.

Unconnected to Connected - The Journey

Before July 1, 2013, I was clueless about the wide world of connectivity afforded by Twitter and other social media platforms. True, I had been to conferences and heard Will Richardson and Marc Prensky talk about the internet, digital natives, and a wealth of resources. True, I had always been a fan of integrating technology into literacy lessons. But in truth, I had not taken the leap of faith to enter the world of social media other than friending and viewing comments on Facebook. With the onset of what I call my "unretirement" as an educator, Twitter rocked my professional world. I became a connected educator, a global citizen breaking down barriers, regions, and boundaries to reach out to educators across the globe. Twitter became my viable channel to be expressive about life, learning, and literacy. It allowed my voice to surface, connect, and collaborate on issues of importance. 

Moving from unconnected to connected has been an expansive journey from no exposure, to lurking, to moderating #NYEDChat, to interviewing on live GHOs, to creating and launching three global virtual digital galleries of artistic expressions. I termed my blog Beyond LiteracyLink because of the interactive nature of my journey. Twitter, Pinterest, and GHO have allowed my individual voice to join with the collective voice of connected educators and citizens of the world. My message is clear: Be a risk taker! Move beyond oneness toward togetherness. Connected educators, together we are one!

(This piece of writing was featured as one of the responses in Tom Whitby's October 6, 2014 Edutopia blog post: The Connected Educator: All About Connectedness. It so happened that one afternoon last month Tom tweeted that he would like tweeters in his PLN to send in thoughts on the theme of being connected. I decided to act upon his request and penned this piece in the short time that I was allotted. This is not my usual style. Being a literacy person, I always like to have time to mull over my ideas and refine them before making them public, but time was of the essence. You can imagine how surprised I was when this was published thanks to Tom's invitation. Being a connected educator is a joining of collegial spirits who are inspired to grow as learners in a world of collaborative talk.)

Image from Pinterest

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Since this is Slice of Life Tuesday I thought it would be appropriate to submit my journey as a connected educator. This year has been one of bonding with virtual Twitter friends, F2F contacts in some instances, and an immersion in daily writing. With Connected Educators' Month upon us, it is good practice to stay committed to a profession that impacts teaching and learning on a daily basis. 

is sponsored by Two Writing Teachers today 

East Meets West: Transcontinental Chat Magic

Shiver me timbers! When could be more entertaining that a dress up party for the launch of the first transcontinental NYEDChat and TLAP online chat last night. It may not have been the Golden Globes or the Bammy Awards, but it was a celebratory event just the same.  The lead pirate, Dave Burgess, author of the well-know professional text, Teach Like A Pirate, brought together an amazing cast of pirates from coast to coast to sail his PIRATE ship. Along with Dave, three members of the moderating team, Vicki Day, Carol Varsalona, and Blanca Duarte, dressed in high seas' garb, brought a sense of revelry to the launching of the East meets West online connection. Co-host, Tony Sinanis of the Bammy Award for Elementary Principal fame, charted the course while the moderating team of Bill Brennan and Starr Sackstein cheered from their quarters on land. 

When East met West on January 27, 2014 there was no ceremonial golden spike as on May 10, 1869, the day that marked the completion of the first transcontinental railway. What occurred last night during the linking the #nyedchat and #TLAP professional learning communities was a celebration of educational Voice. Fun was in the house. Rapid fire conversations, cross-tweeting, and an amazing flow of thoughtful answers were the fare of the day. While the Twitter chat flowed online, the team in the photos above enjoyed "hanging out" on Google as Dave's first mates and firing replies to the parade of questions posted by the evening's moderator, Tony Sinanis. As the ship set sail, Shipwreck Tag was offered to lure tweeps on land to join the conversation. Pam Moran, among others, heard the call and jumped on board, while Tom Whitby could only send his regards. 

Throughout the chat, technology rocked the ship back and forth with Tweet Deck, Tweet Chat, and Twitter providing the platforms for the firing of Qs and the reporting of A 1s to A 6s. To navigate the sea of responses that were floating in the Twittersphere, multiple screens were used by the crew, a phenomenon unbeknown to the pirates of yesteryear. Thanks to the craftsmanship of the lead pirate, Dave Burgess, the ship that set sail at 9:00 pm EST disembarked one hour later, laden with a rich bounty.  Gold coins were not plundered during the trip. Instead, golden words for a week of charting new waters in education were captured from the take away booty. East and West Coasters left, voices linked in unison and map in hand to chart new waters to bring passion to the classroom.  

History.com notes that the linking of the east and the west upon completion of the first transcontinental railroad was the "realization of a dream." So too, the virtual connection of East and West Coasters was the realization of a linked world of passionate and committed educators who look beyond the dream to reality.  

Aye, I believe all would agree that our sail last night was worth the trip and that a pirate's life is grand. Signing off, until we meet again. 

Beyond the Dream Lies the Reality

Yesterday, Twitter surfing was a fascinating venture of finding just the right links to gain knowledge and broaden my educational perspective. Continuing with my #nerdlution to grow as a learner, one tweet led to another, then to a blog, and so on - a continual cycle of learning. Facts and thoughts for future blogs, tweets, or training sessions became my treasure, while last minute links to multi-modal tools for young writers rounded off the experience. 

 

The word, dream, surfaced several times during the afternoon, allowing me time to ponder on that one little word. I was intrigued to note that January 13th was “Make Your Dream Come True Day.” Although I never heard of this event, I thought of those who have looked beyond their dreams for opportunities and open doors. Albert Einstein once said, "Nothing happens unless first we dream." Thinking back on Monday night’s experience as a co-moderator for #nyedchat, I reflected on the amazing conversations among educators from around New York State and Connecticut that led to the realization of a dream, to make NYEDChat a linked community of practitioners on Twitter and the voice of New York State educators. For me, this act of connecting with like-minded people to hone my craft as an educator became the benefit of joining the NYEDChat professional learning network. 

As with any fast-paced, engaging chat, tweeters popped in regularly while newbies slowly made their move into the threaded conversation led by co-moderator, Blanca Duarte, and me. Retweeting and greetings were handled by the moderating team of Bill Brennan, Tony Sinanis, and Starr Sackstein. It appeared that everyone enjoyed the new activity created for the chat, tagging one more voice to join the conversation. This hook became the highlight of the night when Tom Whitby and Chris Lehman, both recognizable names in the Twitter world of education, came into the house. The choir of many voices and the desire to link with others brought the vision of a connected community to life. At the end of the chat, the last NYEDChat moderator, Vicki Day, returning from a lengthy Board meeting, spent time post-convo archiving the chat with Storify so that all the tweeters could remember the event that rocked New York State ed world conversations. Needless to say, this chat broadened our membership to include more than the original dozen or so voices. 

On Monday night, the NYEDChat moderators found that beyond the dream lies the reality of New York educators freely conversing on educational topics, regardless of regional boundaries.

When we are dreaming alone it is only a dream.

When we are dreaming with others it is the beginning of reality.

Dom Heller Camara

As we move into 2014, consider joining #nyedchat every other Monday night at 8:30 pm (or designated time for that session) to link with colleagues as we become the voice of New York State Educators. I, along with the other moderators, invite you to look beyond the original dream to the endless possibilities that await us, for in the horizon lies the reality of a connected educational community in New York State. 

Reflect, Connect, and Collaborate with NYS Educators

We reflect on past practices. We engage with colleagues. We discuss. We collaborate. We push our thinking. We move to the next level. We become a collective voice of the information age. Gone are the days of the factory model when doors were closed and teachers worked independently of each other. "Technology has taken us to an new level where we can collaborate beyond our wildest imaginations." (Tom Whitby) So, it is time to get connected, build a PLN, and grow as a lifelong learner. Connected Educators is continuing its October campaign to help educators thrive in a connected world. Be part of the movement to connect, collaborate, and build your personal learning network. Be like our students who are asked to notice and wonder. Find a topic, explore your thoughts, and be bold enough to join the conversation. 

Yesterday, I joined the moderating team of Tony Sinanis, Bill Brennan, Blanca Duarte, Vicki Day, and Starr Sackstein to relaunch #NYedchat. The conversation was buzzing about what being connected means and why it is important. Before the conversation started, I read that Twitter has become one of the must-have tools in the educator's toolbox. Stay tuned, stay informed, stay connected slogans to drive conversations are everywhere. So I ask myself, why is Twitter a must have tool? With fast-paced conversation via 140 characters it provides asynchronous professional development. It has opened my doors, impacted my thinking, teaching practices, and learning. Twitter has become a constant source of information and new ideas to examine. Further, it has given me the opportunity to discuss timely topics with educators around the globe. Conversations are fast, articulations well-crafted, and my network is broadened each day. I am humbled by the experience of co-moderating topical conversations that link educator to educator.

If Twitter is a source of information for educators, what is needed is a growing body of educators to become connected. It has been noted by Tony Sinanis that NY educators are under-represented on Twitter. Research did not provide this thought. It is based on his exchanges and connections. Will #nyedchat be able to turn the tide and draw more educators in to the conversation? The moderating team hopes that this will become a reality. As we draw closer to the next NYedchat, please mark November 4, 2013, 8:30 pm on your calendar. Out-of-state educators and parents are welcomed to join the group as was the case with the relaunch event. 

As a collective group of impassioned New York educators, through #nyedchat we can open doors, go beyond the walls of our classrooms/buildings/districts, and bring back fresh ideas. We can engage with a broader range of educators. We can connect with current and new colleagues to learn. In addition, we can join conversations that validate our beliefs and bring about change in daily practice; learn from each other; allow global conversations and perspectives to frame new thinking about education. With one purpose, we can rise like the phoenix, a fire bird igniting the flame that connects us all to the one reason why we came into the profession. 

Join the NYedchat moderators as we soar throughout New York State as one committed body of educators ready to build the next generation of critical thinkers, resolute decision makers, and creative problem solvers. 

Comments are welcomed and can be posted below or on #nyedchat.