Surfing the Waves of Change in Education: No Action is not a Possibility

Serendipity is one of the strengths of a hyperlinked world in which the network is always providing us with learning moments and reflective checkpoints. As I was browsing my wonderful Pinterest network, I came across, by chance, this clean, unpretentious blog http://thingsigrab.wordpress.com/, and I couldn't help but start browsing it, scrolling down, with my eyes glued in interest for the variety of topics and simple interestingness. Powerful.

All of a sudden, a click on the video Surfing Waves of Change, which is mainly about socio-economic change. However, the message is totally applicable to our changing roles as educators and the daily challenges and stages of change we face every single day.

The video zooms in to the need of our being resilient to become catalysts of change. It evokes the power of communities and networks to overcome the hurdles we are challenged with. All with the surfer's metaphor that learns by doing, by getting into action, learning to go with the flow and understanding the waves movements, all relying on how own guts and other surfers for information, support and learning. The main message: a surfer cannot learn how to surf if it isn't by doing, falling, and standing on the surfboard again. It is not about being taught how to be resilient, how to change and become an active player, but getting there and doing it, connecting, collaborating, experimenting...Then, we can become catalysts of change. No action is not a possibility.

This is a video worth sharing, watching together and deciding for ways in which we can catalyze change in our own communities of learning.

Rewarding Networks

Yesterday was delightfully exciting. Never have I worked so hard and intensively in different projects for the school I work for and my volunteer work in the communities I'm part of . No complaints. All the effort has been paying off. First, I got to know that our proposal to present in the TESOL international conference. More than being happy that our proposal had been accepted, we were thrilled to know that we will be able to share a bit of what we been doing in terms of language online learning. In fact, we don't want to show what WE are doing, but what our learners are producing, their content, their making sense of the world and the language.
http://listeningplus.pbworks.com/1o2008
http://www.pageflakes.com/edutechtools/24766454

Another highlight of the day was the e-tutoring online training session we are facilitating for the state of São Paulo educators. What an interesting, diverse group that emanates energy and curiosity about the digital possibilities they see ahead. It's a challenging mission because for most of these educators elearning is a totally new experience. However, I can see that they are into this new stage of their professional development. Uplifting.

Visit Online Start


Last but not least, as I was interacting with the participants of the training session late at night, I got to know first hand on twitter that I had won a nice blogging competition proposed by the inspiring Sue Waters. It was a simple task and one that everyone could contribute to create a mosaic of useful blogging tips.

All in all, the lesson of the day was that the best reward is being part of a network, a hyperlinked network of people who share, dare and help put together the pieces of our digital educational world. Thrilling.

Facilitating Online 2009

Last year I tried, but was so full of projects, commitments that I could not really follow it. Now, I'll give my best. Though I have even more to do in terms of work, I think that the Online Session Facilitating Online is such a wonderful learning, networking opportunity that I can't help it, but to sign up again. And if I fail, I'll persist and keep insisting on taking it again, and again.

Well, a bit about me. I work as an EFL educator at a Binational Center in Brasilia, Brazil. I'm an EdTech Supervisor and am lucky to work with a wonderful EdTech team. I'm involved in teacher training, which I just love. I'm also in charge of the eLearning at Casa Thomas Jefferson. eLearning is an area my school has been investing on, and I'm learning tons. However, what really helped me get started in all this online world of explorations, networking and moderation was being part of the Community of Practice, the Webheads. These guys are my big source of inspiration and passion. Without them, I'd still be tied to my restricted physical educational space. More about me and the projects I'm involved in at BrazilBridges.

I do hope to learn tons from this online endeavor, the Facilitating Online 2009. I still have to figure out how I can effectively organize my time. Any suggestions are more than welcome!