Crossing the Border Without a Passport
In the world of education, there are borders that many are unwilling to cross. There are borders between academic institutions, grade levels and content areas. There are borders between faculty, students and administration. Even more borders exist when you start factoring in private Vs. public education. What many people don’t realize, is that there are no guards at the border and you don’t need a passport to cross!
Social media enables members of different communities to find common ground and build connections. Societal norms, historic tradition and technology infrastructure have the potential to stop these connections and interfere with the natural progress of communication. The best way for you to assist in the blurring of these borders is to continue to grow your network.
A wireless slogan asks, “Who’s in your network?” Do you know? Do you have contacts in K-12, Community and Technical Colleges, and University? Are you connected with vendors, publishers, technical support staff, students, public officials, voters, parents, administrators? Do you have connections in other states and countries? When faced with a challenge or an idea, who is the first person you tell? What is the usual outcome?
Spend a day working on your network. First, remove the current people in your network who don’t contribute, drag you down, or sap your inspiration (unless they are blood relatives, and then you may be stuck!). Then, visit the networks of the people who inspire you most and add their contacts. Spend a few hours witnessing what others have created and absorb the pieces that can help you in your life. Finally, contribute everything you can to keep your network stable and successful. Share your thoughts, stories, inspiration and resources with others and the borders will blur before you.
Leave a Reply