You Are Invited to Change EdTech… Like Nikki Robertson Did
ISTE2015 Is almost upon us and I have been reviewing my favorite presentation from a previous ISTE Conference, and I wonder if Adam Bellow’s keynote might help me to summarize a lengthy discussion I have been having recently… as well as to encourage educators to act on a quick “5 minute favour” they could do to make a HUGE impact.
This favour would thank EdChat moderators, podcadcasters and GHO organisers for all their hard work, and exponentially assist a startup... In exactly the same way that Nikki Robertson has already done.
This week I have written 4 very long posts (Which can be found at http://edutechstories.blogspot.co.uk/) to draw out the value of EdChat Moderators being thanked for all their time for organising and hosting their edchats. This post includes three main points
- I feel I have done everything Adam Bellow recommends at ISTE13
- I have 2 messages for EdChat regulars below, one for Moderators and one for regular participants
- I have a “call to action” that would only take 5 mins to do but, if enough educators did this, it could help a start up out and build on Nikki Robertson’s fantastic work
Educators… Could do better?
I often hear about how bad suppliers are, and how they should be doing things differently. But I rarely hear any comments about things that educators could be doing differently to help suppliers out.
I listen very closely to educators, and I feel that I have done everything that Adam Bellow suggested in his ISTE13 Keynote with my attempts to get buy in and support for an idea to recognise the extra curricular activities that educators do to support their colleagues.
For those who have been following this discussion, please feel free to compare my actions with the suggestions below;
“There’s an army here… The people in your social networks and your personal networks will be your allies. Nothing is impossible.
Know where to ask for help, go to that personal learning network…over the last few days hopefully you’ve been able to meet, greet and grow those networks of people. Listen to people who not only agree with you but challenge you as well.
Because I think that personal learning networks are great that way, you can accomplish anything. If you don’t know how to do something at your school,Tweet it out, ask for help.
Tom Whiby says that 200,000 people are on Twitter, active educators, so that’s a lot of people, guys.
There’s power and safety in numbers … you can tweet almost to anybody, but get out of the echo chamber, we have to leave the echo chamber we can’t just talk to ourselves we need to collaborate.
In the real world cheating is called collaboration…You are only as valuable as the people you are connected to. What will we do with this potential, the we, the us. Adam Bellow. ISTE2013 Keynote, You’re Invited to Change the World
Despite taking this advice on board I don’t think this idea will gain traction, it didn’t a year ago when the idea bubbled to the surface. Here’s my closing message on this to educators.
Message for Moderators
Dear Moderator,
As an educator I know that you are most likely a “selfless giver.” You would rather help others every day of the week than accept help yourself. In that case, how about I ask you to help someone else with this idea, would you support this if it was to send someone else to ISTE? Someone who has always been there for you?
Do you remember those early days of the chat? Remember how it was just 3 of you chatting amongst yourselves for an hour every week? It felt like pulling teeth some sessions, didn’t it?
Can you imagine how much worse those lonely chats would have been without those “First Followers” who Geoffrey Moore would argue, is every bit as important in gaining momentum with any new project or idea. We get an idea of the importance of “first followers” in EdChats through the fact that almost 100 EdChats have been abandoned… Could this have been your chat without him/her?
How about you subscribe to this idea, and then reward one of your first follower(s) with a trip to ISTE? Yes? No? Still no, huh? OK I’m going to write to the people you help instead then.
Message for EdChat Regulars
Dear EdChat Regular
I have a bit of a challenge, your moderator(s) has selflessly given up their time each week/month to help support their community. The time and value of what they do cannot be underestimated, here are two examples, one around impact EdChat have with EdReform, another regarding the value of the free time they give up over the course of the year.
Twitter EdChat Sessions — Chat or Change?
EdChat Moderator: ISTE or Bust
We’d like to reward your moderator for their hard work by contributing towards their trip to ISTE. Indeed it might be argued that we need them there so we can “meet, greet and grow our network” of the EdReformers that at EdChat participants.
Can you imagine the kind of ideas and collaboration that could be achieved if we had as many EdChat Moderators in the same place as the same time? Can you imagine how many good ideas would be shared? .
However… We understand that costs can be an issue for some moderators, and they are so selfless that they would rather stay at home, than explore some interesting new ideas for raising the funds to get them here. So I was wondering if you might help us out with a…
A Pledge… to do us a “5 Minute Favour”
We would appreciate it if you could open a Pledge Cents account (If you don’t already have one… I know a lot of educators do), and open an campaign to send your moderator to ISTE…then share this with other regulars of the chat (Might want to do this without your moderator knowing, it’s an #ISTE2015Pledge black opp).
Obviously, we have no idea how much this idea will could or would raise. Also, if it did work, there is every chance that your moderator won’t accept the funds raised for the intended purpose of sending them to ISTE, In which case you could;
1) Ask the Moderator if he/she would like to nominate co-Moderators or regular participant
2) If neither accept any funds for an ISTE trip any money raised will be donated to the moderator(s) class(es)
I wanted to find a way of acknowledging EdChat moderators contribution… but I’m a rubbish salesperson! An educator has outshone me with her sales ability recently… So I thought you might be able to help we with this particular challenge too and help do the selling for me?
Oh and, just like Nikki did, if you were able to do this favour, you would also be helping a startup whose been doing good work to reach more educators too… Do you feel like helping Pledge Cents in the same way Nikki helped Nurph?
#EdTechBridge will be discussing Crowd Funding on Wednesday (7pm ET) where Pledge Cents will be discussing the topic of Crowd Funding.
I am not sure if this ISTE topic will be discussed, but this is a great chance to discuss Pledge Cents with the company and your education colleagues.
It only takes one person to get the party started and Nikki Robertson already has done that. Please don’t make her look like a “Lone Nut” whose dancing alone.
Anyone who has started a chat will know what that feels like from those early days went you were dancing alone… and talking to yourself
