I completely agree that different tools work for different people, and people need different entryways, and have different needs.

I love Lisa’s comment about being the “go to” person but not having a “go to ” person for herself, and how powerful the network has been in that regard. I think that is why it is so appealing to me also. I also think that is why it can be so powerful for administrators, who are also often singletons in their building(like librarians).

Teachers do network within their departments on many campuses, and so perhaps the “need” isn’t as great for them initially, if they have a strong F2F network of support. But I think just like students, there are teachers who feel that they don’t fit in at their campus, or they are pushing the envelope on something and would like to find someone to support that, or they are curious about what’s happening elsewhere. Each person has their own needs, as Diane mentioned.

And Lisa, I do think that some of our students have learning networks we don’t really conceive of in that way–whether its through club penguin, or webkinz, or facebook, or deviant art or gaming sites. They may not think of them as learning networks, but they are.

WoScholar–I agree that it’s puzzling why teachers who teach writing don’t always immediately see the benefits of blogging, even if blogging without much of an audience, since we ask students to do that when we ask them to journal, constantly. But I do try to put myself in the shoes of people, not be judgmental, and just try and sort through the issues. Is it too time-consuming? Are the guidelines unclear? Is the software too frustrating or difficult? What examples can we share of the richness that can happen? (Clay Burell’s projects or Brian Crosby’s spring to mind here).

Sometimes I think part of the struggle in all of this, is we as teachers are becoming the learners, in pretty dramatic ways, and that’s a paradigm change at a fundamental level and not really something some of us were prepared for.

Thanks for all the interesting discussion! Looking forward to meeting all of you F2F as well!

Thanks for this great post. i am trying to get my local colleagues moving on this but they still stare at me like I have two heads… or worse, they completely ignore me.

I have put a link, with your intro, in my wiki.
http://russels-ict-wiki.wikispaces.com/Teachers+in+Community

keep up the great work.

Great advice! Thanks for sharing it. I think sometimes the biggest issue for people new to it is the patience side of it. I have blogged as part of a National Writing Project group for the last couple of years. Recently I decided to start my own personal blog. Not much in the way of comments yet, but those will come with time. I struggle with getting new teachers to start a blog as PD because they feel no one is reading it. Oddly enough, these are mostly English teachers who promote writing for self-reflection. Maybe it will all come together for them soon enough.

It was good to meet you in Austin, even if it was an over the shoulder virtual stalker kind of way. Maybe next time we will have more time to talk and really introduce ourselves. If I don’t see you at the TCEA conference in Austin in February, maybe I will catch up with you at NECC in San Antonio.

I hope you had a great trip.

As a blogger and networkee (?) of less than a year’s standing, I read all of your suggestions with interest.

I’ve tried some of these ideas already and find them to be sound, particularly the advice to read and respond to people with similar professional or personal interests. This helps to put a “face” on what might otherwise be a vast and anonymous virtual world.

I would add that not every tool will work for every learner. RSS feeds are my joy and PD pipeline; flickr and del.icio.us are invaluable; I’m just starting to see the potential in Twitter. I didn’t do so well with Skype (as you well know!) but will try again. Online sessions featuring live chat and video, like some at the K-12 Online Conference are too much for me to cope with.

So my advice would be: interact, keep an open mind, and constantly try new things to see what works for you. I love this new dimension to my life!