Remember when we had pen pals? You would write the letter,
send it off with the mail man (via snail mail)…then wait…and wait…and wait for
a reply. This reply would eventually arrive from your friend who lived on the
other side of the country (or world). Fast forward to today… So what does your
Pen Pal program look like today? How does that communication differ? What are
you learning and sharing?
In a recent conversation with Dennis Schug (@DJrShcug),
Principal of Hampton Bays Middle School (Long Island), he made the succinct analogy
of “waiting” for a direct message, tweet, or blog post today is just like the
anticipation we had as children when we anxiously waited for a letter from our
Pen Pal. I told Dennis, “That’s it. You need to write about that!” Dennis politely declined and suggested that I
take up the topic. So… here goes!
My 45 minute PD opportunity with Dennis today was like that
Pen Pal letter of yesterday – only on steroids. We were able to share ideas,
ask questions, laugh, and learn from each other. It was instantaneous PD. I was
able to “connect” with Dennis who is one of my 21st Century PLN Pen
Pals. Now, after several months of corresponding via our tweets, Twitter chat
discussions, and retweets we were able to “connect” the old fashioned way… using
the telephone.
Next up… a potential GHO as we map out a plan to use Skype to
make connections between our two middle schools. One in the Midwest, that’s my
school, and the other on the East Coast -Dennis’ school. The potential is limitless. Our teachers will
share strategies, best practices, and learn from one another. Our students will
share their understanding and knowledge with their new peers – affirming one
another and building relationships with peers from across the country. I’m
going to call this “A Tale of Two Middle Schools”.
For those of you who have yet made the “plunge” into the
Twitterverse… please take this invitation as an opportunity to connect with a new
Pen Pal via Social Media in this new era of Pen Pal letters. I refer to my
Twitter PLN as my “PLN Pals”. It’s a phrase I started using a little over a
year ago and it just stuck.
You never know who could be around the corner or the world…
waiting to connect, learn, and grow with you.
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