We started up two weeks ago with a slow roll out of the project as we got people up and running with Twitter. We asked that you think about your identity and start/revise a Twitter account to help create/curate the digital identity you’d like to portray. In the second week, we started the project with Learning Event One by having everyone open up new doors” and consider what they would like their digital identity and doors to that identity to encompass.

Tomorrow afternoon we’ll launch Learning Event Two, but I wanted to take a minute and share some feedback and reflections from the first two weeks of the project.

Excited, and Energetic Participants

It’s been really cool to see everyone jump right into Twitter and engaging online. The majority of the people that I’ve talked to, and worked with have never tried Twitter in their lives. Twitter is usually one of those tools that people see everywhere and want to try…but just can’t get it. Also, I have a feeling (at least from my students) that they’re thrilled that they have to tweet and play with digital texts and tools for homework. 🙂

Thank you all for the energy and excitement as we get started. Let’s keep it up!!!

Persistent, Flexible Learners

As we get started, many of us have had challenges getting Twitter accounts started, learning new languages (Twitteracy), and figuring out how/what to share. In all of this, we’ve remained calm, positive, and continue to try. This persistence and flexibility is something that I look for in my students, and it’s common across many of the learners in the project. Truthfully, many of the instructors and mentors in the project also have to think critically, and remain patient as we all learn together.

All of us…even the people running the show are learning. Let’s all be thankful for the ability and willingness to play and have fun openly online.

Really Building, and Opening New Doors

For each learning event, we will indicate a prompt, and include a minimal way to respond, and share with the community. We’ll always offer opportunities to level-up and challenge yourself. We’ll always continue to ask you to push your own boundaries and play with digital texts and tools. With the participants in the project that are my “face-to-face” students, I’ll encourage you to play, learn, and connect during this time. We all need more opportunities to make and share digital content. We all need more opportunities to create and break content online. Even still…for each learning event, we’ll provide an “entry-level” option for people that want to share.

That being said, I’m witnessing a lot of people that are thinking about these digital spaces, and thinking…you know what, I want my own space. We love the fact that we all build and share content online through the various social networks, but in the end, the only entity that you empower is the company behind the social network. Furthermore, what happens when that social network closes up shop?

We think you should start building up your own “front door” to the Internet, and create your own hub to build from. Judging from some of the discussions I’ve heard over the past two weeks…you do as well. You should all be congratulated for taking this first step. Keep in mind that is a constant process, but the first step is the hardest. Thanks again for all of you that started up a WordPress blog, Tumblr account, Wix site, Weebly site, or created some unforeseen hybrid of digital content.

Once again….thank you. 🙂

Image CC BY-NC 2.0 Winston Vargas