Beyond the Breakers

Another week in Web 2.0 and I am becoming excited about using a variety of these tools in the educational arena. Since I have been attending the Blackboard World conference in Las Vegas this week, I have explored some new tools that were presented in some of the sessions, but not really had the opportunity to utilize them. I did have the opportunity to become more comfortable with Twitter, both for following events at #BbWorld2013 and sharing news about speakers or sessions with my #eme6414 classmates. Through Twitter and interpersonal communications, I even got to meet one of our classmates, Monica, and share a photo op with her. It was great to tweet back and forth in our efforts to be at the same place and time to say hello face to face.

In addition to networking with Blackboard developers and users, many of the sessions focused on using Blackboard resources to connect with communities of practice, offer online courses across multiple platforms, use Web 2.0 tools to increase engagement and to develop collaborative learning opportunities among many other topics. It was an exciting and inspirational experience that I would encourage others to participate in.

Now that I am finally back at home after numerous flight delays and almost recovered from my jet lag, the next step is to take the plunge with more immersive learning. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Be not the slave of your own past. Plunge into the sublime seas, dive deep and swim far, so you shall come back with self-respect, with new power, with an advanced experience that shall explain and overlook the old.” On to diving in and swimming …