This evening while I was making dinner for my kids I was having a conversation via my laptop with someone from Canada, another from Texas and still another from Kuwait… and I have never met these people nor would I know them if I tripped over them. (the kids are getting used to seeing mom talking to her laptop in the kitchen; the dogs less so)
I have warned my children about the dangers of meeting people, evil strangers on the internet, in chatrooms, online… and then will you look at me… completing disreguarding my own advice and plunging into professional/academic exchanges with complete and total strangers.
What is it about these kind of connections that makes me ignore my own motherly advice? Could it be these strangers’ incredible patience as I tried to get my headset to work? Could it be their tips, suggestions, support (without cost…well, Elderbob did threaten to charge me once)? Could it be their offers of online shows, podcasts and other multimedia fun to support the possibility of exchanging ideas about second language acquisition?
My world here in Ohio is exactly the same as it was about 4 weeks ago when i discovered those wild EdtechTalk guys (I blame it all on them)…but now the world somehow seems a much bigger place than it was back then. …and much more exciting.
I can’t wait to see how this all turns out…
!well, there is really no way to charge you for any service, but I will ask you for this. Someday, and I don’t know when!.someone will ask you for a small bit of assistance to get some tech glitch figured out. You may not have time, and you may not even feel as if you truly understand the problem!but take a moment and pay me back, by helping that someone else. Maybe you will get really lucky, and they will put a post in their blog, and then you can write them a response, and ask them to pay it forward!.
elderbob
(Still in Texas)