I don’t remember the moment between when I had a PLN and when I didn’t have a PLN. But I know that my passion for education, my courage to take risks, and my abilities to get involved in global projects grew when that happened. Most of all? My desire to give back to others grew as well. It’s never about number of followers or becoming a ‘brand’ for me. All things you will hear about if you are on social media longer than 3.4 seconds. True confession? I almost crawl under a table when someone calls me, “Venspired.” I never see myself as anything other than just Krissy, a learner filled with flaws who works hard, loves to make creative messes, and knows that I can learn something from every single person I meet.
Full disclosure, I want to throw up when I give a keynote, but I give the keynote anyway. Somewhere over the last few years, I discovered something. The voice inside my head is speaking the message of my heart. It’s gotten too loud for me to keep it silent. And i do love to stay silent at times. But, I believe so strongly in creativity, in the beautiful mess of learning, and in authentic experiences with embedded technology that I share. Out loud. Never because I think I know more than someone else, but because I have to share. Sometimes that sharing happens here on my blog. Sometimes it comes in the form of a poster, or sometimes it happens out loud.
And when I stop sharing. There is usually a reason. Those moments in our lives when we want to hide from the world? Whether your struggle is big, or your struggle is small, you can share that, too. Because somewhere, there is someone that it will impact or who can help you. Sharing and connecting make a difference for you, for me, and for us all. Not because it’s easy to share, but because we are all human.
The people I’ve connected with, the lifelong friends who have been a Tweet or a Vox away during some of my best days, but also during my most difficult days have reminded me of something. They’ve shown me that life is about our connections with others. Sharing our work, our dreams, our goals with each other. Pushing each other. Supporting each other. Exchanging support, cupcakes, ideas, or even giving when others have nothing to repay you with. I wish I could list every single one of their names here. But I can’t. I also know that if I gave back every second of my life, for the rest of my life, I could never repay all of them for what their connections mean to me. How they were all there when I moved across country, lost people I loved, struggled with depression, journeyed through my own daughter’s diagnosis with Autism, and how they are all still there for me when I’m having a school year filled with the kind of learning magic that can only be explained in the sparkle of a curious child’s eye. The good, the bad, and the in between.
It’s all made me look harder at everything. Deeper. Around me. The people I work with on a daily basis. I learn from them. I am lifted up by them. And I hope that I give back to them, too. The people I’m connected with through Twitter, Facebook, and even email. These connections matter more to me than anything. I hope if you are reading this, I’ve given something back to you. In some small way, through a sentence, a tweet, or a poster. Through our connection.
Your PLN isn’t something that’s one more thing to do. It’s not something that you sign up for. It’s not even something you can buy. It’s so much more than that. It’s priceless. We all need to connect. So whether your PLN is a teacher across the hall, a friend in a neighboring district, or a community on a social network… you will never look back. Open your classroom door, open your mind, open your heart. Get Connected… because we are never alone.
Over the weekend, I asked people to send me photos sharing what their PLN means to them. The photos flooded in. It’s clear I’m not alone in my feelings. Thank you all for reminding me how lucky we are to be on this journey. Together we are better.