Wednesday, January 9, 2013

The Power of the "Node"

Source: Gapinvoid
It's interesting to explore an instructional leader's motivation to engage other leaders with digital-age tools. We indeed build collegial friendships because of the mutual experiences we share, common interests we have, and interesting information we seek. We've been networking in a face-to-face platform environment for decades, but now we have tools to extend our networking platform.These tools can help us convene to process complex ideas, solve problems, console each other in difficult situations, and share fresh and fascinating information. But, these tools only help us if we engage reciprocally by not only lurking but tweeting/discussing/sharing, by not only reading but blogging/commenting/curating.

The power of this network does not come from extracting the energy off of the grid, but when the nodes of the network generate energy by actively engaging. We all need to put more energy on to the grid than we take off of the grid. Pragmatically speaking, how do school leaders do this?

We dialogue, vent, analyze, relate, change your mind, connect, collaborate, advocate, and criticize. We bookmark, share, categorize, and retweet. We reflect, blog, generate ideas, and apply concepts. In a word, we are active.

What kind of "node" are you?