technology tools for sound pedagogy/development

In the last two weeks I have been excited by the Elluminate sessions with Nancy White and Greg Walker and also the blog notes of Jo harte's tips that I can see how this online tool of Elluminate can carry such sound pedagogical and developmental practice.
I am in awe of those who seem to be able to wear the four shoes of e-facilitation.
For me the technological shoe is the challenge and I guess it is much the same challenge as having legible and interesting whiteboard script. just different tools for the visuals.
I have been so heartened by the message that the pedagogy is the important thing and the tool simply supports that to happen. several of our network have reinforced that message.
The educational issues that Sarah finds are much the same as ours in NZ, so we are an internationalo netwrok of people trying top make sound eeucational and develo0pmental sens of the use of online techn ology.
Our endeavours in this course are very valuable. Rayna Dickson acknowledges the value, excitement and motivation of discovering online experiences.She sees the making of connections as a valuble activity and experience,and the "light bulb" happening when a door is opened through this.
I believe we are on the cusp of a new set of learnings and I look forward to those.

communities, networks, links,

An African proverb tells us, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Nancy White distinguishes between the network, a collection of people who link in meaningful ways, but retain a focus on the needs and benfit to the self, and the community where people surrender something of the self in order for the greater good to benefit.What sits between is always something of a dilemma. The identity issues around Social Networking sites and the theft of identities through unsafe levels of disclosure are probably where much of the tension in being involved with those sites will sit.

I have recently happened on Melinda Blau's blog in which she explores the idea that we live in a lonely society and we have encounters with people who seem incosequential to us, but for various sets of human social needs, are in practice consequential. Some of these will be strangers we pay for services (eg. massage therapists, clinical supervisors)others those that have regular role or proximity space in our lives. Further she suggests that we need to seek out these opeople and build ourself a cirlce of consequential strangers. I find her ideas compelling and think it helps explain the popularity of social networking sites.