Connections

One of the exciting things about being at ULearn is catching up with Twitter and Google Hangout (#Teachmeetnz) friends.

In some cases it is a chance to meet in person again someone you share an electronic connection with.  Others it is 'ships in the night' where you see each other in passing but never see again among the throngs.

But the most thrilling meeting is the first time there is a face to face meeting for someone you have been communicating with for some time. These are probably the people I have shared with late at night, or been challenged by what they achieve, or those who I read and go You Did What? Meeting these people felt so comfortable and adds another layer of connectedness.

The importance of our electronic connectedness should never be underestimated.

I am deaf in one ear and wear hearing aids and so in noisy environments struggle to hear voices. (I am also very poor at recognising people) The world that Twitter opens, along with VLN etc, allows people to talk, discuss, argue, catch-up in a way that face to face, even here at ULearn, is not possible.

So when I (and others) don't recognise you in the dim lighting of tonight, 
So when I ask you to repeat yourself and still I don't understand,
So when I don't respond when you speak to me,
So when I smile and nod vacantly,
        'Bear with' (for Miranda fans) and deal with the virtual me. I will be having 'such fun'.