Where to begin?

That is always the dilemna no matter what you are doing.  What did Confuscious say? - a journey starts with a single step.

 But to be a little more prosaic, a student of mine a few years back now, who was keen to study law , was baulking at the length of the degree. "It's such a long time!" she whined whenever the subject came up.  "All that study.  Everyone else will have a life. All I'll be doing is studying".  

One day I pointed out that she was going to be here in 5 years time, doing something or other anyway, doing the degree was one thing to do. It was just a tiny shift in thinking.  It is just time and we've got to do something with it.   Look backwards from the future and plan your next step based on what you want to have achieved by then.

And I think I've had that same little mind shift  regarding technology.  I'm going to be teaching in 5 years - do I want to feel as out of my depth then, about PLNs and PLEs, as I do now?  Definitley not. I'm going to be here so I might as well spend my time learning about them as denying their relevance or existence.

So that is the whole rationale behind this little escapade.   And jeepers do I feel out my depth.  Right now it is a case of a little knowledge being a dangerous thing.  The danger being that it would be very easy, today,  to go back to denial and pompous rejection of the relevance of PLEs.  I have just started with blogs and tweeting.  I have tasted delicious and am teetering on the edge of skype.  And I more overwhelmed now than before I'd heard of any of these things.  But I am going to press on.(should I use the word bravely here or is that a bit too much?) 

I'm trying to think of it as an adventure....pursing a campaign of exploration like Livingston or Bourke and Wills.  Oh dear...I just remembered back to primary school history and what happened to them...perishing in their pursuit of new found territory, dying of thirst only miles from a creek etc etc. 

Oh well, no one said gaining knowledge was for the faint hearted.

Anyway...how to proceed?  I think what is intimidating at the moment is going to other teacher's blogs and twitters and being overwhelmed by their complexity and intelligence.  So my first step is not to let myself feel intimidated.  I think I will set myself the task of twittering and blogging everyday for two weeks and see what happens from there.

If you read this PLEASE offer any suggestions.