30 Goals Challenge #30Goals

I'm participating in a "30 Goal Challenge" for educators, organised by Shelly Terrell, a leading light in my on-line Personal Learning Network. I know that I'm not a fully-fledged, qualified educator but my hope is that my experiences and what I do now will qualify me to participate and perhaps I'll get some learning out of it - if not as an educator then as me personally!

I started a blog specially for it: @CliveSir and the 30 Goals Challenge
I'm up to Challenge 4 for which I chose to make a video podcast - it might amuse you!  There will be one challenge per weekday for six weeks; the weekend is for reflection.  That takes me into mid-March if I manage to keep up with the goals.

I'm struggling a bit, to be honest. I am so Slow! It takes up a huge chunk of time but somehow I'm managing to fit it in. A couple of times I've gone to bed past midnight which is unheard of for me and gives me a problem because I can't help waking up early. Overall though, I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't enjoy it!

Incidentally, a snapshot of my connection with Social Media reveals that today:

• I subscribe to more than 1000 blogs
• Of which, I read 12 regularly, the rest I search or randomly sample
• I follow 855 people on Twitter
• I have 551 Twitter followers
• I have tweeted 1,769 messages

This, my online Personal Learning Network, has grown to these levels from near-zero in July last year! The majority of people I follow and who follow me are educators of various flavours and I have learnt much from this vibrant community.

I can imagine a few of my off-line friends reading this and just not getting what Twitter and blogging is all about. You should commit to checking it out else you'll be left in the 20th Century. You'll never know unless you join the party, and I don't mean just standing at the kitchen sink!