I grew up watching Sesame Street and singing along to ‘Who are the people in your neighbourhood‘.

Well the concept of neighbourhood has really changed for me. I showed this movie in Powerpoint format at one of my presentations at BLC08 this summer. Afterwards, I think it was one of 3 people, (Liz Davis, Laura Deisley, or Maria Knee), that asked me how many people from my network did I think were in the presentation? I had no idea? Tonight I thought I’d start the search.

So, here are some of the people that are in my digital neighbourhood, that as a result found their way into this video. (In order of appearance). (Networked teacher images) Alec Couros | (Blog Comments)• Liz Davis Wesley Fryer | (Twirl/Twitter) Martin Pluss Konrad Glogowski Sue [Sujokat] Helen Otway Melanie Hughes | (Plurk)• SMeech Liz Davis GingerTPLC Jeff McCord | (Del.icio.us bookmarks) Kim Cofino Angela Maiers Chris Lehmann Jen [injenuity] Ken Allan | (Google Reader Friend’s shared items) Darren Draper Dean Shareski Lisa Durff Liz Davis Susan C Morgan Kris Bradburn | (Google Documents) Alan November Kris Bradburn | (Connect and Protect) Dave Sands | (Connecting from suburbs) Kim Cofino Derrall GarrisonDarren Draper | (Well rounded teacher images) Jeff Utecht | (The competition) Lisa Durff | (Blogging) Arthus Kris Bradburn | (Wikis) Clay Burell Vicki Davis Julie Lindsay

That’s 30 people, some appearing more than once. Other than intentionally using items from Alec and Jeff, each one of these ‘sightings’ are incidental… but significant. Beyond these connections I also have Jabiz Raisdana, Dave Matheson (one of just 3 local connections from my district), Sue Waters, Karen Janowski, and Claudia Ceraso commenting on my post introducing the video.

Claudia didn’t just comment on my post, she wrote a response post that has challenged my thinking. When I’m done here I’m going to her blog to respond… to continue the conversation, and the learning. Claudia may live and work in Argentina, but she has influence over me. Geography and physical proximity no longer matter. (Case-in-point: Sue’s comment offers me advice from Austrialia.)

My digital neighbourhood spans the globe! But this is more than an issue of geography, it is also about influence and significance. Some of these connections are ‘loose’, like the local bus driver on Sesame Street, but others have greater meaning to me.

I may never meet some of these people, but they are my teachers, mentors and friends. This is my network, not my neighbourhood… and networks are fundamentally different than groups/(neighbours). It truly is a brave new world-wide-web, and if we aren’t engaging in the opportunities it provides us then we are missing out… and the same could be said for our students.


Also published on Medium.

21 comments on “Who are the people in your neighbourhood?

  1. The Blip TV version is definitely better quality and it is loading faster. Curious how big is the file size and which format did you save it as?

    Not only from Australia but the second most isolated capital city in the World 🙂

  2. The file is 13.7MB’s and saved as an MP4.
    Alec Couros told me about blip.tv while I was on Facebook. I had put the video on the Internet Archive before that, but didn’t like the limitations for sharing, although that is a great place to store large files. Even Facebook saved at a higher quality than YouTube, but again sharing there is an issue.

    …and that would be geographical isolation only… I’m not feeling the distance online:-)

  3. Dave,
    You have demonstrated in three minutes what I have spent hours trying to articulate for my teachers. What a wonderful testament to the power we have to live a learning life but to demonstrate that life to our students. Well done! I am looking forward to sharing this!

  4. How in the WORLD have I missed your blog? Thanks to Angela Maiers, I have found you! The video is terrific (understated) – but the comparison of your early Sesame Street neighborhood with your global neighborhood is priceless. All of this change in one blink…amazing.

  5. Dave,
    I am so honored to be part of your neighborhood. You know you are an essential part of mine. This is such a great video. Thanks for sharing it with all of us.
    -Liz
    P.S. It wasn’t me who asked the question. I wish it was, what a great question!

  6. Kia ora Dave!

    A great video! I shared the last one when I viewed it – this one will go further.

    A cool neighbourhood! I feel welcomed and proud to be part of that.

    Thanks Dave

    Ka kite,
    Ken

  7. Awesome is an overworked adjective….so I won’t use it here…I enjoyed the post it is interesting and at the same time unsettling, maybe because it has made me realise that I deliberately choose not to have a personal blog so I don’t generate an online network …the reason….I am not sure of yet….maybe its too time consuming….maybe what it offers does not replace the time it steals from me….maybe I don’t want to be part of a shadowy world but want to exsist in real time….maybe maybe maybe maybe…yesterday I never even questioned why I don’t ……today I want to know why I shouldn’t…….grrrrrrr

    Let me close with a question a 6 year old asked me in reading club “will cyber space ever get full ?” Surely the laws of physics demand that eventually if you keep putting stuff in things reach their limit? I told him to google it…..(eek)

  8. My neighbourhood is growing and it is wonderful… thanks for the comments and the links!

    Silvana,

    Don’t force a blog, but you’ve commented here a few times now, and I’ve seen your comments elsewhere, so I know that what you have to say will earn you an audience.

    Perhaps just get involved with Classroom2.0 on Ning and contribute a blog post or two there to start. A couple months of rich conversation there would tell you if a blog will work for you… and if it doesn’t, you’ll still generate an online network!

  9. Fantastic video! I will definitely be sharing this during our faculty professional development sessions. So glad to be part of your neighborhood!

  10. Coming a few years late into this ‘conversation’ … I was otherwise occupied in 2008 🙂 Yet your point is as valid today as it was in 2008 and there are many of us who are slowing joining into this idea of global neighbourhoods and networks. I know I started with the lurking, am slowly stepping up-to the commenting, and hopefully at some stage will get to the contributing stage. Many still have to join in so hopefully ‘cyber space will never be full.’

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