Learning is all around!

I have the opportunity to meet with a group of secondary teachers tomorrow morning over breakfast. These teachers have indicated their interest in looking at what IT can enable for their students and joined this group, which is a Priority One initiative through the INSTEP programme. The programme provides valuable links between businesses, which indicate their needs and local secondary schools, which request information about local businesses. This group, called the "IT Enablers group", is meeting for the second time and is made up of teachers from a range of learning areas, but mainly from Digital Technology.
To start with Joy Cottle ( Institute of IT Professional ) will present the ICT Connect Programme, linking schools and ICT Professionals to inspire students to consider a career in ICT. I have heard of the programme, and I particularly look forward to find out how it works.
The other aspect of the meeting is to establish something easy for teachers in the group to connect and communicate about their ideas and experience with enabling students to be confident ICT users.
Steven Vincent (TechnologyWise) will then present a tool to support this communication.
What I will try to do, with the short presentation that follows, is to highlight the benefits of every day technology to share ideas and experience, to continue conversations around a common purpose and to grow a support learning network from within the group. I will talk about how I have grown to extend my support network beyond geographical and learning area vicinities, and relied on social media and groups and forums to further my knowledge, understanding, experience and opportunities. I would be very happy to add members of this group in my PLN.
This short presentation will be preceded by and followed a conversation around establishing common goals and what participants already do to go and get information and ideas and what they would like to see as a first outcome of their commitment to the group.

Preparing for this led me to think about the people and groups in my PLN. I came up with this diagram to try to capture not only my level of connection but also to take a snapshot of who I turn to today for information and ideas, where/who I get inspiration from.
I could have done better and linked the people/communities to their online presence, but playing with Lucidchart was enough novelty for me today!
 I notice from the diagramme:
- Pedagogy, eportfolio, digital identity and capability feature quite highly
- The closer circles are where I feel the most comfortable contributing.
- There are a range of people in this circle who have seriously influenced the way I think about learning.
- There are many other people in my PLN, but this is a snapshot and who/what community came to mind without intending to be comprehensive!