As a Program Manager at eCampusOntario, the program I’ve been managing the most is the Ontario Extend faculty development/enrichment experience. It has been a delight. But something even more delightful (and screamy) is on its way to our house soon, so I will be going Extend silent for June to September as my family prepares to welcome our third daughter to the mix.
What I have been doing in Extend is a lot of behind the scenes connecting and in front of the scenes cajoling of educators to join in on the Extend community. It’s not that hard really, because Extend is just too much fun and truly beneficial to educators. It’s not something to do so much as something to be a part of. Something that will help you grow as a technology-enabled educator without you really noticing that you are, in fact, growing. I look forward to being a part of it again, but we have a hell of a replacement for you.
This feels a little bit like when I was learning to drive. I got to take over the wheel to drive around town a little, but after a while it was time to hand the wheel back to the real driver, who would take us to the next destination.
Soon I expect you will see a post on Alan Levine’s blog (cogdogblog.com) with not only some thoughts for what Extenders can do next, but also a way for you to get your hands on the steering wheel a bit, too, to help us decide where to go. Extend West will continue through the modules for the next few weeks and then, together, you can all decide where to go next. I look forward to seeing where it goes.
As a bonus for you for making it this far into my post, I want to point you to something that Alan made that may help convince you to hop on the Extend big toy this summer if you’re not already: Edupunk. It’s a mockumentary in the vein of Hard Core Logo or Spinal Tap. Some day I hope the ultimate Extend Activity is us all getting together to make the Extend Mockumentary.
I’ll be here for another week or so and then back in September, probably deeply in sleep debt, but raring to jump back on the ride. Have fun!
image: “Steering” flickr photo by icathing https://flickr.com/photos/icathing/11715638 shared under a Creative Commons (BY-SA) license
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