As today is International Womens Day, I have been thinking of the women in my PLN (for PLN read LIFE!!) that I may not have known if it weren’t for CESI and especially Twitter. They each make such a contribution to Ed Tech in Ireland and beyond, and who help keep me afloat.
A is for Adrienne. Adrienne Webb, @dublinwebb, Chair of CESI. Teacher and author. A beacon of light and a huge support to me in stormy waters. A wise woman. She keeps our CESI community gently but firmly steered towards our remit. It is not just an alphabetical coincidence that she is top of my list. When I grow up I want to be her.
B if for both Ban and Bianca. Ban is Brigid Ann Ryan, @lismiss, and Bianca is Bianca Ní Ghrógáin, @groganbee. Two primary educators, at opposite ends of their formal careers. Ban has retired, and Bianca is just starting out, but they both share the same infectious joy in finding and sharing ideas to help their students connect with the world. Being in the company of either is a treat – I cannot wait to sit some day with both of them together, and ride the wave of the tsunami of ideas that would flow. Find them both on twitter or pinterest – you would never need to research your own lesson ideas again.
C is for Cara and for Catherines squared! Cara McDermott, @caramcdermott, and Catherine Fox, @cfoxcavan, are two of my @cavancoderdojo partners-in-crime. Both work in Cavan Institute, and are so generous with their time, and make very good travelling companions, especially if good food is involved! Fellow NY USA soul is Catherine Cronin of NUIG, @catherinecronin, is one of the most open and welcoming educators I have ever met; she keeps us all reminded of the Big Picture for our students and each other.
D is for @doogarry. Mairéad Quinn, who keeps me smiling with tales of 'five men and a dog'. We have a shared passion for teaching science and for knitting – and I am of course mad jealous of her twitter avatar!
H is for Hellie. Helen Bullock – who tweets and blogs as @anseoamuinteoir, represents the next generation of ed tech women. Hellie pulled us all together last year in her book @howIlearn.
M is for Mary and for Marie. Mary Loftus is @marloft and Marie McKenna is @MaudMonaghan. (I’d like these two to meet also – style meets style!). Mary’s mash-up of ideas for education, delivered in her cool rock-chic fashion, really speaks to me; Marie’s zest for life is infectious and healing – I only met her ‘in real life’ not long ago, and am all the better for it.
P is for Pamelas sqaured! Pamela Moran, @pammoran, works far far away in Virginia USA, and yet I feel her presence almost daily since we met in Tipperary. She shares her philosophy of learning not just with the teachers officially in her care, but with us all. Pamela O’Brien, @pamelaaobrien (do watch out for that middle ‘a’), is a hero and role model for me. Pam (almost, but mostly) single handedly presents us with a wonderful ICT Edu Conference day each May on the campus of LIT Thurles. She writes a wonderful blog reflecting on her teaching and learning. We also meet for Coderdojo reasons which makes me very happy – any chance to work with Pam is a lucky one.
All these women have so many positivities in common, but for me it is the shared empathy and enthusiasm that makes me grow in their company, online or offline.
So… @magsamond wishes you all a Happy “Our” Day, Ladies!
PS – Jan 2015 – and the list grows on…
Silicon Republic asked for woman to tweet out how mobile tech has empowered us as women, and I am going to tweet this post from last year, but first I must record how in the last year my Superwoman list is growing! As in R is for Roisin Markham, @CreativeDynamix (the name says it all), S is for Sarah Jayne Carey, @sjayc, who I’s like to be when I grow up, and L is for Leanne Lynch, @leanne_lynch1, who ensures the future of Tech in Ed is in very safe hands.
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