I just finished reading Kevin Carroll’s Rules of the Red Rubber Ball and it made such a tremendous impact on me that I had to write about it.  See, I believe I only recently discovered my red rubber ball.  In short, a person’s red rubber ball is their passion.  It’s the thing you do when no one is around, or when you have free time.  It’s the interest that liberates you to do amazing things you had only dreamed of before.

Kevin’s book took me from laughter to tears and back again.  I am still thinking about his book over 24 hours since I completed it.  I had never thought of my red rubber ball in such a way until reading the book.  I didn’t necessarily discover my red rubber ball at an early age.  In fact, as a young boy, my passions were very much like Kevin’s as I played nearly every sport available to me.  I remember putting on a snowsuit and gloves to go outside and shoot baskets on the hoop in my driveway.  It was as if nothing could keep me from playing with my red rubber ball; key word being playing.  Once you discover your red rubber ball, it becomes difficult for one to distinguish the difference between work and play.

My red rubber ball is my passion.  It is the item that consumes my free time.  When I go to work every morning, I’m pursuing my red rubber ball.  I don’t say that lightly as I am extremely thankful that my life’s circumstances, and not the least, my Savior, have put me in a position where I get to pursue my red rubber ball every day I walk into my school.  Since connecting to other educators who share my passion, my red rubber ball has appeared.  I have an intense desire to become the best educator I can possibly become.  I have certainly been met with obstacles and set backs.  Others have attempted to let their negativity bring me down.  Pursuing my red rubber ball has not been easy.  My wall and my fortress that protects me and my ball is my professional learning network.  At the risk of climbing out on a thin limb here, I would imagine that most of my PLN share the same passion that I do.  It’s not that we’re a fanatic or one to be shunned by the rest of our colleagues.  It’s not that we look down on others who’s red rubber ball bounces in a different direction.  We just find ourselves pursuing this unique passion with any time we can set apart from our busy lives.  I encourage you to find your red rubber ball and pursue it relentlessly and see where it takes you.  For me, it has opened up doors I never dreamed of before.  I hope it continues to open more.  I do invest a lot of time, energy, passion, and fight into my red rubber ball.  However, I’d bet that you invest those same things into something.  And if not, then consider discovering your red rubber ball.  Be creative about how you pursue it.  Technology has opened up many creative ways for me to pursue my passion while still being a husband and a dad.  Last but not least, surround yourselves at every opportunity with others who will support and possibly share in your pursuit.

My wife @Mrs_JulOldfield and I just made it back from EdcampILE at Hilliard Bradley High School in Ohio.  The Edcamp was hosted by Craig Vroom @Vroom6 and Jacki Prati @Jacki_Prati.  In an effort to keep this short, I want to say I first connected with Craig at EdcampCbus on March 1, 2014 at Lincoln Gahanna High School.  Since then Craig has made a tremendous impact on me as an educator and a leader.  He’s given of his time to take my phone calls and accept my requests to Hangout during a course I was teaching.  I’ve had the opportunity to connect with Jacki and many others from Hilliard City Schools during Twitter chats their district holds.  I’ve seen the evidence first hand that Jacki and Craig are effective leaders that model innovation and cultivate growth within their buildings.

My experience at EdcampILE was not unlike experiences many other Edcampers have shared.  First, there is absolutely no hierarchy at Edcamp.  What I mean is you won’t see administrators or district level officers looking over shoulders during sessions or walking around in what appears to be “observation mode.”  Everyone attends Edcamp to learn and to contribute.  Edcamp breaks down any barriers to progression that hierarchy often presents.  Second, Edcamp is supportive.  Rarely, if ever, do educators get the opportunity to surround themselves with other like minded educators attending for the same reason: to learn and to share.  Edcamps are free and often there is no reward for attending.

I can’t say enough about how encouraging it was for me to get some face to face time with a group of educators that have inspired and supported me along my journey of growth and development.  Since I first met many of the group represented by today’s Edcamp:

• I’ve hosted an Edcamp at my school, which has lead to the development of a 2nd Edcamp in WV coming in September
• Continued to help cultivate a community of West Virginia educators through our state-wide Twitter chat #WVedchat
• Facilitated two week-long courses in Digital Leadership aimed at inspiring educators to take control of their own growth & development, and spark a desire to improve parent engagement at their schools through 21st Century means of communication

The opportunity to absorb some face to face time with so many educators who have made their mark on my life was priceless.  My takeaway from today’s Edcamp was a renewed commitment to impact other educators in ways that Columbus area educators like John Riley @MrRileyJo, Melissa Eddington @Melsa777, Kimberly Halley @halleykimberly, Scott Jones @escott818, Jacki Prati, Craig Vroom and many others have impacted me.

This is another reflection written by a teacher that took my digital leadership graduate course last week.  Rebecca is a 10th grade English teacher at Tyler Consolidated High School in West Virginia.  She put into words exactly what I hoped my participants would receive from the pillar of digital leadership titled “professional growth and development.”  Rebecca also offers some other insightful comments related to digital leadership.

Digital Learning: People, Not Devices

by Becca Childers, 10th Grade English Educator

When I first signed up for a digital learning class, I assumed that the course would be limited to the use of technology in the classroom, much like any other technology training that I have been encouraged to attend. For example, a class expounding upon the benefits of actually knowing how to use the SMART board that’s been in your room for a few years now or how to turn on and operate your provided iPad was what I expected, and I might add, dreaded. However, instead of walking out of this course with a renewed sense of how to use these tools, I have left with something more valuable: a sense of community with my fellow teachers and opportunities to make connections, not just with other teachers but also with the students, the parents, and the community as a whole.

Let me be clear, I am not a willing tweep. I am an advocate of teaching positive social media skills in the classroom, but my personal life is stalked by a love/hate relationship with my only social media outlet, Facebook. Twitter, in my mind, has always been just another relationship that I do not want; nonetheless, I have been converted, not because of Twitter’s most attractive attributes, confusing hashtags and the inability to block grungy skater-boy followers, but because of the amazing community of educators that have formed their own learning community that is available almost every day of the week. I am now connected with educators all over the country, and my support is no longer dependent upon whether or not the educators in my school are willing or have time to collaborate. I have a sounding board. I have tweeps.

Technology has evolved, in my mind, from simply a tool for teaching to a tool for personal growth and learning, but even more earthshattering is the possibility for building relationships between the school and the community or, more specifically, positive relationships. Every school has a reputation, but often, that reputation is built not upon what the school system and teachers have intentionally communicated with the community. It is not built upon what is actually happening in the classrooms but assumptions. That needs to change. We need to “build our brand”. One way to do that would be to open up the lines of communication through social media, such as Twitter or Facebook, but first, we must banish the idea that social media is not worth the trouble. The possibility for negative use should not cause us to throw it out entirely. Indeed, this is all the more reason to show the community and students a positive avenue of utilizing social media. Let’s not shy away from it. Let’s change it.

Isn’t that what education is meant to do? To change the world, to change perspectives for the better is the reason why education exists. To pass on knowledge, yes, but also to open minds and to instruct as to how things like social media are meant to be used. Social media is a way to connect, to build positive relationships, and to open avenues of communication for building a better community. Technology in education is not just about creating 21st Century projects or learning to use tools to survive the ever-changing professional world; technology is about the people behind it.