My twitterverse.

As we continue to plan the Learning Design Summer Camp, my twitter feed is once again morphing into a community of anticipation. We did this in the TLT Symposium, and it was a good feeling to be a part of something in which everyone looks forward to participating. In community discussions on the wiki about the look and feel of the summer camp logo, I sat one evening and watched the artwork change, and expand, and form new ideas as people added their thoughts and input, whether it was comments in the wiki, new logos that had been bastardized from earlier versions to better illustrate a point, or even the discussion that carried through twitter. I can’t think of another time where I’ve seen the community drive the discussion and truly help form an event. Sure, a good planning committee will be productive in their interactions, but this is something completely different. This is an open invitation to a group to help plan an event they can then participate in. I watch the dynamics and I’m almost in awe with the way it just unfolds before my eyes.

And what is it about stickers that is so damned fabulous? I honestly have no idea, but it’s obvious we love ’em. Allan Gyorke
has once again waved the promise of moo stickers in front of everyone,
and we just can’t say no. Tell the community to create an icon for stickers and we come crawling out of
the woodwork. People started off with some of the sticker ideas that didn’t make the initial sticker books for the TLT
Symposium, but new ideas have just been flowing in leaps and bounds. I love watching
an idea grow, then spin off into something else, and see it catch fire
with the community. This event is no exception; the latest fad? Personalized icons that Stevie Rocco has been creating for local tweet
peeps.

I swear I wish I had a fifth (of scotch would be lovely, thank
you) of the talent, energy, and creativity Stevie has. She starts with this online avatar maker
but then she adds that touch of artistic whimsy which highlights some
specific characteristic of the person she’s made it for–@NikkiMK06‘s beautiful green eyes; @jameshowell‘s wide smile on the birth of his son; @ndw1‘s dangly earrings, because she’s never without them; the way @cstubb‘s eyes disappear when he grins; she even got @colecamplese‘s sideways expression. [Editor’s Note: As I commented on twitter, artistic types like @stevier create icons for you, but with her own social commentary. For my icon? Glasses. Earrings. Devil horns. Nice.] Now people are making their own character icons, with fabulous results. @agyorke added another Happy Camper, and @brettbixler joined me in having devil horns, bless his heart. *hands outstretched* Really, if you
know the people in your community, it is easy to identify each person’s icon without ever
looking at their twitter name underneath. And I like that. As we
continue to strengthen our community, I like seeing the faces looking
back at me from my twitter feed, whether they are photos or
caricatures.

As Maslow points out, one of our most basic needs is the
need to belong. I love that I belong to my twitterverse. I revel in being a part of the
community. I enjoy planning this Learning Design Summer Camp, and
thinking about what people are going to get out of it, and I get
excited to see the anticipation starting already. Make your own icon,
beg Stevie to make one for you, ask any of us for help, but get involved and be a part
of the synergism that is our community