Bono is singing “Amazing Grace” on YouTube. I am listening to a live broadcast of the U2 Rose Bowl concert. He is in LA, and I am in Dalian, China. And I’m thinking that he understands this ”amazing grace.” We are connected. He has touched me, and it’s because a new friend, Sabrina De Vita, is following me on Twitter. I started to follow her after she commented on my last post, mentioning the power of collaboration. She teaches English in Argentina. And she is also watching Bono sing. Right now. She tweeted that the concert was being broadcasted live, so I found out about it, too.
A month ago, I didn’t understand Twitter. I didn’t have a blog. And now I have a new friend in Buenos Aires who also teaches English and loves U2, and we’re watching a concert “together”.
Grace is raining down on me. Serendipitous events abound. Friends give me the right books, (The Alchemist, The World is Flat). My husband and I re-ignite our dream of a school on the same day a much-admired and well-loved educator friend (Eloy Anello, who started a university), passes on to the next world. A chance conversation leads to an assignment to write about a new local principal (David Truss), who becomes a mentor at the exact moment when I am shifting my professional activity, and am in need of one. “When the student is ready, the master will appear…
I am not new to the world of grace. I strive for a constant sense of gratitude for its continual flow. But I am noticing something new. These connections are re-awakening dormant passions. As a writer, I am most in love with the transformative power of stories. But I come from a background in communications and administrative management. Much of my coursework has been in instructional technology and sustainable community development. Now, because of these new connections, I am seeking ways to combine my passions to help build a better world. I see the power of collaboration more than ever, because I have a platform upon which to stand and can ask for FEEDBACK!
And in a broader context, I can see that my personal development does impact the world. The more connected I am in the world, the more my belief in the power of unity in diversity shifts from an ideal to an operating principle. As Bono sings, we are “One,” and the more we act within that reality, the more empowered we are to bring that grace to other’s awareness.
City Guide Dalian - Tips for Overnight Accommodation, Leisure and the latest News from Dalian said,
October 26, 2009 at 9:55 pm
[...] You find the original post here amaliaonpurpose.word … | amaliacarmel [...]
sabridv said,
October 27, 2009 at 5:16 am
Amalia, I loved your post. I think you could reflect perfectly well the spirit of collaborative work. Sharing and sharing is what is all about. I’m glad you had a wonderful time yesterday just because of my tweet and I’m also very happy for having found a new friend who is living in China (of all places!). It’s really amazing that we could have gone out to a concert when we live so far away. This is the magic of the web 2.0, and I think it would never stop to surprise me. Lots of kisses from Buenos Aires and let’s keep learning together.
amaliacarmel said,
October 27, 2009 at 8:27 pm
Sabrina – How’d you like that concert? Pretty great, huh? I am officially addicted to sharing now. I’d love to hear about how you use technology in your ESL classroom. I’ll check your blog…
David Truss said,
October 27, 2009 at 9:53 am
Amalia,
This reminds me so much of my post Instantaneous which ended with this:
The most amazing part to all this: It was almost midnight here and I was ‘chatting’ with a student, reading her writing, and offering (minor) feedback… while ’sitting in’ on a staff meeting at the International School Bangkok, Thailand… ‘talking’ to Kelly in Saskatchewan and Alec in Regina, as well as others in Australia and The UK… and ‘meeting’ Chrissy, a new connection from New Zealand, who has offered to Twitter-in and help demonstrate networking/connectivity at my Pro-D session next week in the suburbs of Vancouver.
The internet extends the reach or our thoughts, and yes that does impact our world in a greater, more meaningful way than possible in the past.
amaliacarmel said,
October 27, 2009 at 8:20 pm
David,
You mentioned your shift from “seeking information” to “seeking interaction” in your post Instantaneous. Now that I’ve had a taste of it (my students interacting with each other and me, that is) I am starving for it. I am constantly telling my students to talk with each other, (or even with their grandmothers!), in English. “Just talk about what interests you,” I say. Now I have a way to get them to interact, to follow their own interests, and I’m hooked!