Today was one of those days that makes me take pause and take stock, makes me consider many aspects of what I do.  What do I do? I work with students, amazing students who challenge my thinking, my practice, my vision of what could be and should be doing in education.

Today I got this tweet:

It left me rather puzzled…but I followed the link to the article written by Vala Afshar for the Huffington Post:

Top 100 Most Social K-12 Tech Leaders on Twitter 2015

I read the article and started to scroll through the slideshow, not surprised to see the names of some amazing educators whom I learn from daily.  But then I was stunned to find myself named among these poignant people.  I was taken aback, humbled, confused…

So this has rolled around in my head all day.  As I continued on with my students and looked around my building I refocused my thoughts on this honor.  I don’t think I do anything this special or recognizable, as I think I am just among a sea of educators who embrace social media to hopefully impact growth in education for the sake of students.  I connect with many educators I would put on this list in a heartbeat.  However, what I must take from this is if someone considers me to be this influential, it increases my mission to use the social media platform to help improve the education landscape for ALL Learners, with and without technology, with and without learning differences.  These are my two passions, that really meld into one.

So I take this recognition, not as a personal victory, for it is not about me.  It is about taking the voice someone thinks is valuable, and making it roar for the time it lasts.  Recognitions are quite an honor, don’t get me wrong.  I am truly in awe of this respectful appreciation for the work I try to accomplish in the social media space.  However, it’s what we do with the time that people tune into us this loudly to impact others that is most long lasting.  For me that is impacting the education of those who learn differently and empowering their independence with technology.

Thank you Vala for considering this voice to be valuable.  My goal is to impact learning with my small voice and big ideas….it’s about being able to make a difference.

“No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave.” ~Calvin Coolidge