Be More Pirate - A DigCitSummit Adventure

8th November 2019 Update
When I published this post on 14th Oct 2019 I took it down after two days when people in my PLN told me that detailing things that actually happened wasn't right... I took the post down.

I have re-posed it after reading Oliver James' Office Politics. If it is a case of

"We are still getting a handle on social media and 90% of our communications is non-verbal and this was the first movement we were involved with and we've all learnt lots"
No problem! Lets discuss it and #BeTheDigitalChange we want to see... If people fall out we do out best to make amends and move on. There's a new project that has it's origins in some of the work below and I would hate for the contribution of others not to be acknowledged.

Let's arrange a call to discuss at your earliest convenience.

If on the other hand, the experiences Oliver James details about Gerald's relationship with Jan is a more accurate assessment, I hope this helps others to avoid some of the things myself and other early summit organisers went through.

Oliver James, Office Politics

"Be at pains to establish what this person is saying about you to colleagues. Without being paranoid, you need to assume that they will be telling the most astonishing untruths about you. Having identified them, there is at least a chance that you will be able to clear your name" Oliver James

Think and Grow Rich
I have recently re-read Napoleon Hill's classic 'Think and Grow Rich' and am aware that the 7 negative emotions are: Anger, Jealousy, Revenge, Hatred, Fear, Greed and Superstition.

I guarantee that I feel none of these emotions when detailing my experiences... Nor do I wish ill of anyone that I have helped even if there are issues like non-payment of money or unkept promises of 'We're building something together'

I can demonstrate this too. In a post called 'On the Record' (Which has now been deleted) the Summit organisers said this about me:

"What William brings to any project is vision and execution. His attention to detail is exquisite. William is like a conductor and he anticipates and prepares meticulously. What distinguishes William from the rest? His core values. He does not compromise. His core values and his work ethic are beyond anything I have ever witnessed. One PLN member shared, 'His work ethic is unsurpassed.' Others used terms like visionary leader, selfless giver and influencer. All agreed that no one should ever pass up an opportunity to collaborate with William in the future" 

I welcome both the DigCitSummit Founders to get in touch to discuss how we have developed the DigCitSummit project that started in Novemebr 2017.

I agreed to have a Skype call with you guys in Nov 2015 and offered to pitch in taking who you said you were and what your aims were at face value... Your welcome to reciprocate by accepting this offer to both arrange a Skype call and collaborate with some current projects.

Salty ToneThe tone below is salty and it may well come across as sounding rather angry... Whether intentional or due to inexperience and miscommunication, the tone below is in the hope of making sure I don't experience ANYTHING like this EVER AGAIN!

I've had my fill of attracting Takers and Fakers! Other Pirate crews out there may want to keep an eye out for the pirates like Stede Bonnett... they are rather incompetent:

The Gentleman Pirate

"Disagreeable givers are the most undervalued people in our organizations, because they're the ones who give the critical feedback that no one wants to hear but everyone needs to hear. We need to do a much better job valuing these people as opposed to writing them off early, and saying, "Eh, kind of prickly, must be a selfish taker." 

The other combination we forget about is the deadly one -- the agreeable taker, also known as the faker. This is the person who's nice to your face, and then will stab you right in the back" Adam Grant - Are you a Giver or a Taker

14th October 2019
This post updates my experiences with the #DigCitSummit Pirate Crew that I was part of in November 2015... and is written in the hope of helping others who are working with groups in loose/informal collaboration.

If you're doing difficult work like this and your first attempt doesn't work (How many first attempts do turn out perfect?), try again... if that fails, hopefully you'll hear some kind words and experience a little bit of 'Love in Action' and you'll give it yet another go.

As you will see in this post... I have!

If the people in this particular community who only get in touch with me to gossip and/or trash talk me or others, you're in for a treat! But you may also be a little disappointed as I'll also be drawing on Plato's 'When men speak ill of thee...' philosophy too.

I learnt a lot about how predictable the mistakes I made were in the last 18 months through reading books like Be More Pirate (@BeMorePirate), New Power (@ThisIsNewPower) and, in particular, Nicole Yershon's (@NicoleYershon) Rough Diamond and Marc Smith's (@Marc_Smith)1992 College Thesis 'Voices from The Well'

My core values, aims to reach out to my contacts to help Scottish educators and policy makers with their #DigiLearnScot consultation and my 'Love' for tools like Skype and Twitter have not changed, my relationships with those who spouted 'Be the same person you are online as you are offline' has!

Some Previous #DigCitSummit Posts 

28th March 2015
How I met your Awesomeness - Declara
(Check out the Howard Roark quote at the start of my first How I met Your Awesomeness Post)

29th September 2015
Using Core Values to Find a Brands Voice
(Modeled both in this post and throughout my #DigCitSummit experience)

7th December 2015
Ships Log and Pirate Articles

24th January 2016 
#DigCitSummitUK Closing Remarks - YOYOW



3rd November 2017
DigCitSummit @SpyQuest Mission - Help Recruit Ellie the Elephant

July 2019
For more detail - But a more succinct version of how this comes together to suggest #SkypeMS - see
TedxGlasgow The Power of Introverts & The Ripple Effect of the @BeMorePirate Sea Turtle Pirates

To see this same story as the Tedx proposal but in around 20 or so Tweets check out this thread because, if Jason Fried is right that 'The future belongs to the best editors' we better get practicing!

Background

8th March 2015 
Find out about Declara CEO, Ramona Peirson, as a result of International Women's Day and the #SXSWEdu Minority Women in Tech #DigiDiversity presentation.

I connect with James Stanbridge (@Stanbridge) via Skype and discuss the very ideas in this post with him... He can see the value in them Yay!

26th September 2015
Chris van der Kuyl gives his keynote speech at the Scottish Learning Festival and suggests that

1) 'Education lacks leadership'
2) 'That Scottish educators need to collaborate more'

I agree with this and after struggling to be heard with ideas in the past, I use this keynote as a catalyst and pull some visual data together. I take Susan Cain and Steve Wozniak's advice and 'Work alone'

12th October 2015 
The research I pulled together appears in TES Scotland

26th October 2015
The then Scottish Education Secretary, Angela Constance, asks me to

"Promote the @DigiLearnScot consultation on your Twitter page and amongst the networks that you are involved in"

I do just that... and

9th November 2015
First contact with #DigCitSummit!

"Would really like to connect with your both via Skype or GHO about planning a #DigCitSummitUK" is what the Tweet says.

The first thing that I do when I look at collaborating with any organisation is to see if they have their core values on their website... Do they know what they stand for and do I agree with these values?

They do and they they resonate

As well as these core values the phrases 

'Be the same person you are online as you are offline' 

#BeTheDigitalChange you want to see 

Are banded around as often as Donald Trump chanted 'Build the Wall' or 'Lock her up' at his 2016 campaign rallies

While these core values and phrases appeal to me... I would find out, like with way too many organisations, that they were nothing more than cat posters and empty words.

16th November 2015 

Have an initial Skype call and I ask at the end of the call, what are you looking to achieve with this event/movement?

"That kids act locally, connect globally" is the reply.

I say I'll help on one condition... that any UK event takes place in Scotland and, ideally Falkirk... and ideally Larbert High School. The DigCitSummit team agree to this.

Two years later (under rather trying circumstances) we model these aims at the 2017 DigCitSummit at Utah

7th December 2015 

We have a small group of 11 people discussing how we can make 'The first international #DigCitSummit' happen. TY each and every one of you!!

15th December 2015

137 people do a quick '5min favour' by signing up to a Thunderclap with the title of

'Skype & Twitter We Love You!'

The people who took a moment to share this not only had the 'Ripple Effect' of helping to establish a Digital Citizenship event within 2 months and on a £0 budget, but see 

1) The next event take place at Twitter HQ with Microsoft as a sponsor

It didn't 'facilitate', it wasn't 'the catalyst for'... it CREATED a number of other projects like 

2) DigCitKidz

3) #CEduAD

4) #Get2ISTE and, 

5) Hopefully #SkypeMS

...And no doubt many more that I am not aware of!

This will also have been the launchpad for whatever funding, awards and contacts that the Digital Citizenship Institute received.

Without the 'Network Effects' that this produced and the 'Social Proof' this 'New Power storm' created, little else that I have been involved with below would have happened. 

Enough people doing something as quick and easy as a retweet can have a huge impact. But BUMMER doesn't want you to have economic dignity (Argument Eight of Ten Arguments for Deleting your Social Media Accounts Right Now)

21st January 2016

Due to a lack of support from Education Scotland - despite the request to reach out to people in my network - we relocate the event to London and arrange it during BETT.

I get a direct message that I send one of the organisers is both read at 5am in the morning and is both mis-read and mis-interpreted and sees an angry reply that starts

"BACK OFF MAN!"

What the fuck! I think, and don't speak to the organisers for two days and they wonder if I'm even going to make the trip to the event...

I did go in the end and as I write this during the 5th Annual #DigCitSummit and see the contribution of myself and my 9 year old kid completely sidelined, I wonder if I would have been better staying at home.

'I don't know why I bothered' I sit here thinking to myself

23rd January 2016

The event is over subscribed with speakers and, given both my planning experience and relationships with the speakers knew how to handle this... But as I retracted my time and ideas the event on the day was supposed to finish at 5pm... it ran to 7pm and the DigCitSummit organisers didn't even let the hosts welcome people to Bournemouth University, they just jumped up on stage for the #DigCitSummit show... don't #BeTHATKindofRude kids!

26 January 2016 (Circa)
Messages in a #DigCitSummit group conversation immediately after the event goes something like this from one of the Co-Founders

"He's an Asshole Man"
"I'm in it to win with you"

I've no idea if this is about me or someone else... A message meant for a different DM or what.

It's not very 'kind' and you won't see comments like that in their online profile. I leave this group conversation.

February 2016
I speak to one of the DigCitSummit Co-Founders 1:1 and there's nothing but gossip, trash talking others and toxicity... bear in mind this is the

'Be the same person you are online as you are offline' 

(A bit like spouting about 'Radical Transparency' but then changing the story about how Trust Grew a Global Event in 2 months, when in actual fact effort had been put in over a three year period by others! )

I leave the #DigCitSummit community/group/movement entirely.

April
Right up until April I get emails asking

'WHERE ARE YOU! WHY ARE YOU NOT SPEAKING TO ME!'

June/July 2016
When one of the #DigCitSummit Co-Founder's who holds the #DigCit PLN Chair and sees me exploring ISTE resources via Declara and then PokemonGo, they ask if they can be involved, in a more humble tone.

With the exception of the Games PLN's section, I write the entire DigCitPLN Pokemon Go report and happily allow them to pass off various other bits of work as their own.

Again, TES Scotland kindly agree to run a story on the report...

One snag however, we need to pull an all nighter to get it finished and the link up on time for their deadline in the morning. I stay up all night... My 'Life Long Family Friend' falls asleep.

When they wake up and read the report the first words are

"There are 5 typos in the report... I don't know why I bother"

"Wait what?! I've just done all this work for you and this is all you have to say?"

Later in the same week I see that this person exhibit what Adam Grant calls 'Taker' tendencies, when they 'kiss up' to an influencer but 'kick down' to those that don't matter when they gush about

'It being so selfless that they did work that they allowed others to pass off as their own'  

But I get, 'I don't know why I bother?' WTF!

6th September 2016
In an attempt to make amends, they do what I've seen them do in the past... go off looking for saccharine words with their 'On the Record' post (Now deleted... On the record, off the record again. #YOYOWJOI!)... and going round the 100 or so people looking for a soundbite about how awesome I am.

"What William brings to any project is vision and execution. His attention to detail is exquisite. William is like a conductor and he anticipates and prepares meticulously. What distinguishes William from the rest? His core values. He does not compromise. His core values and his work ethic are beyond anything I have ever witnessed. One PLN member shared, 'His work ethic is unsurpassed.' Others used terms like visionary leader, selfless giver and influencer. All agreed that no one should ever pass up an opportunity to collaborate with William in the future" 

Aw Shucks! TY... Hope you feel the same about those core values today by the time you get to the end of this post ;).

As you'll see I'm happy to 'Collaborate' let's see if you're capable of 'Owning Your Words' (For once!)

This post also included this little soundbite

28th September 2016
I ask for a bit of help from a friend and life coach for a bit of mediation regarding my relationship with the #DigCitSummit brand...

'Stay away from one another, it's a toxic relationship' 

Is the recommendation. I agree with them

12th November 2016
However, I get all this 'Please can we keep collaborating... it will be different this time'

There is always a disconnect, the sincerity of the words never match the actions... But Man! Are these guys good with their words!

Upon hearing about the Skypeathon and the 'Three Nations Challenge' I create a group conversation to encourage 'Team Scotland' to take part... @ElliePrimary1 and @FillTheGapLearn make their first Skype call as a result of this group. One of them get involved as a result of the 2016 attempt at #CEduAD and Skype a Supplier.

One of the #DigcitSummit Co-Founders gets involved and, fair play, on this occasion that is no drama and we nudged the needle forward a little.

30th March 2017
Not for the first time and not for the last comments around

'You'll be my first hire when the Digital Citizenship Institute gets funding... and that's me owning my words'

So there was the constant promise of 'We are building something together here' right up to our very last call assurances like this were made.

12th October 2017

Please bear in mind during this whole post that this 'Be the same person you are online as you are offline' was EVERYWHERE when I first got involved.

So with the catchy tag line in mind (I don't make a habit of sharing private messages, but when your brands are all about this and 'Radical Transparency' then I'm simply modeling what they said they believe in!!)

To show just how strained relations were by the time of the 3rd Annual #DigCitSummit please see how the 'Ask' and/or offer of assistance is worded here:

From: DigCitSummit Co-Founder
Sent: 12 October 2017 17:59
To: William Jenkins
Subject: Global Maker Day

I’m not suggesting we collaborate nor am I suggesting that we have to be associated or even mentioned or tagged in what I’m about to suggest, but if it is something that could help, I would gladly do it. 

I’d also like to add that this has absolutely nothing to do with the Institute or the Summit and is not in any possible way an option to benefit myself. The offer as it is stands is to help the author you have been supporting and that is it. No strings attached, no opening doors to communicate or collaborate. 

I have an opportunity on Tuesday, October 24 on Global Maker Day and thought if you want, I could introduce David Goutcher’s innovative work if you think it will help him. I’ll be in a library in an elementary school hosting the online event all day. 

I’m not sending this to stir the pot or upset you and if the idea is in any way offensive or insensitive, I apologize immediately and guarantee you that I will not do anything suggested above. 

I’m sending this as you would call it as a 5 minute favor. No need to respond if it is received any other way. 

Don't be an 'Ask Hole' Mark Babbit at the #DigCitSummit Nigeria event... How did the 'selfless giving and '5min favour' pan out for you? To your benefit I see ;)

3rd November 2017 
I am extremely cool and cautious throughout the collaboration... only chatting in group conversations and not much 1:1... but we manage this rather impressive Mission. And it was a real highlight for me.

DigCitSummit @SpyQuest Mission - Help Recruit Ellie the Elephant

Why I Wasn't at School Today - I Wnet to Utah

Credit where it's due this would never have been possible without the combined talents of the extroverts in the #DigCitSummit camp and my ability to plan etc.

The kids had a challenge of recruiting Ellie, which they did... although she never visited Agent Isaac's school (For whatever reason).

The adults had the challenge of 'Who tells the best stories?' Introverts or extroverts?

My submission to this challenge is this post ;) -> Keep reading folks, especially if you're one of the #DigCitSummit acolytes who have had PLENTY to say to and about me. Ass holes! Erm I mean Donkeys (Remember @BeMorePirate kids, you should always use the YOYOWJOI compass!)

Hint: YOYOW = You Own Your Own Words (As per my 2015 #DigCitSummitUK closing remarks!)

The JOI? You'll need to search @BeYonderLtd and find either a #SchoolClimateStrike Sea Shepherd or Super Hero for that part ;). Spoilers sweetie, spoilers ;)

28th November 2017
This  leads to 8 schools connecting with Spy Quest and the DigCitSummit brand during the Skypeathon
SpyQuest Skype Connection

The first time we speak after myself and my kid supporting this toxic brand (Yet again!) is the following

"I think you have hatred in your heart for me"

Seriously? We've just went WAY! outside our comfort zone to support you and these are the 'Be THAT kid of kid' words you choose to use? Fuck you... and the drama you bring with you! Did you see my 2016 DigCitSummitUK Closing Remarks of #YOYOW? I think I can offer a rather compelling argument that it's you with the 'hatred in your heart' as you so eloquently put it.

1st December 2017
We had already arranged for the #DigCitSummit Co-Founder to Skype into the Scottish #Cmgr meet up when I was presenting my experiences of making the transition from sales to community manager.

That was one of the last times we spoke...

Think there were 1-2 more calls to try to make the best of a bad situation and there was a comment about trying to make a #DigCitSummitScot event happen when #DigCitSummitIRL was on... but there was no one to organise it.

'Oh Fuck it! Thinks I, a quick '5min favour' after all the others I've done, won't kill me'

2nd February 2018

Hi Everyone,

Following Chris van der Kuyl’s keynote speech at the 2015 Scottish Learning Festival where the message was that there needs to be more collaboration in education, after listening to this keynote I got to work with a few projects and ideas. If anyone wants to know the specifics of these project please see this post.

One of the initiatives that I got involved with was a Digital Citizenship event where I said to the organisers:

“I’ll get involved with this on one condition… that the UK event takes place in Scotland and, ideally in Falkirk”

Articulating the reasons for this and the implementation of this statement might have been better at the time. While the event did go ahead, unfortunately, it was moved so that it was closer to London so international speakers and attendees could attend the BETT Show.

I hope that the collaboration that’s taken place between Falkirk schools, Spy Quest and some US Connected educators during the 2016 & 2017 Skypeathon demonstrates the value of my suggestion that this would be a great place to host the event.

I understand that some connected educators will be in the UK again this April, and wondered if it might be worth exploring the idea of hosting an event in Scotland this time?

If enough people in this group like the idea then the you could probably make this happen with very little effort (many hands make light work and all that jazz) and IMHO would be a fantastic opportunity to exchange ideas, share best practice and generally make connections that would facilitate more collaborative online projects.

I’d be happy to pitch in as and when I could, but my time is limited, as I need to focus new goals and opportunities… but it would be fantastic to see an event take place in Scotland when people are in the area to put a bit of “social proof” to work to help get others connected.  

I look forward to hearing people’s thoughts on the idea.

Best wishes

William

@EdTech_stories

3rd February 2018

From: DigCitSummit Co-Founder
Sent: 03 February 2018 13:31
To: William Jenkins
Subject: Fwd: Scottish Digital Citizenship Event?

Really happy to see the responses especially this one from Hadley! I know you have wanted to bring an Edcamp to Scotland for a long time. 

Happy to support you to bring an event to Falkirk

It will come as no surprise to anyone who knows the #DigCitSummit brand that they have now tapped into what became of this project as it 'Pivoted' to #CEduAD (Well before the 2 months that the 'Radically Transparent' #NewPowerEducation crew got involved)

Note to self remember to write a 'How Trust was Destroyed in a single blog post in October 2018'

8th March 2018
"By January 2016, I was connected with Joanne Sweeney because we brought the #DigCitSummit to the UK with the help of a colleague, William Jenkins, who really is responsible for uniting all of us" @Mbfxc

NB We were NEVER colleagues! With the exception of being asked to do some work in Feb 2017 (where the amount was contested and when it would be paid... 50% was paid on time the rest was months later) I was always a volunteer of the #DigCitSummit brand!

28th April 2018
On the day of the #DigCitSummitIRL event people start Tweeting about their enthusiasm for a #DigCitSummitScot event... Something I had tried to do in Nov 2015 and again in Feb 2018.

At the time my thoughts were simply... YOU COULDN'T MAKE IT UP and/or I would find myself agreeing with Michael Sinclair's observation when we connect during #CEduAD 2018 in June

"It's like the plot to a bad book or movie"

Today, with the benefit of my books and seeing a few ideas get traction after the 3rd or 4th attempt... I can see that this is part of the process.

"All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident.” Arthur Schopenhauer.

So of course three years later this is self evidently a good idea... and just as I did with 

Nov 2015 - Feb 2018 with #DigCitSummit  
Nov 2015 - Oct 2018 with #CEduAD

I'd be happy willing to do a quick '5min favour' (not a 5 month one)... even if the end will mean that people end up saying 

'I hate that freaking turtle' 

Because you are either working with a group of passionate people and/or as a result of miscommunication when collaborating virtually and we miss the 90% of our comms that is non-verbal..

You get no birthday!
There’s a party and you can’t come, how’s that?
They’re gonna have flaming cars, and trailer folks
and shrimp-dogs and pizza!
Oh, no, no, no, oh dang it!

Check the very first tweet on the #SeaTurtlePirates hashtag to see what that is in reference to. Lol

28th May 2018
In May I was perusing Waterstones for my next book to read and a pink 'Be More Pirate' one caught my eye immediately... as did these two quotes:

"In the workshops we run, the second stage is where things really get started, we break into crews and a sense of mutiny begins to fill the room. Making new rules can be complex, but that's not where we start; the first thing to do is get a crew to choose the one rule they collectively most want to break, and then begin the task of remaking it. 

In this challenge, we've seen things get pretty heated; crews fight, split, re-form and commit to actual rule breaking there and then. We find when you really reconnect with that rule you know needs breaking, and actual alternatives begin to emerge, with a crew ready to try to change them, pirates begin to get serious.

So to any 'New Power,' 'Be More Pirate' crews... especially those in education who have organised a Twitter chat or Edcamp or anything and found their efforts margianlised by the 'Takers' and 'Fakers' ( The qualitative and quantitative data suggests this IS the case)...don't stop collaborating!

Find a different group. Don't let the takers mean that you don't share your ideas and creative gifts with the world, it's those people that are wrecking social media (Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accouts Right Now detail how and why this is the case)

"When I say fight, I mean actually fight. That doesn't have to be physical, it could be a fights with the system, it could be a professional conflict, a falling out with a friend or a row with a stranger. It could be a war of words, it could be a battle of wills or if could be lobbying, arguing, demonstrating or debating.

But whatever it is, it's a real fight, one where you're putting your neck on the line, you could get hurt, you've got something to lose, it could cost you your job, end a relationship, damage your reputation, or worse" 

My core values include having honest relationships... and if someone runs around the internet saying 

'Be the same person you are online as you are offline'

Be The Digital Change you want to see in the world

What happens if you call them out and pick a fight, I wondered ;)

With 4 years of messing about with the Pirate Code, I thought at the very least I could give the Be More Pirate community a win with a Blackbeard style #DigCitSummit Tall Tale... and one that would also (Hopefully) keep future takers/fakers away from any projects that I might work on

1st June 2018
After reading Be More Pirate, the New Power Community Manager suggested that I read their book.

As they said at the inaugural New Power Virtual Gathering, I tweeted out half the book, wrote 'Tech Story 2' and was loved by the authors and their #Cmgr

I went on to incorporate the #NewPowerEducation movement into the Skype Edcamp and the 2018 attempt to bring the #CMAD for Edu 'Connected Educator Appreciation Day' to life.

By the 1st August my ideas and voice was marginalised and by 20th October the #CEduAD story was changed entirely and I was suddenly labeled as 'The wrong kind of people with the wrong kind of purpose'

Fuck New Power's idea of 'Radical Transparency' thought I.

*Waves* to the New Power team... Love you guys, #YouMatter... if you didn't we wouldn't be connected yadda yadda etc etc.

17 &19th July 2018
Skype Master Student

31st July 2018
The event that stated out as the #DigCitSummitScot idea had developed to a UK Edcamp and - because of the level of interest internationally - #CEduAD 2018 and an initial Skype call was arranged with people who were interested in getting involved.

14th September 2018
Having had enough of attracting assholes and feeling the effects of ostracism and bullying I thought I'd experiment with the 'Be the same person you are online as you are offline' by sharing some of the horrible things said to me in private messages online.. before quitting Twitter.

Sharing what was said privately by the 'Be the same person you are online as you are offline' brand, wasn't very well received by the #DigCitSummit community... Go figure?!

Like all the flowery things that the DigCitSummit Founder had to say about me, anything controversial I had to say about them has been deleted... they were only up for a day or two.

Long enough to create a moment of conflict and start a fight... I was just trying to implement New Power and use if for good ;)

17th September 2018

It was Microsoft's Ray Fleming who got me onto Twitter. When looking for a little career advice in 2010 he told me that

"If you want to be in EdTech today, social media comes with the job"

Social media hadn't done much for my career and, after lashing out because of the bullying and ostracism and general lack of progress, I almost deleted my account... a quick 5 min favour prevented me from doing so

This led to a follow up on the topic of my 2015 #DigCitSummit Closing Remarks and wondering do you own your own words once they have been said... and realising that they are shared words

#YOYOW... Or Do You?

This post and my experiences here seem spookily similar to both the 'Love in Action' that Howard Rhiengold saw on The Well, as well as the kind of scribbling that Blair Newman did before tragically taking his own life (See The Heart of The Well).

All the people who said flowery things until they got what they wanted/needed from me then blocked me... was actually a huge blessing, I will be using this in a number of projects going forward. So thank you all!

Anything I do here on out using Twitter I won't know if it would not exist without these 14 words from @Sfm36 last September. Thank you Sarah! If you ever read Nicole Yershon's #RoughDiamond make sure you pay particular attention to the last page of the introduction.

'Words on a screen can hurt people. Although online conversation might have the ephemeral and informal feeling of a telephone conversation, it has the reach and permanence of a publication' Howard Rheingold The Heart of The Well

Equally, the impact a kind word can have is unbelievable.

I want my kids to #BeTHATkindofKid! The 'Love in Action' kind... Not the Fake Friends with empty words types.

18th December 2018
When rereading Virtual Communities I notice for the first time Marc Smith's name and read for the first time ever his 1992 College Thesis 'Voices from the Well' I read it three times in as many days.

I laughed my head off at all the experiences above, not only were they inevitable... they were entirely predictable. The Well Beings truly were and are geniuses!! So far ahead of their time.

As with so many things online today... the guys at The Well have been there, done it and got the T-shirt.

5th January 2019
You simply couldn't make this shit up! #CEduAD 2018 was pivoted when one of the DigCitSummit Co-Founders didn't reply to my efforts to have a #DigCitSummitScot event around the same time as #DigCitSummitIRL in April?!

5th February 2019
I see for the first time Michael Sinclair's comment about me dropping out of #CEduAD because I 

'Could not keep up with the breakneck pace of a global movement'

A little bit of #NewPowerEducation 'Radical Transparency' ...who drops out of something they've worked on for 4 years?

"Before forming your "Master Mind" alliance, decide what advantages, and benefits, you may offer the individual embers of your group, in return for their cooperation. No one will work indefinitely without some form of compensation. No intelligent person will either request or expect another to work without adequate compensation, although this may not always be in the form of money...” Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich

Or... If even if I was not an intelligent person, if I 'dropped out,' as the official #CEduAD Team story goes... how come I voluntarily handed the @ConEduAD Twitter account that I'd developed since April over in October 2018?

When I saw that the first Be More Pirate meet up was on the 28th February I wondered to myself

'Could I create a new movement between now and the 28th February?' 

I put everything in place for #SkypeMS by the middle of March and thanks to the following:

• It was a Skype call with @Stanbridge in March 2015 that is responsible for anything I’ve done in education since that call… a kind word from him on a quick Skype call.
  (Who I found out about as a result of Sarah Thomas’ #SXSWEdu ‘Minority Women in Tech’ DigiDiversity presentation)
• Since the inaugural Skypeathon only a handful of Scottish schools have taken part in the event. Skype was the main comms tool I used when I worked with a hot shot Silicon Valley startup a few years ago... Which is why I'm both a fan and have tried to get more schools here connected
• Linda Fabiani let me know that an entrepreneur in her constituency was working on an ‘Ingress for kids’ game when I sent a copy of the Pokemon Go in Edu report to politicians
• Seeing how much the Skype call was second nature to my 7 year old son on the 2017 #DigCitSummit Spy Quest Mission Vs how nervous I was and that I couldn’t wait to get out of the class, made me see the value in young people taking a lead on events like the Skypeathon
• LI Paper Community Manager Kelly Hungerford for sharing her experiences with me via CMAD 2016 and a Skype call in 2017
• Skype for Good Director Ross Smith taking a moment to speak to my oldest son… He grew 2 feet taller during the call. If a kid had enough calls like that with people like that during his/her school life, I would not be surprised if it turned out to be a High Impact/Low Cost (Vs Low Impact/High Cost) that could easily make a dent in the #AttainmentGap and #DYW.
• Reading Ross Smiths RSA 21^st Century Skills post and then having a conversation about it on a walk with my youngest son… and led to us plotting about how he could encourage his teacher to make a call. Lastly, but by no means least!)
• Andrea Tolley and her awesome Skype Master Student #MIEBoom presentation at ISTE

26th June 2019

As 'New Power' highlights with the Oreo Superbowl 'You can still dunk in the dark' and/or Tim MacDonald's observation that there is usually months of unseen effort that goes into ideas, events, movements and projects.

I wrote this follow up after @TolleyA's awesome #MIEBoom #SkypeMS presentation

DigCitSummit @SpyQuest Mission - Part II

4th August 2019

Given the way that re-purposing what people say online - in particular in the dark spaces where Far Right extremists are talking about

'The Patron Saint of the Far Right' 

And policy makers are fueling this... Who is it that's keeping our young people safe.

#DigCitSummit Closing Remarks #YOYOW - Three Years Later

In the case of Shamina Begum, Asqa Mahmood, James Letts etc etc the answer is no one!!

Just this week we have a 16 year old kid in court for being a Neo Nazi and an 8 year old kid trying to 'scratch his skin off' because of kids N-word abuse (See The Choice - The Capacity to Love and Hate)

Policy makers have dropped the ball entirely with Digital Citizenship and the only group that I can see that will play catch up with Bannon's 'Network Effects' and 'Feedback Loops' are educators.

19th Augaust 2019
I have done all that I can to make a Classroom Skype call at my kids school, but it ain't happening

(See Skype Master Student - Connect Globally to Help Locally)

...And Marc Smith (@Marc_Smith) sure isn't wrong with this observation!

23rd August 2019
...So I made a note of some ideas that others - where they DO make Classroom Skype calls might want to explore: Some Skypeathon Ideas

14th October 2019
I see all the people that I've helped connect the #DigCitSummit brand to and all the people who joined in and, as a so called 'Crowd Leader' (According to New Power), those I helped to 'empower'

...But they decide to leave an 9 year old kid who went so far out of his comfort zone to support the #DigCitSummit fucking brand that they don't even have the common decency to acknowledge his time, work and effort?

I sure as fuck don't want my kid to be THAT kind of kid!

(NB If Trump can use 'Grab them by the...' and LibDems can use Bollocks then a former #DigCitSummit Pirate can sure as heck use Fuck)

People fall out all the time! Every single day in the playground, at their offices, in their group of friends, neighbors and families too… We need look no further than our so called political leaders… and they have contracts, staff handbooks, HR etc etc. Voluntary collaboration like this doesn’t. 

Go sit in a coffee shop for a day and see if you can go an entire day without listening to people talking about their so-called-friends or colleagues, I'd be amazed if you had a gossip free day!

As we see in the world of politics and us voting for Trump/Bannon/Farage/Boris and Brexit, we’re still figuring online out, who's going to show them the way if not educators? Boris Johnston and Donald Trump?

Unfortunately, negative and controversial messages and approaches work (It's Jaron Lanier's BUMMER at play again)

I want to model for my kids the advice from Sam Conniff’s book Be More Pirate (And model Molly Stanbridge's example too – What are you willing to take a stand for… what you willing get in a fight for (something that could see you lose friends, has the potential to harm your reputation).

I've done that here and, if nothing else, hopefully the @BeMorePirate Community have one heck of an Edu based Blackbeard Tall Tale to tell!

... Just like @ThisIsNewPower have a #NewPowerEducation 'Radical Transparency' case study with #CEduAD as a result of my time and efforts. 

But I also want my kids to model ways that if/when friends fall out (online or offline) that they find ways to communicate and, ideally, to make up or at the very least part ways as amicably as possible (Preferably using the #YOYOWJOI compass). So I'll #BeTheDigitalChange I want to see!   

We included everyone who was involved in the #MIEBoom presentation and very much hope that everyone who was involved previously will get involved going forward

Any of the #DigCitSummit acolytes who sees this post as anything other than sharing my experiences and trying to help can get themselves to F**k, I've had enough of you and your judgmental attitudes ('You KNOW who you are' as @FillTheGapLearn cryptically says in his #CEduAD 'Cooking with Gas' post).

"God himself, sir, doesn't propose to judge man until the end of his days. So why should you and I?"

"Don't criticize them [Confederates]; they are just what we would be under similar circumstances" Lincoln

"Before you start to judge me, step into my shoes and walk the life I'm living and if you get as far as I am, just maybe you will see how strong I really am."

Just as I made a few mistakes and learnt from them, I'm sure the #DigCitSummit brand did after their first few events... whether you know me or not, here are some facts.

• My Core Values have remained unchanged since Sept 2015
• The reason I got involved with the #DigCitSummit to help get more Scottish educators connected - this has remained unchanged
• The title of the Thunderclap 'Skype & Twitter We Love You' - this is unchanged, still a fan of both... but a little bit less so 4 years on.
• 'Be the same person they are online as they are offline' I'm still down with that idea... Especially after reading Edward Snowden's Permanent Record!  
• #BeTheDigitalChange you want to see - I see value in this, especially with the rise of the Far Right. I have tried to #BeTheDigitalChange in this post and elsewhere.
  
  Is reaching for 'Block' the best we can do? What if that act of ostracism leads a young person straight into the arms of a REAL hate group, as former EDL member Ivan Humble highlights these guys are waiting with open arms to give people that 'magic sense of belonging'

I also think that various commentators are right - that this kind of loose informal collaboration will be the future of work for many people.

Therefore, in my experience (However misguided or limited), anyone working like this might want to make sure that you 

• Take Jim Collins advice and 'Get the right people on the bus first'
• Take Napoleon Hills advice and work in harmony with everyone in your group
• Take Tribal Leaderships advice and 'Identify your core values and then align them with a noble cause
• Take time to discuss your Pirate Code 2.0... Personally I like Biz Stone's 'New Rules' and some of Sam Conniff's 2.0 Pirate Code
• Read about what Nicole Yershon learned about the Lab Team, Lessons from the Lab and her Innovation Framework
• Get NewPower, it's a good read for movements, but I'd give joining their community a miss... they are not very supportive, not in my experience anyway. At least they were the 'Wrong kind of people for me' but maybe I'm just a Misfit ;)

Thus ends my #DigCitSummit Adventure... and my Skype one... and my Scottish Education one too for that matter, that's one tough nut to crack!

Should've listened to Bill Aulet when he said

"We advise our students at MIT NOT to get into Edu/EdTech... It's too tough a sector"

LOL at the naivety of this post three years ago

EdTech is tough - Welcome to Scotland

'Scotland Lacks Talent' @ChrisVDK #SLF2015... but then gets £600,000 from @ScotGov to make Scotland the most entrepreneurial country in the world. What Tosh! Might be an idea to give the money to people who actually believe that Scotland has talent!!