Blogging not only allows you to reflect on your own thinking, it helps you to connect with the thoughts of others. Blogging at Learning@School Conferences has grown from strength to strength. Twitter has added to this connection as teachers across the globe and nation connect using the microblogging platform.
One delegate who has been in the NZ Twitter network this year mentioned that because of the connections through Twitter she now felt really connected and less lonely while attending the conference. She has a ready group of people with whom she feels comfortable and can also carry out extended conversations long after the conference is over. These connections extend the learning and support us as we head back into normal daily life trying to incorporate the extensive professional development just undertaken.
Blogging has also created a new breed of creature loosely termed the ‘blogebrity’. In the image above Wes Fryer is taking the place as the international blogebrity for this year’s Learning@School.
Even at the end of a long and inspiring conference, when energy levels are flagging and concentration is wandering, teachers can still pull out all the stops for a bit of fun. Led by Allanah King a group of teachers orchestrated a flash mob at the beginning of the last keynote by Wes Fryer. Mr Fryer himself, was one of those caught up in the conspiracy. As a sign of global collaboration, NZChrissy, an NZ teacher who has recently moved to Bangkok joined in the fun, dancing along via Skype. You can view her 
The final keynote was a celebration of the possibilities of ICT in the hands of talented teachers. This transformative technology provides the opportunity for teachers to reach beyond their classroom walls to give their students wide and varied experiences. Wes nicely tied together a number of the experiences of Learning@School that many delegates would have participated in – discussing best practice with one another, enthusiastically brainstorming ways these technologies can be enhanced by these best practices, and the practical excitement of learning how to use something new.
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