Building relationships and connecting people with resources is vital to my professional practice. I place high importance on the value of the gift economy. I believe that it is my personal and professional responsibility to act when I discover an opportunity to make a positive difference, whether I’m sharing something of my own creation, introducing people who can help each other, or providing resources to people in need.
I’ve had the privilege of meeting many of my professional network connections in person, and there are others who’ve shared with me for years, though we’ve never physically crossed paths. I’m fortunate to work in an environment where my colleagues recognize the value of my external connections, and encourage and support my practice.
For this portfolio, I’ve asked some of my contacts to share a quick comment on their experience connecting with me. If you’d like to contribute, please post a comment about ways we’ve connected online, or how I’ve helped you meet new people, locate resources, solve problems, or see a new perspective. I’m grateful for the contributions, and recognize that now it’s my turn to reciprocate!
As part of my network of people that I communicate with on a regular basis, Jennifer is a consistent contributor as well as a person who is important to me and my professional grownth. Jennifer is very consistent in her thought and looks at the big picture throughout. I am greatly appreciative of her depth of knowledge and her ability to make me truly think about the direction I am heading. I do value her as a person and a professional.
Thank you Jennifer.
Jennifer and I connected via Twitter a few years ago. We shared ideas and resources related to our then employers (similar institutions despite being in different countries) that proved useful not only for us, but also those we worked with. She even attended a conference here in Saskatoon so that she could meet me and others in our respective networks. Even after we’ve moved on to other roles, this connection continues to prove so valuable for my professional life (and occasionally on a personal note as well).
As the very first elearning director at the college I teach at Jennifer overcame many hurdles and impediments placed in her path. Since her tenure here we have remained in contact to bounce ideas about student learning and learning management systems back and forth. She is always ready to contribute even though not currently part of the local management team.
Her ease of conversation and technical competence has always appreciated, and looked forward to, by me. A grasp of the ‘lay of the land’ regarding social learning has always been one of her strong points. I am honored to have her participate in my learning network.
Sorry, but “one thought” is not enough.
I honestly can’t remember when we first connected; it was probably via our blogs even before twitter. There are at least three concrete ways in which Jen continues to help me grow in my thinking about effective teaching and learning.
Way One: We get into lively discussions about complex ideas that begin on twitter but can’t be continued there due to the limitations of the medium (140 characters/thought). Jen then creates and shares diagrams/pictures with me to help me understand her thinking and foster further discussion. I have learned much from these exchanges. One such example can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dkuropatwa/3400242569/
Way Two: Jen transparently shares her work in ways that provoke my thinking about how I might better help the educators with whom I work. Watching the way she sets up online learning spaces, such as this one http://cccs.wikispaces.com , for her colleagues informs and improves my own professional work.
Way Three: I often share my work online and create opportunities for participants in my workshops to interact with larger online communities of educators through twitter and other online spaces. Jen consistently pushes my thinking and helps to foster great discussion in classrooms half a continent away from her. One example: when we shared this image http://www.flickr.com/photos/dkuropatwa/4766403166/ (“It is no longer enough to do powerful work if no one sees it.”) Jen pushed back which led to a very nuanced discussion about important and powerful learning experiences that need a more private and intimate environment in which to take hold.
I’m grateful for all that she has shared. Talk with her a while; you will be too.
Jen,
I commented on a recent photo of yours reminiscing about “waving” to you across the waters when I lived in #yyj.
You continue to be a good friend to me and have been very supportive of me when it’s been apparent I’ve needed it. I consider myself lucky to have had the pleasure of meeting you f2f, first on the island, and then at various and sundry nv/open events in #yvr
You’re a connector of people and ideas and are particularly good at welcoming and introducing individuals across networks; as I know from personal and professional experience. It continues to be a fun ride across the #edupunkopenrhizomaticmoocverse and I thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this space.
Over the years of connecting with Jennifer, I’ve found her to be a wonderful sounding board. Her opinions are rooted in considerate thought for the well-being of all parties. Her demeanor is consistently calming and reassuring, and her ideas are always impressive.
I recently heard about a conversation between a random coffee shop patron and Russell Kirsch which included Mr. Kirsch (inventor of the first programmable computer) lamented that these days, people don’t invent the previously uninvented. I immediately thought of Jen, because she regularly ventures into uncharted waters to explore new ideas. We need more thinkers like Jen. I’m proud to be connected to her.
Chris
The honesty and generosity that Jennifer exhibits in her interactions is something that I value and admire. She willingly gives support to others and shares her knowledge and challenges in a way that is entertaining and insightful.
When I was first looking for a platform to do synchronous remote teaching, Jennifer, who I had only known by following her on Twitter, offered to show me around her Elluminate (now called Collaborate) room. She took more than half an hour to show me how the platform worked. I decided to use it and it since became invaluable to my teaching practice. Thank you, Jennifer!
I am deeply honored to be included amongst those Jen has asked to share. It is difficult for me to know how to express how she has helped to shape instructional technology practice – directly and indirectly. Where to begin? I still marvel – daily – that it is even possible for this connection to have occurred. We live and work on opposite sides of the country. I am in South Carolina. We have not met face-to-face. Yet, I encountered her powerful spirit – online – shortly after I began my current work in IT. You see, I am a relative newcomer to this community. I began in my current position in 2008. I didn’t fully embrace digital communication channels for some months into that year. I ‘discovered’ Jen’s work through mutual (very tentative at that time) connections. How incredible is it that the two of us could have encountered each other – given all of the circumstances that would typically work against it? I won’t consume more space on explaining how we got here….
Let me try to describe a few things that have been especially meaningful to me about Jen:
First and foremost, Jen cares – deeply. She cares about her work and the quality of it. Because of that she is exquisitely mindful of her own position in ‘the network’ and how her connections reach out and touch others (this very sharing space is a testament to that I think). The connections she builds are made all the more tightly joined precisely because of her caring.
Secondly, Jen thinks deeply about her work (probably because of that deep caring I already mentioned). I think she is especially gifted at articulating her thinking (I aspire to be able to do the same). And because she shares her thinking, she helps the rest of us think deeply as well – and for me that has often times meant that I reached a deep/new/different/ more insightful understanding as a result.
Jen has an especially keen creative design sense where technology is concerned. I have seen this over and over in tangible expressions via the online spaces she creates (and shares). Honestly, I have some of her things tucked away and every so often click to open them for fresh perspective on my own creative process. How cool is that – that she is willing to put her creations out for others to learn from?
And probably most importantly, Jen is a constant learner. And because she is, and she is connected, and she cares about those connections, and she thinks hard – she helps the rest of us learn right along with her.
I am very grateful for you Jen, and for all you do and share. I am especially grateful that you help me to better understand the work that we do
I have lots of good things to say about Jennifer, but I will try to be succinct…
I can honestly say that Jennifer was the person who turned a lightbulb on in my head regarding the importance of social networking applications in the classroom. Back in 2007, she gave a presentation at Bellevue College that laid out how she made use of social media to engage and connect with her students. Up until that point, I saw the use of these technologies as somewhat trendy and trivial. Man-o-man, was I wrong! I’ve been using blogs, Google docs, online discussions (Diigo), student initiated YouTube video production, surveys, etc. ever since. Most recently I’ve been exploring the use of Second Life and other virtual worlds technologies for online content delivery and team collaboration.
I also took a course from Jennifer in Winter 2011 for an online teaching certification
program at Bellevue College. It was an excellent class where she “walked the talk” of social media-based instruction. The class was collaborative, well organized, and provided a treasure trove of information based on Jennifer’s extensive experience. One night, during an office hours video conference, media author and social media expert Howard Rheingold showed up, asking for some online course tips from Jennifer! It was like having Julia Childs show up in your kitchen asking for your latest quiche recipe.
Finally, to me, Jennifer represents values that are vital for a healthy, thriving, and democratic Web. These include generosity with time and information, and a willingness to share skills/expertise freely – supporting an open source model to education and social collaboration. By being generous, everyone benefits. There are strong forces at work to monetize and privatize the Web, and Jennifer’s values represent an antidote and an alternative to that perspective.
Anyway, based on what I’ve read so far – I’m not alone in my support of Jennifer’s excellent work.
Bruce Wolcott
I’ve taken a long time to write this – not because I didn’t know what to say, but because I want to say too much. and also because everything would probably devolve into me gushing about how much I love Jen.
I actually heard of Jen before we connected online – when she was apparently taking a break from twitter. I remember my friend saying, “I miss Jen on twitter so much – she’s such an insightful and lovely person.” intrigued that someone could have such an effect on another person in this way, and wanting to share in this emotion, I was happy to connect with her once she decided to come back to the land of twitter.
one of my first interactions with her took me by surprise: at a time when I was low on funds (I’m a phd student), and needed textbooks for a class, I decided to ask my twitter network if anyone had a book I needed and if I could borrow it. without hesitation Jen dm’d me, asked for my mailing address, mailed me the book, and included an extra book, too. she barely knew me! I could’ve been a weird internet creeper! till today, I have not sent her a thank you note – I intended to, but never got around to it. this will sound weird, but I’m terrified that sending her that note will end something that I now think of as a transaction for life, one that is very precious to me. (sorry, Jen, you ain’t getting that note from me =))
once, I commented on twitter that I missed hearing more birdsong in my life. within about 15 minutes, Jen went into her backyard in her nightclothes in the wee hours of the morning and sent me a recording of morning birdsong where she was. I never told her this, but that literally brought tears to my eyes.
over the years, my life online has been enriched by her presence, input, love, passion, compassion, emotion, connections, resources, thoughts, playfulness, snarkiness, and so much more. I marvel at her unconditional willingness to share who she is, what she knows, how she thinks with anyone who is in need.
I have not encountered another person who is as thoughtfully critical of so many things that pass for “ed tech” today. in a field and arena where there are many many voices with many many thoughts, Jen manages to bring everyone and everything back down to earth in a way that reminds us of who is really important in the equation: the learner. her focus, passion, and ability to find the right, and often creatively simple, solutions to problems that educators and learners face, is remarkable. watching her push back against ed tech “thinkers” is a pleasure. always. she’s unafraid to question, challenge, be challenged, and force us and herself to be better.
I had the pleasure of meeting (and hugging!) her in person and I can’t wait to do that again. she might not think this of herself, modest as she is, but she is an engaging, interesting, interested, and lovely person to be around, online or offline. Jen is really a unique, necessary person. my world, nay, this world, is far far better because she’s in it.
I love Jen.
and you will, too.
I have never met Jen face to face, and if I die before I get the chance, it will be a tiny cosmic shame perhaps no one will notice. Still….
Yes, Jen is caring and thoughtful and all that, and others have already commented on that, but she is also *brilliant* and writes as well as anyone I know.
Her kindness, witness by the others above, matters more, of course, but it’s her brilliance and subtle word craft that catches my eye. I’m not sure how we met online–maybe Twitter, maybe blogs, but I know this much–I will be very sad if we ever lose touch.
I met Jen online more than 4 years ago, semi-randomly, via a mutual friend. I read some of her tweets and determined them to be helpful, usually witty, and always thoughtful. I added her to my network, and have been very glad she accepted my invitation. I can’t count the number of times I’ve posted a random comment or inquiry and Jen is the first to respond with a useful link that I had not discovered in my own search, or with a comment or question that steered me towards the place I needed to be. The query could be for a solution to a tech quandary or a bread recipe, no matter, Jen shares genuinely, helpfully, supportively. I often, and unwisely, make a decision before I’ve looked at all that I need to consider. Jen senses those decisions and has a gift for posing a question to liberate me from incomplete thoughts, push me from my comfort zone, and reach a far better conclusion, one I never would have considered. I had the honor of meeting Jen at a conference just last winter and found her to be as genuine, as brilliant, and as inspiring in person as she is online.
It’s a rare gift to meet someone who gives so selflessly, someone who fosters a high level of thinking in others even in informal conversation, someone who has no stake in the outcome of a particular decision but cares only that the decision is the right one for those involved. I have a great professional network, both in real life and online, but it’s rare to encounter truly rich, mind-growing conversation. I appreciate Jen for all that she has added to my life and learning.
While I have not had the pleasure of meeting Jennifer in person yet, my interactions with her online have proven to be beneficial, thoughtful, and disruptive, in a very positive sense.
I have turned to Jennifer for advice on implementing and LMS for my work place and have found her knowledge and skill set in this area second to no one. She knows and can talk about technical detail in terms understandable to educators and administrators alike. She is willing to assist, whether it be a technical problem or in ways to get additional staff to use the LMS in ways beyond the norm to truly make the learning space productive for educator and learner alike.
Jennifer is willing to share her knowledge freely and is also willing to disrupt my thinking by offering to me, and others, a differing viewpoint in an effort to assist others in seeing problems and ideas from multiple angles or perspectives. She is thoughtful, respectful, prompt and has a very good sense of humor. Her ability to cut through the clutter of conversation or written material to distill salient points is commendable.
I know from my interactions, she has made me look at ideas and problems from a different perspective. She has assisted me in stretching my thinking about online learning, social networking and the use of LMS in education.
She is generous with her time and effort. The material she share is of the highest quality. Those two things, I believe, gives a very good picture of who she is.
SJC
“Jennifer is a rock star in her role. She understands people and technology and is great at helping non-technical professionals feel comfortable with new tools. Jennifer’s competence, confidence, and calm demeanor made my first webinar experience fun and easy–and we got great feedback. Seattle U is lucky to have her.”
This was the recommendation I wrote after our first webinar. Jennifer is delightful. she is fun, funny, insightful, and she has that unique combination of intellect and emotional intelligence that makes her especially good at reading the circumstance and responding appropriately. She is very competent technically and relationally.
I have appreciated learning from her and exchanging ideas. Jennifer understands how to contribute well in whatever the circumstance.
Even though we live miles apart and converse almost exclusively in the electronic world, Jen is a respected and appreciated colleague and friend. Jen is a technically savvy educator, but what sets her apart for me is that she primarily considers and challenges how the online tools we use in education impact instructors and learners. Jen is a willing sharer of her resources, findings and thoughts on educational technology and pedagogy, and has a welcome ability to “stir the pot” a little in order to get us to think critically about what we do as educators.
I connected with Jennifer first through Twitter, her blog and then through a Google Hangout with our common friend, Mikhail Gershovich from CUNY.
Some of the things she posts are so insightful they give me pause to reflect and reassess; whether it is about technology, pedagogy, parenting, short works of flash fiction, or even just clever 140 character tweets.
I had the pleasure of meeting her in the flesh this past year and I can say it was just like interacting online with her. Fun and fascinating.
This box may not have enough capacity for me to accurately describe nor capture the genuine essence of Jennifer. She is someone I have known so long through first online connections (probably pre-twitter, blog days?) that I cannot pinpoint it. We have met in person ar several conferences, and even have a shared story involved finding the owners of a pair of lost dogs.
Having scrolled this far down the page, maybe this get repetitive, so either repeat or augment what others have said, the thing about Jen is she has the perfect combination of curiosity, questioning, critical analysis, and humor, but what really comes through is how genuine a person she is online and in person.
She deftly moves from being measured and cynical to playful to just open sharing. Her education to her ideals and the people she works with cannot be doubted. She is nor afraid to experiment (one of the earlier interactions I remember was an impromptu experiment with multi-person video streaming. She has never hesitated to try out any of the technical experiments I have put out there. Jen is fearless and her energy is infectious.
She is one of the most unique and thoughtful people out there in our field. I’m fortunate to call her a friend as well.
I remember clearly how I began to pay attention to Jen in my Twitter feed. We follow some of the same people, so I kept tripping over wonderful nuggets of advice, links to significant resources and people, and penetrating questions posed by someone named @injenuity. Very quickly, I found myself following the things she shared regularly, but hadn’t yet followed her. When I checked @injenuity’s profile and Twitter stream, her level of activity knocked me out, and initially it gave me pause. I wondered whether I should follow someone who would make my stream flow so quickly; then I realized the folly of such a concern. If I wanted to be connected to people who were overflowing with ideas and generous with their time, who could be better to follow than @injenuity?
It took only a few hours to see how lucky I was to be following someone with Jen’s energy and generosity. Beyond the content she shared, I’ve come to learn from her how important it is to be authentic in everything I do online. Jen is willing to share happy and sad moments in her life, the victories and the defeats. She is also willing to argue a position and explore it deeply in conversation online. What a gift she has given me, and probably hundreds of others, by sharing herself so openly.
It was such a highlight for me to finally meet Jen a couple of years ago, and I’m looking forward to our continuing friendship online. She is someone I rely on for great advice and warm conversation, and I can’t wait until the next time we can meet in person.
I met Jen working with here at SU as I was preparing to teach my first blended MBA course. She is my e-teaching sensei. The more I get to know her, the more amazed I am by how many people she affects in such powerful and positive ways. I think there are three of her.
As me e-teaching sensei, she has gently nudged me to explore materials and technologies, but at the same time is very open to hearing (and investigating) my suggestions. Not surprisingly, I trust her implicitly. She will trust back…but only after ensuring I will not embarrass myself.
She subtly introduced me to the community of like-minded professors on campus (more like she created the community since we were not known to each other). I’m still learning of the vastness of her network–it would be interesting to this graphically as it has to be one of the largest networks comprised of genuinely strong ties. I’m glad to be in it.
I have been connected to Jen for a number of years now, connecting first through Twitter, and then luckily to have met her face-to-face on several occasions.
Jen is a highly insightful, deep thinker who acts as an intellectual provocateur to so many of us in the educational technology space. She is skillful not only in her adept use of technology, but in the way that she engages entrenched thinkers in extending their belief systems. She is highly respected by those that know her, and has an excellent reputation through her shared work, writing, and ideas.
There are few people that I would recommend as highly as Jen. She has gained my utmost respect as she has helped me become a more critical thinker, a better educator, and ultimately, a richer person for knowing her.
I’ve known Jen since 2007, and since then have been impressed by her intelligence, astute thinking, writing and insight. There are very few people who can assess a situation, and with almost scary intuition, cut through the noise and get to the truth so quickly.
Jen’s past and present experiences in corporate learning and higher education have given her a unique perspective on educational technology, and she is always willing to share her knowledge selflessly and generously with others. It’s a privilege to know Jen and to be connected to someone who strives so passionately to reflect the values of openness, sharing and networks in her professional and personal life.
While Jen has many great skills and qualifications related to technology and instructional design, it is her ability to interact and wrestling with difficult questions that impress me most.
Few people understand the both value and importance of civil discourse but also know how to engage in it. Jen has a gentle way of challenging people’s thinking. She is articulate and thoughtful and is willing to listen to new perspectives but also share hers. I value these types of colleagues. They are a rare and treasured kind.