You mentioned “hope is the most powerful thing there is.” and immediately I thought back to a post by Barbara Ganley who wrote eloquently about hope and beyond hope– it so resonated with me that luckily I quoted from her blog since it is now gone. She quotes Derrick Jensen: “All these false hopes bind us to unlivable situations, and blind us to real possibilities… When we realize the degree of agency we actually do have, we no longer have to hope at all. We simply do the work.”

I go back to the post in which I quoted Barbara Ganley often since her blog at Middlebury is gone and wonder if her thoughts might have any value to you: http://possibilitiesabound.blogspot.com/2006/06...

Best,
Lani

This lobby for change has been going on for a while now, converting people along its way. Now only the silly ones remain – the last mile will be the hardest.

For example, the thought had never occurred to me that this “…is the only place you *can* affect change.” I was so caught up in melancholy navel-gazing about the fact “nobody agrees with me” (which isn't necessarily true anyway) that I overlooked the fact that if everyone did agree with me there would be no need for change – it would have already taken place. Great point

Secondly, and more importantly, your point about the positive impacts of our efforts not being immediately revealed. Quite true again. It's all too easy to take see the voices of criticism (or indeed those who agree with you) as being representative of an entire group – and yet that's not necessarily the case.

More than likely there is a range of opinion on the matter, with only a select few feeling compelled or confident enough to make their opinions known. Blogging is a lot like that too come to think of it.

The recurring theme I've seen in response to this is the notion that change takes time. People need space and opportunity to internalise new concepts and ideas, synthesize and make sense of them and determine how it might relate or assist in their local context.

You also can't expect to please everyone anyway, or expect that everyone will agree with you. That's just not realistic either.

Finally, me, a “teacher?” That is a truly frightening thought – for the world mind you, not so much me

Thanks for the comment – seeing things from your perspective has helped tremendously.

And of course too, by discussing the areas where we're having trouble or confusion, we put ourselves in a position where others can begin to share their experiences or thoughts on the matter and add an additional layer of perspective that would have been absence otherwise.

The half-dozen @replies I saw on Twitter when I logged in this morning are testimony to that. The social power of social media is an amazing thing.

You wrote:
“How on Earth can I make a difference and affect change in a culture that is almost diametrically opposed to my way of thinking?”

That is the only place you *can* affect change. What, you want to live in a place where everyone thinks like you? what kind of help could you provide there? [Note: I grew up in Bakersfield, conservative armpit of California, but I've been a radical all my life. Went to school in Santa Barbara, which was relaxing, but now in north San Diego County, I'm again surrounded by conservative thinking. Where else would I want to have an influence?]

I responded in Facebook about workshops themselves; let me add here that I think it's time to co-opt your “brightly burning beacons” into giving workshops.

Remember what Stephen Downes said about modeling? It's awfully important. You all modeled with Etherpad.

So here's the wrapup. Teachers forever do not know what influence they have. The “positive impacts” of your efforts as a teacher (which is what you were) don't get revealed to you during the session. Some, maybe just a few, of your session participants got exposed to something, and it will become significant to them later, probably while they're doing something else. It could end up having great meaning in their lives. You won't know this. That's how the game goes.

And yeah, anytime you want to come down off that ed tech high and get real, we're here for you, babe.