One year ago today, I quietly distributed the Pay Attention video presentation to the world. Since then, I’ve learned a thing or two.

• People from all around the world can be extremely kind and I value their collaboration and contribution immensely. In harmony with that thought, I never let people tell me the world is a cruel place. While the statement may have shards of truth to it, I've learned that you will eventually find that which you diligently seek. I seek peace, happiness, collaboration, and contribution - and have found it all in tremendous abundance.
• Some things are best learned by sincere attempts. Maintaining this blog, creating the list of reasons why teachers should blog, and engaging with my Twitter network are all examples of this. To be honest (and to illustrate), I created the list of reasons why teachers should blog in as much of an attempt to convince myself that I should be blogging as I did to convince other teachers. Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing.
• Education is a journey, and never a destination. The moment you think you've arrived is that moment you're more lost than ever.
• The more I learn, the more I realize that I really don’t know. I think this principle is equally true when speaking of the cumulative knowledge of mankind.
• To be known across the world is worthless if you’re not honest in your dealings with other people, willing to help those in need, and caring toward even the n00bs. Even I was once a n00b, and I'm pretty sure that you. were. too.
• Amazingly, a person can create powerful collaborative partnerships with people with whom they have never conversed face to face. Open Professional Development is a shining example of this once unimagined fact.
• Online relationships form an integral part of my personal learning network. Nevertheless, my family has taught me more about life - and that which is truly important - than any other source.
• A blended learning environment - combining both online and face to face collaboration - is most effective.
  
• Just because you may have seen Pay Attention doesn't mean that teachers in my district have. In fact, I would estimate that less than 20% of the teachers in my district have seen it.
  

If you've never seen Pay Attention, I think you should - along with any of these other highly impacting educational clips:

• Teacher Movie (Marco Torres)
• Vision of K12 Students Today (B.J. Nesbitt)
• Expect Differentiation (Marco Torres)
• A Vision of Students Today (Michael Wesch)
• Did You Know 2.0 (Karl Fisch)
• Do Schools Kill Creativity? (Sir Ken Robinson)

Have a nice day, and thanks for the ride.

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