What Will My Contribution Be?

an #etmooc participant blog post published on
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Although I haven’t yet been able to watch the Sharing = Accountability #etmooc session by +Dean Shareski , his question about personal contributions (see tweet above) ricocheted through my Twitter feed, and many of the the conversations I had in tonight’s #etmchat focused on identifying a niche through which one can maximize the level and quality of their PLN contributions.

Naturally, it got me thinking about my role as a node. My role as a hub. My role as a connected learner and educator. 


“Naturally, it got me thinking…”


What tools, skills, interests, and questions do I have to offer others? Are there platforms or media through which I communicate more effectively? What is my niche? Do I even have one..?

Reflecting on past and current experiences with my PLN, it seems that my role could be categorized as a networker, or as someone who connects ideas and people. My niche has developed – unintentionally – into a steady stream of shared newspaper, academic journal, and magazine articles, tweet responses, and blog comments. And while that is valuable and rewarding, I’ve started to feel the absence of my own voice as a contribution.

So to answer @shareski’s question, I am going to continue sharing resources and materials with my PLN, but I’ll be focused on spending a bit more time formulating my own opinions, cultivating my voice, and developing contributions that will serve not only my PLN (hopefully!), but also my own approach to teaching and learning.

Time to dust off the ol’ keyboard and get to work! 

So what will YOUR contribution be? How are you identifying your niche? What are you doing to develop one?