Professional Benefits of EdTechTalk Community Participation

During our recent EdTechTalk Community Development meeting, we discussed the professional benefits of EdTechTalk community membership. As several of us noted, we now reference our participation in EdTechTalk during professional development discussions and within applications for jobs and school.

Step back a moment and consider the unique benefits of participation to your own portfolio of skills and knowledge. While the webcasting and chatting we do here may not seem all that unique within our own echo chamber, to the greater outside world we are VERY MUCH an anomaly. If you want to test what I'm talking about, just try explaining your participation in an EdTechTalk webcast to your boss or to your neighbor. Most likely you will first get a blank stare and then some version of "wow" or "I've never heard of such a thing" as you attempt to describe EdTechTalk.

In my own professional portfolio, I attempt to describe the benefits of my participation to others. I hope to convey that my participation keeps me current in the latest educational technology finds and that I am experienced in how to utilize online communication technologies to facilitate online networks. While the masses are just now getting a taste of "Web 2.0" (oh, how I hate that term) and Connectivism, we have been living it for years.

Please take a minute to consider how EdTechTalk community participation puts you in a better position ... not just personally (it is a whole lot of fun), but also professionally. What are some of the knowledge and skills gained through participation at EdTechTalk that you can discuss in your next conversation with your boss or in an interview?