What a difference a year makes

Well, here we are in January and it's time for the annual Becoming a Webhead sessions. I would love to shake the hand of the person who sent me the original invitation last January. In 2009 I was a complete novice. I didn't really know my way round a computer, and felt that at my age, I was fine doing the same old..

What a difference a year makes.

The first eye-opener was the BAW2010 sessions. I signed up with a little trepidation and barely managed to keep my feet on the ground. I was amazed at the camaraderie from around the world, and the patience and knowledge of the various moderators. A lot of the new ideas didn't start to sink in until the course was over and I had some time to reflect.

My first attempt was to build a wiki for my CertTesol trainees. I am pleased with the results of my work and grateful for all the help and advice which came my way.

But I still resisted twitter; I didn't need to tell people what I was having for lunch. My mistake!

I didn't know that twitter was going to be the best thing that has happened to me in a long time. It is like a worldwide staffroom where everyone shares resources. The ELT giants use it too and it is a great leveller, there is no standing on ceremony.Having learnt a bit more about the possibilities for use, at the IATEFL conference in Harrogate, I couldn't wait to get home and try it out. It took a couple of weeks of lurking before I was ready to add my tuppence-worth. I made a new set of friends, and stayed in contact with many of the people I had met through BAW2010.

One of the highlights of the year was meeting up with the Webheads who made it to Harrogate. Another was the tweet-up in Paris in November at TESOL France.

Here we are in January again and all I can say is Bring It On.