I have been thinking about this for a while now. We usually say that motivation is everything. If you are motivated you learn better.  But it seems to me that there are prerequisites for the motivation to emerge, and most importantly, for it to be kept.
Where does the motivation come from? Where do we get our inspiration from? Why do some of us get “high on” learning? Why doesn’t everyone react the same way? …..

I think the people – the other with whom we choose to learn – are one of the main ingredients to turn learning into an exciting discovery journey…

Last night I attended part of Carla Arena’s online meeting with her new class on the use of blogs. She was providing her insights on blogging and how it can be useful in (and out of) the classroom. And how it can add value to the learning activity. And above all, how exciting it can be for students to become part of the blogsphere. Ultimately, how interesting and relevant it is also for individuals in their lifelong role of learner-teachers. I could feel that the people in that virtual room were getting the idea. More than that they were starting to feel {maybe not fully understanding- not yet -  but feeling….) Carla’s enthusiasm and getting under that magic spell that only passionate speakers can create. They were thirsty to get started, they wanted to be in the blogsphere, and they wanted it now! That’s enthusiasm enough for me for effective learning to take place. But is it enough for the learning flame to keep going?
We can achieve enthusiasm very quickly. We become marveled by people’s speeches – their achievement of a process we missed to follow -  and decide we will do the same. If they can do it (we think to ourselves) , so will we too. And rightly so. That’s the way forward. believing in us. Trusting on those who direct or indirectly mentor us. That’s powerful. That’s a key driver for realization of our intentions. But things do take time  to consolidate and to personally make sense of a still by us unexplored world… our learning, our making sense of the educational side of cyberspace is better achieved when we engage with directly. And that means hands-on. It implies trial and error. It encourages communication with and connection to a different world. It often includes exposure to a wider community.

Learning is a process [ here comes the cliche again...]; learning is a discovery journey that takes us to places we most time haven’t even imagined. The process takes time; the journey requires action, and both are better well spent, and lived, in good company.

As Carla also mentioned the community and the networks we are able to cultivate around us is what makes blogging special [ well I do think it applies to any collaborative and social activity meant to take place both online or onsite]. But she is absolutely right. Again it is the people who stir up our curiosity, who make us venture in new worlds; who impel us to see the same world through new eyes; who help us excel in what we do; who stimulate us to reinvent our practices and be better individuals too. We all learn with people, we all benefit from what others have to share. It also helps when the people are able to report about their ideas and experiences with conviction and enthusiasm. That same feeling which will contagiously encourage others to follow similar routes and test themselves to a new limit (of a new beginning) they had not even considered before. And that is definitely the power of people collaborating and working with one another to rethink practices, innovate and  have a good time together…

Even when they haven’t met in the traditional sense (f2f), they do have the opportunity to establish the most powerful connection – communication with like-minded people who have the capacity to pass on enthusiasm and keep the motivation going. That’s the power of blogging; that’s the driver of networking; that the greastest advantage of being connected online.
Being part of online communities, groups, network – whatever you wnat to call it ot to which degree you feel attached to the people there -  can indeed be so meaningful and important as part of one’s learning trajectory. I myself can feel my lungs being filled with positive air and the blood in my veins running at an exhilarating speed everytime I encounter these people online. It’s usually an extraordinary challenge, that   of being able to try new things… on my own – as an author -, yet with others.
And these opportunities arouse from people who are able to convey their experiences with genuine enthusiasm, and are generous enough to listen to and help others in their journeys. Above all it’s about making learning exciting and help the enthusiasm grow into something more profound…maybe motivation…?

Can motivation be the ultimate result of one’s enthusiasm’s maintenance. How do we maintain the initial enthusiasm? How do we keep it going? How do we overcome the difficulties and sporadic frustations of dealing with the imperfect and unreliable technology? How…?

I think we need more enthusiastic educators to trigger this kind of collaborative practice. Maybe there are outthree – I am sure they are – we just need to find them. We also need the motivation to last beyond the initial approach, and that no course, no academic syllabus will solve, but the networks and communities we cultivate around us might help.

Above all, we require people to show us the way, to support us and to learn with. Learning with others is an exciting journey. It also help us to be more prepared to face the challenges and to come up with new ones. An enthusiastic indivudual can take us to unimaginable places. And that is the kind of challenge the 21st century school system ought to be looking at. All of this requires to re-consider the curriculum, assessment, teacher training and learning time, organization of classes (learning sessions), spaces, the sub-division of the areas of knowledge, and above all to consider the students as learners and the teachers as learning mentors… [but that would be another blog post, maybe an entire book which I will never write... :-) ]