I know our course is on webtools, using the internet for communication and networking, but I just wanted to make a quick endorsement of real face to face networking. It's great to be able to get in touch with someone at any time through email and social networks. It's great to find relevant Twitter feeds or blogs and read the thoughts of professionals and educators whom you might never meet in person. But meeting them in person is more fun. If you find a conference or convention relevant to your field, I highly recommend attending.
Over Columbus weekend, I was fortunate enough to connect with colleagues and old friends at the Classical Association of the Atlantic States (CAAS) conference in New Jersey. It was a lot of travel time, but I'm glad I went. Maybe this is something that only a small, specialized field like Classics can do, but the conference was a great mix of scholars, professors, booksellers, writers, high school Latin teachers, graduate students and undergrads. The panels were therefore on very diverse in topics and and had diverse potential applications in my own studies and work. Everyone had something to offer and we all learned a lot from each other.
As convenient as internet networking can be, networking in person is a truly great experience. Try to find those opportunities to come together with fellow educators and make real connections!
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