It was at this moment that Amy Burvall's iconic network illustration came into my mind.
I looked for it on the #blimage pinterest board http://pinterest.com/sensor63/blimage/
but found no sign of it.
I doubled back to Steve Wheeler's blog.
Yes there it was.
Then there was a spark.
Curiosity
I suddenly remembered Dave Cormier's seed box photos that I had seen on Facebook.
Rhizo14 proved to be an ideal seed box for me.
How was Dave Cormier to know?
Hope
Of course, as he wrote in his post after the end of rhizo15, he couldn't have known what might happen.
He could only hope.
http://davecormier.com/edblog/2015/05/28/dear-rhizo15/
Amy and Steve couldn't have known what might happen with #blimage...
Faith
Plants do grow from scattered seeds.
How many seeds never develop?
Observation
With time one learns which type of soil, what levels of humidity and sunshine suits which seed.
Joy
Joy is nurtured via an attachment to the fate of the 'little guy'.
Nurture
Regular watering, a few well-chosen words of encouragement and the 'little guy' is one among many.
As 'the little guy' grows he and his box-mates will give seed.
We need to collect seed as it is precious.
Charity
We can share seed with others.
Nature is generative.
I think my educational world changed when I started viewing myself and my fellow learners as one of these 'little guys', part of a wilder, wider learning ecology.
Love
If one tends one's garden, with love over a life time, over generations, it can inspire others.
I am reminded of Simon Finch's #blimage post: 'A human writes.'
For me, education is not about stuff, it's about sharing curiosity, observation, faith, hope, joy, charity, love and nurturing the little guy.
Garden image: Sissinghurst
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sissinghurst_Castle_Garden#/media/File:Sissinghurst_white_garden.jpg