Sunday, March 25, 2012

School Tech Connect: Let's Join Forces In Illinois #soschat

School Tech Connect: Let's Join Forces In Illinois:


Let's Join Forces In Illinois

As you might know, I've been working on a database. It's a project where people interested in our issues--- public education,  neighborhood schools, pensions, the fight against privatization, testing, segregation, etc.-- can organize themselves by political districts.

It's all about building effective lobbying relationships with the individuals most accountable to us.

The database project is coming out this week, so brace yourself.

As a part of this project, I have also created a Ning social network devoted to the same issues. It's called Illinois Teachers and Neighbors United, and it's here. The young person inside of me tells me that a social network space will help us build relationships that we can parlay into hugely effective lobbying with our state representatives and senators. The old person that I see in the mirror worries about people's ability to figure out what a social network is.

We'll just see. Certainly we'll never know unless we try.

I invite you to join today.  If you are an Illinois-based pro-education activist, if you are a member of CTU, IEA, IFT, IRTA, SOS,  or any other group working for the common good, please join. In fact, ask your whole organization to sign up.  There are already two familiar faces waiting there for you. One more familiar than the other, I might add.

We have terrific organizations working toward the same goals--- let's help the individual members of those organizations meet each other and start working together with the people who represent us in Springfield.



Again, you're invited. Please join!

And keep your eye our for the database. It's the sort of thing that could re-sort your entire organization into effective politically active subgroups--- in just a few mouse clicks!