Y’all. This is wild. Yesterday I had a moment — this thing had happened and as I processed it I decided to post about it on LinkedIn. I figured the usual suspects would like it, maybe someone would comment. I wondered if I should post about it at all, figured I could always delete later if I wanted to.
I did not anticipate this kind of activity, with hundreds of reactions, 50+ comments, shares in the double digits, and 18 new connections.
Full post:
I love to travel and I’m grateful to a job that includes travel in the form of attending conferences around the world. In fact, this is how I manage to see the world.
I also love to take photographs (my undergraduate degree is in film).
For me, the camera has always been a way of focusing in on details, of making sure that I really take in the sights. I’m not trying to be in the photos (aside from the odd selfie), or taking photos of other people, but instead I’m trying to capture the essence of being there. Through the lens and with a frame I capture a moment of existence in another space.
At some point I started to share my travel photos online with others. In 2006, I went to Ukraine. I remember the great views of the Black Sea, the overnight train trip to Odessa (I had to! I had to see the Odessa steps), the grand buildings and gardens.
Below are four photos from that trip — one of architecture and sky, a self-portrait from an exhibit with “the mirror that remembers you,” the steps (the photo does not do them justice in this case) and some street art.
I shared my photos online, on Flickr, and also posted them to a blog. People were following along with me, reading my travelogue, giving travel and sight-seeing tips, and (hopefully) enjoying the photos. Some cool stuff happened along the way. I shared my photos broadly, and often tagged the location on Flickr. People asked to include my photos in digital travel books.
Flash forward to 2026. Over the last 20 years, the tech has changed. I got an iPhone, then another, then another. I remember being ridiculed by someone around 2015 for still carrying a real camera with me. I had already stopped carrying the bigger camera most of the time because I become a mom, and my hands were busy trying to wrangle a kid while also taking photos. The phone really was easier, and took decent photos.
I also stopped posting so many photos online. I was no longer writing in that blog space, Facebook didn’t feel quite right for my endless stream of photos, I no longer had a paid Flickr account with a huge photo stream. I didn’t want to put it all out there on Instagram, either. My followers on there wouldn’t want to see all of that and … well, my privacy filters have changed over the years. As I considered followers/privacy together, it no longer felt worthwhile. And so I still take many photos — I have amazing ones from a trip to Iceland last spring, and yes, I saw the Northern Lights — but I share them in quieter ways. I made a photobook with some haiku that I wrote out of the Iceland photos and gave it to my husband for Christmas (the trip was for a milestone birthday).
Now my daughter is 17. We’re on a plane today, returning home from a trip to Poland (I attended a conference) and Berlin (the most logical place to fly from). Much to my surprise, she asked me to get out my old camera so she could take it on this trip. I handed over the FujiFilm Finepix HS20EXR (easier to handle than the Nikon D40 DSLR), got her a new SD card and she took photos! I opted to stick with the iPhone camera, in part because I have a sprained ankle and I’m walking around with a cane.
My photography role on this trip was meta-photographer. I took photos of the photographer, and I watched her share the things she was seeing and experiencing on Instagram with her friends. She even told me that she felt so much more engaged on the trip and so much less likely to be on her phone.
It felt like a full circle moment, but also as I saw her making careful decisions about framing I found myself yearning to do the same. I’ve missed taking (and sharing) the photos.
In a few weeks, she and I will visit South Korea for the Festival of Learning (3 conferences packed into one). She said I should definitely bring my camera, and so I will. Maybe it’s even time to upgrade?
And maybe i should be social with a few of my photos ... so if you see some random sights on my class Instagram account, know that I'm just sharing a bit of what I've seen out in the real world lately.
So, what’s been going on around the blogs? We’ve had a few challenge takers!
Pinterest works a little differently from other social media platforms. It’s less about conversation and more about curating, organizing, and sharing ideas visually. That said, there are ways to interact, collaborate, and design for others—and we’ll explore all of that this week.
Your goal is to learn Pinterest by using it: creating, curating, organizing, and engaging.
You may use your existing account or create a new one.
Save evidence of your work (screenshots or links), and if you’re comfortable, tag boards or pins with #eme6414.
Getting hands-on!
For the Week 4 Challenge, we’ll do the LinkedIn Days of the Week Challenge.
This challenge is designed to help you intentionally develop your professional identity, expand your network, and actively participate in professional conversations online.
If you don’t want to use your personal LinkedIn profile, you may create a separate professional account or gradually update your current profile throughout the week.
At the end of the week, write a blog post “LinkedIn Wrap-up” with screenshots or LinkedIn links embedded in posts sharing about their week’s experience.
Power Monday - Professional Presence
Your LinkedIn profile is often your first professional impression online.
Today, focus on strengthening your professional identity.
Tasks
Update at least:
Optional:
TNT Day - Transforming Networking on Tuesday
Today is about intentionally building your professional learning network.
Tasks
Possible fields:
Instructional Design
Educational Technology
Higher Education
AI in Education
Online Learning
Learning Experience Design
Suggested Connection Message
“Hi! I’m currently a student at Florida State University, and I’m expanding my professional learning network. I’d love to connect and learn from your work.”
Wednesday Talk Show
LinkedIn is not only a place to consume information, but it’s also a place to contribute to conversations.
Tasks
Comment thoughtfully on at least 3 professional posts.
Add value to the discussion by:
asking questions
connecting ideas
sharing experiences
expanding the discussion
Avoid:
“Great post!”
emojis only
generic comments
TBT - Throwback Thursday
The idea of this challenge is to revisit and share something meaningful from a study, project, research experience, or academic work they have already produced, or even a study/resource they recently discovered and would like to highlight publicly.
Today, you will share knowledge publicly through LinkedIn.
Tasks
Create and share one original LinkedIn post featuring: (Choose one or more).
The goal is not perfection. It is to practice translating academic or professional knowledge into accessible content for a broader audience.
You are encouraged to:
Forward Thinking Friday
Today is about exploring possibilities and reflecting on your professional growth.
Tasks
Create a short LinkedIn post sharing one of the following: (Choose one or more).
