#YourEduStory: Wonder junkie or adventure seeker

This week's #youredustory topic: Are you a wonder junkie or an adventure seeker?

To seek adventure, you need wonder. I seek adventure, but I found wonder first.

Often, I feel unique in my love for wonder. When I taught in rural Missouri, I noticed that my students did not wonder. Many had never left a 20 mile radius. They had not even visited St. Louis or Kansas City. Without exposure to other places, it is difficult to wonder or seek adventure.

At my current private school, many of the students have traveled abroad. They wonder about new places. They want to seek that adventure. That said, though many have traveled to foreign places, many have never lived in another type of neighborhood. Most neighborhoods have been gated and private. Therefore, they have little wonder about other lifestyles, economic statuses.

You find wonder in the things you do and the things you are exposed to. Within that, we all experience different levels of wonder. And, for some of us, that turns into seeking adventures. We need those of us who get inspired (wonder) and we need those of us who take action (adventure).

Though some would call me an adventure seeker (sky diver, hang glider, couch surfer, traveler, artist, wanna-be musician, cook, hiker, climber, runner, swimmer, kayaker, cyclist...), I consider myself a wonder junkie.

I seek inspiration. Sometimes, that inspiration turns into adventure. I seek wonder.

I surf Pinterest and various creation sites (Instructables, Makezine, etc.) frequently for ideas. I want to try something new (the adventurer in me) and I want to be amazed. I want to feel inspired.

I moved into the edtech realm of education because I want to be inspired. I want to learn. I want to innovate. These are at the basis of wonder. However, I would never move into this arena had I not have been exposed to it.

We need to help open doors for students so they can begin to wonder. We need to help provide them exposure. Wonder is the base of adventure. It's the inspiration that connects us and grounds us.

And, through technology like Google Cardboard, Hangouts, social media, and more, we can help provide that exposure that will, hopefully, translate into wonder and adventure.

My motto is: exposure. I want to provide exposure for students and faculty to innovation so they will seek that wonder and will, eventually, crave it.

Crave the wonder.