Why a blog for the online MS in Environmental Education ?

Twenty years ago, Sir Peter Scott, founder/chair of the World Wildlife Fund, said "The conservationist's most important task, if we are to save the earth, is to educate". Accordingly, I am both privileged and humbled to be able to work coordinating an online degree program which is focused on environmental education.

As we become, for the first time in human history, an urban species, the more fortunate among us have the potential to choose whether to communicate through online technologies. Online educational programs can extend our ability to connect, communicate and understand one another. At the same time, we often remain physically "distant", connected only through our ability to access a computer screen of some kind. As students of environmental education, I believe that we need to be able to connect with one another both formally (e.g. in an academic sense) and informally (e.g. to support one another in our common concerns, and be able to share experiences and knowledge).

Each individual who studies with this program is critically important in terms of what they may accomplish as a future "environmental ambassador". We now have a website where past, present and potential students in the MS in EE program can learn more about environmental education, and link to related organizations, journals, conferences, news sites, and individual profiles.

Fine in itself, but I wanted to create a space where students and alumni could interact, (whether or not they still had their university email addresses!) My hope is that this blog will be a site where each of you feels "at home" to share ideas, frustrations, news, stories, enthusiasm about related books or articles or videos or conferences, and to look for support, job postings, places to stay ... whatever might be of help in your continued goal towards education for a sustainable environment. In a sense, this blog will also become a record of part of your collective journey as environmental educators.

So ... over to you! But first, a question - would you like this site to also be open to faculty instructing in the MS in EE program, or would you rather keep it "student/alumni only"? I'm looking for some consensus on this.