About Amy

Making connections lies at the heart of what I do, and who I am.

I constantly look for ways to make connections between ideas, between media, and between people.

I have recently completed my phd in the work and career of Stephen King which allowed me to research the connections between the production, publication, marketing and distribution of bestselling fiction.  Throughout the process of the doctorate I organized and attended conferences, became the postgraduate representative for the International Gothic Association and provided peer reviews for academic journals.

My teaching background is in the area of English literature focusing on developing critical reading skills, communication of ideas through both the written and the spoken word, and response to theoretical concepts concerning texts.  I have been particularly successful in integrating digital media into my lesson plans, as I believe that the provision of educational material in a wide variety of forms resonates with individual learning processes.

Helping students connect to their chosen subjects is enormously fulfilling, and I was fortunate to take this to another level through my employment by Enable Health & Learning.  I was contracted to provide supplementary texts, film, image to help health care professionals learn the features and characteristics of over 80 homeopathic remedies.  By sharing the connections that I discovered between the narratives of the remedies and the narratives found in art, film & literature, many have successfully passed the Membership exam of the Faculty of Homeopathy.

My focus on learning also features closer to home as, for the last 6 years, I have been home educating my children, with an emphasis on facilitating their independent learning.  This has entailed working laterally, making connections between ideas and media, fostering creativity and teaching them to learn for themselves – including the use of new media like blogs and voice threads to develop projects, express themselves with confidence and creativity, and learn how to use the new media responsibly.

Making connections between people is the most powerful of all.

When I was very young, I was known as the social butterfly of the nursery school.  As an adult, little has changed as the joy that I find in networking, connecting and communicating continues to define my approach to life.  Social media has transformed our ability to make those kind of meaningful, significant and authentic connections.  Connecting individuals and building communities.

With the ever-increasing popularity of social networking sites such as Twitter, FaceBook, FriendFeed and Flickr, the opportunities to forge strong, authentic connections within truly international communities are unparalleled by any other period in history.  The digital age is at once polyvalent and multivocal, as the distance between the global and the local becomes significantly diminished.

I am passionate about engaging with this new media as a means to build, nurture and celebrate both online and offline communities.  Over the last 18 months, I have immersed myself in the fast-paced, continually evolving world of social media, and I want to share my passion, skills and discoveries with you.

It’s based on my belief that the possibilities of social media are truly infinite.  But you need to know how to make sense of it – and make full use of its potential to communicate, to connect and to build strong communities.

I am currently available to work with you and your organisation to make the most of the possibilities of social media.  That might be as:

• Social Media Consultant/Mentor
• New Media Researcher
• Communications Manager
• Public Relations Officer

Or perhaps you’ve got a new project, new approach, or new role in mind that you think I can help you with… or be just right for?  If so please do get in touch.

You can contact me (amypalko at madasafish dot com) for a copy of my c.v. and feel free to add me as a contact on LinkedIn, where you’ll be able to view my education, skills, experience and recommendations online.