Sunday, August 5, 2012

Thinking Out Loud! If I Don't Tweet and/or Blog, Does That Make Me a "Bad" Teacher?

Yeah! It's Connected Educator Month!

After reading numerous articles and tweets over the past year, I am getting an idea. An idea, that may be a misconception on my part. Is there a belief that teachers who are passionate about tweeting and/or blogging, are considered "better" teachers??? Are we considered "better" than the ones who don't?

I know I am passionate about tweeting and blogging. I am on Twitter every day, I post on my blog once or twice a week, and I maintain my blog's Facebook page. Whew! I am exhausted just reading this!  But, I do this because I want to. I do this because of the benefits I acquire that help me grow professionally. I do this because I love writing and connecting with other educators. But every educator is not like me.

As a matter of fact, I am not like every educator.  When I  read what some of my connections are involved in, it makes my head spin!:) I wonder where they find the time? Do they have to give up huge chunks of their day? But, that really doesn't matter! That is their passion, and they choose to do it.
And the great part is, they share that knowledge and that passion with the rest of us. They are our power strip, and they plug us into their connections, and that's a wonderful thing!

My girlfriend calls me a "teacher's teacher." On our once a week trip to the beach,  she is reading fiction. I, on the other hand,  read tweets, emails, blog posts, comments on my blog, and/or Zite., before I settle into my novel of the week. It's likely that she will never Tweet. She will not add the Zite app to her Ipad,  and she will not add education sites to her FB page. But, she is a great librarian! If I find something out in my travels through the educational Twitterverse, I share it with her, and she uses it.

There are educators who are not going to Tweet,blog,or even open a Facebook account for so many reasons. They may not enjoy being on the computer for hours. (And you know we can look up and 3 hours have flown by.) They have young children or elders they care for.  When push comes to shove, fixing dinner and putting the kids to bed, takes priority over a Twitter#chat. They might not feel comfortable writing for an audience. Maybe, they don't feel like sitting down and blogging to the world about a lesson that worked. Or maybe, they just don't have that passion for this, the educational tweeting and blogging, maybe their passion lies elsewhere.

Do I believe they are a committing a disservice to their students because they won't tweet and/or blog? No! That is where we, the connected educators, step in. Just as I get my information from those educators who are even more intense then I am,  I feel it is my duty to pass on my collected knowledge to my peers. My peers know I tweet and blog, but they have not chosen that path. But I use my connections, through Twitter, Facebook, and blogging, to make sure that they stay connected.  When I find something new, I share it with tweeters, bloggers, facebookers, and those who choose not to partake of any of the above. And vice versa, I learn new things from them, by word of mouth, or observations, and share it online.

Would it be fantastic if a greater number of teachers joined #chats, or began blogging? Yes, it would. Would it open up a whole new world to them? Yes, it would. But in the meantime, I am not going to judge them. I am going to use my connections to help them see into my world. Maybe if I share enough, they will join me, with no arm-twisting, on my journey.


photo credit: minifig via photo pin cc

12 comments:

  1. Thanks for writing what I've been thinking. Blogging takes time, not everyone has it, and it takes less time for some than others. I keep my blog specific to gardening and school so I can be assured I'll have something worth posting and time to do it. There is so much I still can learn from my fellow teachers who will never get into blogging or Facebook.

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    1. I agree! Although I love blogging, I realize everyone does not share information the same way.

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  2. When I was a probationary teacher, we got to go on "field trips" to classrooms of teachers who had more experience. It was one of the most helpful things I can remember doing. Blogging is the closest thing I have experienced that replicates those "field trips." I share (and hope it is helping other) and learn and grow SO much from what others share. Thanks for posting.

    Laurie
    Chickadee Jubilee

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    1. You are welcome and what a great analogy!:)

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  3. often this is self promotion in a sphere where the "professionals" seem to get less respect and low status. It gives them some sense of power.

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  4. I am grateful for every teachers that shares their knowledge and experiences on blogs. I find a wealth of knowledge quickly and enjoy re-sharing what I find and my own personal thoughts on my personal blog.

    I don't see blogs as essential, but I have made mine a tool to organize the overwhelming amount of information and ideas available. It is kind of my own personal collection of resources that I keep available to anyone who stumbles across it. :)

    So thank you for your own contributions.

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    1. You're welcome and I hope you continue to share!

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  5. I think the big thing is to realize that it doesn't all happen at once; it takes time and experience to get involved with various online activities. And just like anything else, if you want to do something you will find the time to do it. I am not one for that excuse. I do the things I make time to do and put off the ones I am not interested in doing. It is the same with social media, blogs, online galleries, applying for grants, and so on. I feel better doing that and that is what matters; I share what I do with others and if they don't want to share back because they are not interested in finding the time, then that is up to them. I am just relieved that there are so many other teachers that do because I am a better teacher for connecting with them and learning from them.

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    1. I agree Janine, and you made my point. "You put off the ones you are not interested in doing." So, if these teachers are not interested in blogging, tweeting,etc..., does that mean there is something wrong with them?

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  6. I think some of us need to "journal" and share our thoughts to keep our sanity. I also love learning from others and really enjoy reading blogs about education (and a multitude of other things)... Thank you for sharing.

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