Did you know that, according to Alyson Shontel (http://tinyurl.com/bx4y3yr) writing for The Business Insider, "The first tweet was written by co-founder Jack Dorsey on March 21, 2006." I guess, then, it's been over 8 years that I've managed to maneuver quite nicely without venturing into the world of tweets, until this assignment of course. So now that you know that I'm a tweeting novice, let me be honest and say tweeting is not the only noticeable online connection missing from my daily routine.
I know I do not have a well-developed personal learning network. Most days it is about all I can do to keep my head above water in terms of work, family, etc. I work online all day, and the last thing I want to do is be online in the evenings too. My network consists mainly of the people I work with, you-tube instructional videos, and the occasional conference. I know that there is a lot out there, but I try not to think about it too much, and I try to pick up the important bits whenever I can.
It is in my make-up to be a bit of a perfectionist, and I like to finish what I start. The thought of just dipping a toe into a thousand little puddles doesn't sit as well as really diving in and enjoying the depth of a crystal-clear lake. I've very seldom been able to stop reading a book, even it it's bad. I've only once walked out on a movie, even though there have been several that I probably should have, and I go back and correct spelling and grammar errors on my texts.
That being said, however, I am trying to relax a bit and just let the information whelm over me, without becoming overwhelmed and, although I might be 'tweet challenged', I'm well versed in Googling, so when faced with an unknown entity, that's usually what I do. And, it was in this familiar Google world that I learned that the 'Firehose' is "the name given to the massive, real-time stream of Tweets that flow from Twitter each day." (http://tinyurl.com/lgmkv8g)
Who knew?
Anyways, with this new found information, I tiptoed in and moved amongst the multitude of links presented to us. I flitted from one to another, and several gave me pause, however, it wasn't until I got to this quote in 'The "Khanification" of Education, that I truly felt I had something to add to the conversation.
The author of the post, Will Richardson, wrote, "what is our value as classroom teachers in a world suddenly filled with teachers? (http://tinyurl.com/8w2s9qc)
Richardson was commenting on Sal Khan's impressively successful, non-profit organization 'Khan Academy', which, through YouTube, micro-lectures, aspires to provide a world-class education for anyone, anywhere. (http://tinyurl.com/2uaozqq)
Richardson and many others, including Dave Coffey and John Golden, two associate professors from Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich., have recently, and publicly criticized Khan Academy's videos, claiming that they are invalid, inaccurate, and just bad. (http://tinyurl.com/7z65lau) There are thousands of Khan enthusiasts who would beg to differ, but that is not my point here.
It was Richardson's words that hit a nerve.
When I first started teaching in DL, I was surprised by the paranoia and distrust that was openly shared with me, by other teachers in my district. Comments mostly revolved around how DL courses were going to shut down schools, take away teacher jobs, and generally ruin the standard of education. When I started, 9 years ago, DL was new and scary for some teachers, yet I was amazed at the intensity of their fears. That same fear jumps out from Richardson's lines.
Will Richardson asks, "What is our value as classroom teachers in a world suddenly filled with teachers?" I ask, "What is our value if we don't already recognize that teachers are not just found in the classroom. The question seems rather paranoid, insulting and condescending. The world is full of teachers and always has been. Parents are teachers, grandparents are teachers, the neighbour next door that knows everything about which vegetables to plant at which time of year, is a teacher. And, teachers are teachers, in and outside the classroom.
Take away what you want, turn the computer off if you don't like what you're seeing, but don't let fear stop you from seeing possibilities that you might not have considered before. Might be a good lesson for Richardson to learn, and me too it seems.