Someone laughed at me the other day. Two consultants sent by the Ministry of Education were interviewing several of us about technology, infrastructure, and personalized learning (whatever that means—although I do note they were asking us to define it). I made a statement about Social Media and a colleague jokingly mocked me for my expertise given that I have been on Twitter since April 26th. That’s almost two months and I think it should count for something! However, now I want to set the record straight. I am not quite the neophyte that everyone assumes. Since I’m desperately trying to catch up, I stumbled on this historical fact in The Social Media Marketing Book (selected by me for its short text and many graphics). Social networking began in the mid-eighties with the introduction of electronic bulletin board systems (BBS). And that’s when I remembered. I was in my first or second year of teaching at D.W. Poppy Secondary when I hooked up my Social Studies 9 class with a class from Prince of Wales Secondary. Our students were engaged in an electronic discussion. And even back then, I remember that challenge of trying to design questions to encourage student thinking rather than a frivolous exchange of information. The Prince of Wales teacher at the time was doing some very innovative things and, I believe, went on to win what might have been a Premier’s Teacher of Excellence award.
Here we are almost two decades later (yes, I’m dating myself) and it is interesting how sophisticated Social Networking has become. Twitter is totally different that the BBS I remember. No amber text on a black background. The flexibility and ease of use is remarkable. I like how I can choose to retrieve the information most relevant to me. It is only recently that I have found Twitter to be of any value. I feel like I have scored when I find a link that takes me to a really provocative read. I want my thinking stretched. It is becoming, for me, a form of professional development. It is about my learning.
And, I suppose, that’s it. It’s about the learning: for me, for teachers, and for students. And just like two decades ago, it can be a frivolous exchange or a chance to sharpen our thinking. So it’s about the thinking too. It’s all in how we, as educators, take advantage of it. The back cover on the book encourages the reader to take “advantage of social media for your business or organization.” How do we harness it for schools and for students? I know teachers are using it—I’ve read about it on Twitter and in blogs. Perhaps, it’s really about busting down the schoolhouse doors. Whether it’s Twitter or some other form of Social Media, we can market it for our own purposes. So the learning can take place anywhere, any time, any place.
I think the biggest change with respect to the “twenty years” you speak of between the BBS and Twitter is the ubiquity of the computer.
Back then, your students probably could only communicate with the PW class only at school through your classroom computer. Most people did not have a computer during that time, let alone a computer WITH a modem which allowed communication between computers over the phone line.
Now, computing devices are nearly ubiquitous. Smartphones, tablets, computer labs, home Internet access, etc. We’d be hard-pressed to be in an area that does NOT have some sort of Internet connected device.
I think as educators, we need to start using these tools to extend our own learning. I know I have done so myself. I may tweet about non-educational stuff – things that I find interesting, completely random thoughts, etc., Like you said in your post, “It’s all in how we […] take advantage of it.” By not using it, we can’t figure out how to take advantage of it. These tools will allow us to walk along side our students like we’ve never had before. We will be able to learn WITH them, rather than teach AT them.
I couldn’t agree with you more. I particularly like your comment, “These tools will allow us to walk along side our students like we’ve never had before. We will be able to learn WITH them, rather than teach AT them.”
After reading this, it reminded me of an interesting comment I read recently from teacher and blogger Fraser Speirs (http://speirs.org/) who stated in a tweet that students today will, for the rest of their lives, be carrying a computer in their pocket. I would add to that, a networked, instant-on computer, available 24/7. The lifetime implications of this, if you care to think about it, are enormous.
The convergence of a number of key technologies has created this “perfect storm” — a mobile internet tsunami to quote a popular financial TV host. What has been often talked about and theorized for the last fifteen or so years, since I was an undergraduate, is now firmly reality.
Two to three times a week I commute by public transit. For 35 minutes each way, I am amazed at the number of people, young, old and really old who are reading, listening, and writing on these 150g computers. I can tell you from months of observation, its not a small number. And the numbers would seem to indicate the technology is obviously meeting a particular need. Many, I’m sure don’t use it to the extent they could, but then nobody has probably taught them how.
Personally, many of those 70 minutes are my PD time. I engage with and contribute information, however insignificant, to what a colleague has referred to is the “known universe”. For me, its a very intriguing and intellectually fascinating part of my week.
The point is, the genie is out of the bottle and it will never go back in. Its also not about the technology. Its really invisible, fading for the most part into the background. Its about taking the opportunity to work with students or any learner on making meaning, extending thought, and connecting the dots from information that is just a tap away. As educators, we do need to engage and figure out how to ask better and harder questions given this new reality.
We have students now who will be living this way for the next 60 or 70 years. In 2081, some of our students will be in their 7th or 8th decade of living in a socially networked and fully connected world. You really have to stop and think about that. Giving them a bit of a head start today just might be a good idea.
You mentioned that you felt like you knew a lot, even after two months. I can see how that would be true.
I have to say, that over time, I’ve seen the barrier to entry into using social media (like Twitter) for professional development has dropped a lot. When I first started, it was only by complete accident that I stumbled into #Edchat and the other hashtags. Learning about Twitter 3 years ago was a lot like stumbling around the dark guessing.
Further, your experience in other areas helps you learn about social media. The ability to navigate social territory in education is invaluable! After all, the people on the other side of the screen are just that, people.