Okay...a few bits of housekeeping to start. I am trying to include images with this blog because I think one of the joys of online work is that it can be multimedia and short. Which brings me to my second point. I am going to start trying to blog more often so that they can be a manageable length.
I think a lot of the photos for this blog are going to revolve around Shakespeare. #1 - I love his works. #2 - I am currently rehearsing for his Measure for Measure, so he is often on my mind. #3 - He always seems to have something relevant to say. So...we will start with this image of Vivien Leigh in Midsummer Night's Dream.
So...to our question. To share or not to share? That is the question.
(You can't make a Hamlet reference without a Hamlet picture...the original quarto version here). I do think that teachers need to use social media to share what they know. I can't tell you the number of things I have learned and ideas I have gotten just from following educators on Twitter. @alicekeeler is constantly sharing new tools including the sophistication of Google classroom making me feel like I will have lots of good tools to use as a future educator. Similarly, @PBSteachers does a great job of sharing resources to use as well as good pedagogical techniques. So, a quick link and a picture on Twitter can do the job of sharing. However, a teacher or leader wants to do a good job and make sure the use is appropriate. JP Morgan Chase learned that the hard way. The world wide web has a lot of users and it involves embracing the chaos of that.
So, how do we walk the line between what to share and what not to share? You do need to share some personality with the online world. I can't imagine just trying to answer these questions without pics or without some dose of humor. However, as Dean Shareski's blog points out, we want to make sure that we keep to useful information given the smorgasbord of information available. So, you want to leave what you ate for lunch out of the equation and focus on thoughts (unless, of course, it is a food blog). Audience becomes important. You want your readers to feel satiated and not bloated after reading. (Couldn't resist the further food metaphors.)
The #daretoshare video makes an excellent point of not being too hasty in what you throw out of a blog. Often, readers and learners want to take the journey with you. So, go ahead and show every step of your cooking. Don't be afraid of making a final product.
On that note, I will leave it there for now. I want to take you on my journey. Be on the lookout for a follow up dear readers.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts about the importance of sharing with a shakesperian flavor. I will uses the resourses you listed abouve to further my horizon about sharing knowledge using technology tools. You talked about the value of the information shared or useful information. It is the receiver of the information who value the knowledge shared. It is important to him if it helps him construct a thought, an idea or an argument with respect to other information he gleaned from other sources. Once again thanks for sharing your thoughts. looking forward to hear from you.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your thoughts. I appreciate you reminding me of the receiver in communication. We have been talking a lot in the class as being producers of content, but we must be aware of our audiences.
ReplyDeleteMy grand daughter who was 3 at the time invoked the greatest condemnation of all upon her older brother. In a clear voice in the presence of witnesses she pronounced "Preston is not sharing". The earth stopped momentarily in honor of this declaration. We learn these lessons early in life but somewhere along the way we get possessive and need to relearn the importance of giving as well as taking. Thanks for keeping this blogging conversation moving!
ReplyDeleteGreat point. We teach sharing early on but then reverse that lesson at some point as we learn to be competitive.
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