Recently, my husband returned home from a business trip on the East Coast with a stack of business cards. It was shocking how many he had been given over the course of only five days. And for every business card he collected, he had distributed one of his own. Combine a half dozen business trips per year, along with regular business lunches and scheduled meetings- at times it feels like I’m pulling stashes of business cards out of every two-inch cranny in our desk. For the few times a year he needs to pull someone’s name or get a phone number, one business card in a stack of twenty is worth every inch of cardstock. But the rest of them? Did I mention our desk?
Twitter, to me, is the new PLN business card. We collect handles and hashtags, and retweet to show support. In the same way that it’s satisfying to see how many of your own business cards you’ve given out, gaining a few more followers validates your screen time. And, like business cards, reaching out to that one professional whose work can help your own, is immensely valuable. The rest of it, however, can seem like those stacks of business cards cluttering our family desk: just more to sort through.
That’s not to say that social media isn’t a powerful tool for connecting. It is. But knowing which lines of communication to use, who and how to follow, and why it’s worthwhile in the first place, can vary between individuals. I, for one, will happily browse Pinterest teacher boards for ten minutes or so: it’s a great tool for last-minute ideas or fun activities to save for later. I have colleague, however, who considers it part of her regular resource-mining. Twitter also is an effective way to reach out to authors or presenters whose work you admire- and possibly begin an interaction with those experts. This certainly was not an option outside of emails or old-fashioned letters a decade ago.
One way I’d like to see social media enhance my development as a professional, is in the development of project-based units. In theory, I should not panic each time I develop or refine a new project idea: lots of people have been doing PBL, and lots of them teach 8th grade English. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. However, even amongst district schools, we don’t often share what’s working and what isn’t. Social media could be a great way to connect with other professionals to share successes and failures. (The failures, in particular, would be refreshing to share; PBL programs seem to exclusively post successes.)
Social media also has potential for keeping educators up-to-date on the kind of professional development they’d choose for themselves. And- for those so inclined- it can be a gateway to access webinars and virtual trainings. I recently added the Bay Area Writing Project, for example, to my tiny infant Twitter feed. Their professional development courses are reliably awesome. I’m hoping that by joining their social network, I’ll have a better pulse on what PD is coming up. Since BAWP is based in Berkeley, attending their seminars takes some planning ahead- so it’s nice to know what’s on their calendar.
To me, the biggest issues to consider when using social media for collaboration and development is time and selectivity. Time is of the essence because I could be social media-connected to some of the most inspiring educators on the planet, but if I don’t make time to check out what they’re posting, it’s for naught. Selectivity is important too, and probably a key factor in whether or not you’ll devote the extra time needed to check things out. Do you like visuals? Select Pinterest or Tumblr. Are you a short-and-sweet consumer of facts? #Twitter. And if you’re selective about what and who you’re following, then you’ll know it’s worth your time to check things out from time to time. Anything to prevent that stack of business cards from cluttering up the connections that could actually be impactful.
Currently, as a rule, my students and I do not follow each other on social media. It’s difficult to predict exactly how I would react to seeing an inappropriate post made my one of my students outside of school; there are so many factors that can color the situation. In the foreseeable future, I may set up an account for students to follow- and be followed by- after 8th grade promotion. In that case, if I did see inappropriate content, it would likely be from a former student of mine who has gone on to high school in our district. In such a case, yes, I’d consider addressing an inappropriate post.
I say “consider” because there are numerous factors that might influence the situation:
- Is this worth my time? Before being a teacher, I am a mother and a wife. A student who is posting something inappropriate outside my class would really need to be creating some jeopardy for themselves or others, if I were to pursue the situation.
- What examples/pressures does the student have at home? For example, if a student is in a family who supports gang culture (as some of my current students are), a friendly phone call from a former teacher would probably not stop them from throwing gang signs on their Instagram account.
- How severe is the transgression? Again, if someone is endangering themselves or others, this would be a call to action. But if it’s simply distasteful- I might just send the student an email and move on.