Connected YET Disconnected

So I had a big "a-ha" moment yesterday and this post has been rolling around in my head ever since.

First you need a little backstory to see how I arrived at the "a-ha"…I am recently divorced after 26 years (nope, not gonna blog about that part!)  At the encouragement of a good friend (Thanks, Mary!)  I signed up for Match.com  just to sort of get my feet wet.  After all, I'm ONLY 46 and got married at 19.  I could potentially claim to have never actually dated….you don't really "date" in college, right? So many potential blog posts about the whole dating thing, but THAT is not happening…read on….

So, I painfully wrote a Match profile that really forced me to describe myself,  examine just what I might think I was looking for in a person.  One of the things that is important to me is an open-minded, always learning attitude.  For example, if someone on Match emailed me, we talked back & forth, eventually getting to "what do you do" and I say social media? If their response is something like, I just don't get that stuff…seems worthless.  My response is "delete".   (not learning, not open-minded, not connected)

Being connected is important to me.

I am super connected, I connect people via  social media as a part of my career.  I believe in the power of connectivity, about half of the women who have really walked with me through the past year I only see a couple of times a year, they live in California, Texas,  South Carolina, all over the place. I'm totally cool with having long distance friendships…these friends are super digital, we video-chat, we FaceTime, text, IM….we connect online WAY more than in person.

I also very much value the amazing group of my friends that I see face to face all the time where I live.  So this actually  made me start thinking….just how do I define connected? After all, my more local friends are definitely less connected, with a few of them really not technology users at all beyond texting.  Why do I not "delete" them?

Because they ARE connected.  They connect by calling, inviting, learning, loving, listening.  They are connected to their parents, their neighbors, their community, their children, their friends.  The connect authentically without technology by reaching out.

So this made me think of people I know that are connected, but disconnected.  People I know that are always on a computer or their cell phone and I'm not sure what color their eyes are, because when you are with them they never look up.  People who text a thought or feeling that deserves to be delivered or discussed in person, but texting lets them hide from the emotion you can't help but witness when you are face to face.

So my "a-ha",  YES, I value being connected, but it isn't the technology at all.  When I first begin working in this job, I was overly connected, addicted to a Twitter stream and the myriad of valuable education related chats, this is my 3rd year doing this now.  For the past year,  I  have been working on balance. I'm using my vacation days,  I shut down my computer at night, I (usually) leave my phone in my purse at lunch and dinner.  I call people more often instead of texting them.  I'm certain I have spent time in the last few years, being VERY connected but VERY disconnected.  Sitting in the same room with people but my cell phone buzzing w/ tweets so I'm constantly glancing down at it, my iPad right next to me or my laptop slightly open so I don't "miss anything".

This reflection also made me think of the judgement we "connected educators" sometimes throw at the educators in our schools who don't use Twitter, don't have an online PLN, BUT they are quick to walk across the hall, chat with others in passing, meet and work on projects.  Connecting can be defined more broadly than online.

So, I DO value being connected, but it is the people, not the technology…proving once again, no matter what the topic, it always comes down to relationships!

http://bestquotesayings.wordpress.com/2012/11/22/a-disconnected-society/

From "Twitter-Taker" to "Twitter-Wins" : Get Connected!

My name is @TheresaShafer and I’m addicted to Social Media. Okay, not really, I actually take time to read, kayak, knit, walk our dog, hang out with friends, family and do many other things that don’t involve being online.

That being said, my affinity for using social media professionally, especially Twitter, began on November 10^th, 2008. At the time, I was newly minted as Director of Technology for Rochester Community School Corporation in Indiana. I am not a “techie” by background, I am an elementary teacher with a strong background in integrating technology in my classrooms, my superintendent, Dr. Debra Howe,  felt that as we moved into a 1:1 environment with wall to wall project based learning via a partnership with The New Tech Network, we needed to focus on technology integration, unblocking sites and tools , while modeling how to incorporate them into the classroom authentically, not just in a lab setting.  

When I needed help in my new role, the first place I went was a tech directors listserv, my first post was something like “What are your policies around students using cell phones for learning?” Wow, I practically got hate mail! (In defense of that list, the voice has definitely evolved) but in 2008, I needed a more progressive go-to source for collaboration!

Enter Twitter.  Suddenly I’m a resource-finding genius for the PreK-12 staff. Need an interactive, collaborative timeline? Need a resource for royalty free music? How about an expert who will SKYPE with your class? I could make it all happen with a tweet or two and have an answer for them in less than 10 minutes. All of that was happening when I was simply a “Twitter-Taker”. At that point, I rarely answered others questions, I would give a re-tweet now and then, I certainly valued the tool, but I was a taker!

Fast-forward to present day. My twitter style is much more conversational. I tweet for New Tech Network, as well as continue to build my own PLN.  Every day I learn, find & share resources, have conversations, have my ideas challenged, keep in touch with schools, teachers & students from all over.

 I have many examples I could share around the power of using Twitter for both our professional development as well as for our students! Here are just a few examples:

• #PBLChat is held every Tuesday at 9pm EST. Each week people connect, share ideas and continue to grow through this chat. One of my favorite aspects of this chat is that many times students join. Here is a storify that demonstrates the value of student voice throughout this chat. Check out the other archives of the chat as well.
• Students at Sacramento New Tech High created a zombie movie, Insert Brains Here  on their own time, after tweeting their movie link, director Adam Rifkin re-tweeted their movie and gave them critical friends feedback. Invaluable input otherwise not available to these aspiring movie makers.
• Students at Danville New Tech High in Illinois were exploring the novel My Bloody Life, teacher Adam Babcock tweeted that a showing of the documentary The Interrupters would have great impact for his students. The Interrupters responded, communicated via Twitter with students and culminated in an hour long amazing SKYPE session with Alex Kotlowitz. This tells the story.
• Bloomington New Tech High utilized Twitter to connect with higher-ed partner, Indiana University and the world through their whole-school “Social Media for Global Change” project. They explored how to go from talking about global issues to taking action. Their story is here.

I could fill pages with all of the “Twitter wins” I’ve witnessed or even helped to facilitate. So why do we do this? We do this to connect our students & ourselves to ideas, resources and most importantly people that we may have never otherwise met. This Ignite Talk I delivered at our National Conference this summer tells in more detail why we should be building bridges with Twitter.

I’d love to hear from you! Please share your “Twitter Wins”!

This blog is cross-posted for #CE12 at http://www.dyknow.com/company-news/addicted-to-social-media/