The Journal

thinking, writing, learning

We are the problem

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While I’m posting each day for #digiwrimo (*which, I’m thinking, may end for me this week), I’m not spending time on twitter.

This is something I’d normally just tweet, but instead I’ll link to it here. And while I’m at it, I’ll say, I’m totally with Ed on this one.

“Of course, it’s hard to blame the folks at Fox and MSNBC too much. After all, they’re doing what the ratings (that is, the viewers) say they should be doing.

But that’s the most distressing part of all. It confirms the fact that more and more people are living in polarized, ideologically pure silos. They’re interested in reading stories and columns that reinforce their current beliefs. Opinions outside that silo are about as welcome as stinging nettles at the beach.”

 

*#digiwrimo sounded like a great idea, but I’m throwing stuff on this blog without giving it much thought. I’d rather spend my time revising my poetry, writing Front Porch stories, and reading.

On the train

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I’ve spent a lot of time on the train lately going back and forth between Virginia and Rhode Island, where my family lives.

The eight-hour ride provides much time to think. About life. About work. About how hungry I am.

On this trip, I’ve been thinking about my blog. When I first started blogging, I was running and training for races, and updates were simple. I was all about the run.

A few years later, I shifted to an edtech blog, one I shared with my teachers to help them envision how to integrate technology into the classroom. After moving back into the classroom, the focus (on this blog) became my students and me–a time to reflect on all I was learning and doing.

So now what?

We don’t need another edtech blog. There are too many already, most preaching to the choir and saying the same old things. Oh, that sounds a little bitter, doesn’t it?

But I love blogging. Writing gives me a chance to clarify my thinking, reflect on what I’m learning. Sometimes 140 characters just isn’t enough.

A logical step for me is to write about my new work, which by the way will be done mostly from the comfort of my sofa. Or dining room table. Or comfy chair in the library. I haven’t decided yet.

And there are so many decisions to be made. What kind of monitor will I need? What’s the best way to organize my contacts and interviews? How many cups of coffee should I drink every day?

I’ll need help.

So I hope you’ll hang around (all three of you) and jump in anytime.

To Twitter

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Gardner Campbell writes a thoughtful post about using Twitter. By the way, he’s an excellent guitar player and all-around good guy!

"Education should prepare us to notice and enjoy longer and longer trains of thought. That’s another way of talking about connections,
yes, but in this case the connections came unexpectedly, within a
personal exchange, and using a medium (Twitter) that seems amorphous
and aimless, at least at first. And the catalyst was a moment of shared
inquiry that spread far beyond the walls of this “classroom.” Not a bad
model for education. We need more in-the-moment connectedness as well
as more opportunities for shared reflection out of the moment. For me,
teaching and learning technologies give us the richest set of
possibilities, for both. That was certainly part of the dream of the
early pioneers in this field."