At the risk of seeming like a George Couros groupie, I feel compelled to blog once again about something he said on our first day of school. After showing us the Perry Central hashtag, #pccsk12, and suggesting that we tweet to it often, Mr. Couros said this. "If you don't know what any of this means (Twitter, tweeting, hashtags) or what I am talking about, you are in danger of becoming illiterate in the world today."
That is a bold statement, and it really made me think. Literacy is an important word to me--it conjures the ideas of freedom and opportunity and connection and relationships. I think of literacy as more of a basic human right than a skill. Without it, how can one survive? And I think about vehicles for literacy and how those have changed over time--from stone tablets to paper to typewriters to little handheld computers we can slip in our pockets. What are the vehicles for literacy in 2015?
For our students, a big part of literacy is sharing their reading, writing, videos, and snapshots through a medium that reaches the audience most important to them--their peers. And for many of them, that means Twitter or Instagram, or (heaven forbid) Snapchat. If I were not an educator or a parent, it is possible that I could remain literate in 2015 without ever learning how to navigate Twitter. I could continue to roll my eyes, pronounce it "Tweeter" and log onto Facebook like a normal 40-something. But I am an educator and a parent, and that means I have to follow the kids where they go, lest I lose wonderful, meaningful ways to communicate with them.
My dad always said that teachers had to "meet kids where they are and then take them as far as possible." As scary as it seems, the place where kids are is in the land of social media. And we must meet them there in order to take them as far as they can go. Let's jump in together. Come on...it'll be fun.
I agree! As my hubby and I taught, Chemistry and Physics respectively, to secondary school kids, we found that they were much easier to engage and hold their attention of you reached out in a way they know. We had science tweets, where they wrote a tweet about their learning and had a FB group for announcements, photos and more for or Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, as we were coordinators. They loved it!
ReplyDeleteLove your dad's quote! Great blog, Tara.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Vanessa. He has lots of wisdom. 😊
DeleteI wonder about the usefulness of using Twitter at times. I feel happy in my own little world, however, I understand that tweets can connect people across the globe. When used properly, it can bring an avalanche and wealth of information. Your dad's words are very true and I need to understand the world of my students. It is just taking me some time incorporating Twitter into my routine.
ReplyDeleteTara, I enjoyed reading your blog. I love technology and all the social media! Love catching up with family and friends through Facebook and snapchat! Facetime is one of the best inventions of all time! Plus, today's generation don't quite appreciate the Internet as much as I do! Still fascinates me that the world is at my fingertips! Anything I want to know more about I can easily search it.
ReplyDeleteHowever, on the other hand I find social media can also be very overwhelming and time consuming (keeping up with and replying to posts, comments, emails, Facebook, messenger, snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, tweeting, etc.) as well as distracting (one Facebook post leads to another, one tweet leads to another, one article to another, and then before you know it, time has flown by). And to keep informed and up to date in addition to my normal daily routines, children, career, and life! That's the overwhelming piece. Maybe it's just me because I'm easily distracted by the world of technology and all it has to offer or maybe I'm just amazed or in awe of all the information that is so easily shared or found.
Either way, your dad's quote was true! And to stay in touch with your own children, you have to be educated in the social media world!
Thanks for generating some interesting discussion!