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here is a link to a post about the PSU Web Conference: a funny thing happened
A common theme emerged from my week at HighEdWeb10. That is, institutions don't get it. The 'it' I'm referring to is social media and by institutions I'm referring to the administrative and governing bodies. The not getting it refers to how social media is used to interact, particularly interactions that travel from institutional channels channels to the population they serve, which is primarily students but, it's not exclusive.
I was part of the criticism myself in my presentation, "Why Do You Tweet?" though my point was geared more toward instructors and the way they use social media for teaching. Recent studies, and they are very recent due to the newness of the phenomenon, indicate that the primary reason we humans use social media is to, well, socialize.
The overwhelming amount of volume on Twitter is chit-chat, mostly in the form of status updates. I don't have the data on Facebook use but, by my own use, I'd bet it's the same. Think of it as a conversation over coffee with friends where it's not so much what you're talking about but whom with you're talking. Do I care that my friend Jim and his wife watched a movie last night? At face value, not really. But I do care about Jim and what this tells me about how things are going for him at the moment. A quiet evening at home in the dark watching movies with the person in the world Jim most wants to spend time with tells me things are going alright for Jim.
Know what social media is least used for? News. Basic factual get it from standard sources news. Yet, that seems to be how we in education approach social media. Whether it's at the classroom level sending out course information or at the institutional level sending out weather updates we are trying to connect using the least desirable option. And we wonder why the majority of our forays are met with reaction ranging from apathy, to bemusement, to anger, to outright hostility?
Even when we hold up the positive examples of social media use in education we tend to highlight the exceptions that don't necessarily support the rule. For example, using Twitter to illuminate back channel conversations taking place during a lecture or a conference presentation is an excellent thing to do because it allows more voices to be heard and therefore deepens the conversation. But when the social media apologists hold these up as exemplars shouting "Aha! See there really is value in this!" to the naysayers they are really falling into a trap of their own making and not supporting their argument at all.
You see, if that's what social media is really good for then it's not really good for much.
For the allure of social media lies is the human connection. Believe it or not the power of Twitter and Facebook is in the mundane. The meaningless. The chatter. Because, quite frankly, that's where the majority of us live our lives.
So the first question any entity must ask itself before joining in is if they do indeed have a place here. Should an instructor interact with students this way or are other means more appropriate? Should the public relations office tweet formal university messages, such as campus weather updates or are their better ways of reaching its constituents? For that matter, should an office be tweeting at all? If social media is about the human connection shouldn't a person and not an office be tweeting me?
I'm not saying there is not a place here but I am saying it's an arbitrary thing and had better be personal. If you're going to tweet as an entity and all you going to share is factual information, the same information I get from your web page and in my RSS reader, then don't complain you only have 60 followers. I'm more likely to mark these as read without really reading them anyway so why do I want the same information in another place? Now if Jenny from public relations tweets about a bootleg Clash CD she found when cleaning out her garage...then we're onto something. So when she puts a heads up on Twitter about something official I'm more likely to take action. But, it's got to be real. We humans can spot insincerity not matter what medium it's thrown at at us.
So, my advice is, if it's not you don't do it. I do not want the Office of Public Relations as my friend on Facebook. I want Jenny to be my friend. And if Jenny sets up a PR information group on Facebook I may join, as long as it's Jenny conversing me with me. I don't want to read copy here I want to connect.
Also, if connecting this way is not Jenny's thing, she shouldn't do it. Or she should get someone to help her. Or, even better, she should let that someone run with it. I'm more apt to care about your organization if I connect with someone who happens to work there. This means stepping away and releasing control. It means allowing an uncrafted authentic voice out in the world on its own. A voice that yu will be definition not always be comfortable with. A voice that will make mistakes and say things you wish it wouldn't. But it also may make some kid interested in your school. And it won't be for the institution. It will be for the person. And you have to be willing to accept that in the medium of social media this is okay.
I was part of the criticism myself in my presentation, "Why Do You Tweet?" though my point was geared more toward instructors and the way they use social media for teaching. Recent studies, and they are very recent due to the newness of the phenomenon, indicate that the primary reason we humans use social media is to, well, socialize.
The overwhelming amount of volume on Twitter is chit-chat, mostly in the form of status updates. I don't have the data on Facebook use but, by my own use, I'd bet it's the same. Think of it as a conversation over coffee with friends where it's not so much what you're talking about but whom with you're talking. Do I care that my friend Jim and his wife watched a movie last night? At face value, not really. But I do care about Jim and what this tells me about how things are going for him at the moment. A quiet evening at home in the dark watching movies with the person in the world Jim most wants to spend time with tells me things are going alright for Jim.
Know what social media is least used for? News. Basic factual get it from standard sources news. Yet, that seems to be how we in education approach social media. Whether it's at the classroom level sending out course information or at the institutional level sending out weather updates we are trying to connect using the least desirable option. And we wonder why the majority of our forays are met with reaction ranging from apathy, to bemusement, to anger, to outright hostility?
Even when we hold up the positive examples of social media use in education we tend to highlight the exceptions that don't necessarily support the rule. For example, using Twitter to illuminate back channel conversations taking place during a lecture or a conference presentation is an excellent thing to do because it allows more voices to be heard and therefore deepens the conversation. But when the social media apologists hold these up as exemplars shouting "Aha! See there really is value in this!" to the naysayers they are really falling into a trap of their own making and not supporting their argument at all.
You see, if that's what social media is really good for then it's not really good for much.
For the allure of social media lies is the human connection. Believe it or not the power of Twitter and Facebook is in the mundane. The meaningless. The chatter. Because, quite frankly, that's where the majority of us live our lives.
So the first question any entity must ask itself before joining in is if they do indeed have a place here. Should an instructor interact with students this way or are other means more appropriate? Should the public relations office tweet formal university messages, such as campus weather updates or are their better ways of reaching its constituents? For that matter, should an office be tweeting at all? If social media is about the human connection shouldn't a person and not an office be tweeting me?
I'm not saying there is not a place here but I am saying it's an arbitrary thing and had better be personal. If you're going to tweet as an entity and all you going to share is factual information, the same information I get from your web page and in my RSS reader, then don't complain you only have 60 followers. I'm more likely to mark these as read without really reading them anyway so why do I want the same information in another place? Now if Jenny from public relations tweets about a bootleg Clash CD she found when cleaning out her garage...then we're onto something. So when she puts a heads up on Twitter about something official I'm more likely to take action. But, it's got to be real. We humans can spot insincerity not matter what medium it's thrown at at us.
So, my advice is, if it's not you don't do it. I do not want the Office of Public Relations as my friend on Facebook. I want Jenny to be my friend. And if Jenny sets up a PR information group on Facebook I may join, as long as it's Jenny conversing me with me. I don't want to read copy here I want to connect.
Also, if connecting this way is not Jenny's thing, she shouldn't do it. Or she should get someone to help her. Or, even better, she should let that someone run with it. I'm more apt to care about your organization if I connect with someone who happens to work there. This means stepping away and releasing control. It means allowing an uncrafted authentic voice out in the world on its own. A voice that yu will be definition not always be comfortable with. A voice that will make mistakes and say things you wish it wouldn't. But it also may make some kid interested in your school. And it won't be for the institution. It will be for the person. And you have to be willing to accept that in the medium of social media this is okay.
I'm a long time lover of the journey and not so much the destination. The destination is the end; When fulfillment is actualized it's a type of death. You mourn, celebrate, and, if you're lucky, metamorphose it into something else.
But, it's the journey where things happen. As Shakespeare said, "The play's the thing." Or something like that. For a guy who lives most of his life in his own head, I like gerunds. Gerunds are verbs acting as nouns by attaching -ing to the end of them. This is me as a gerund: Running. Reading. Listening. Writing. Loving. Fighting. Growing. Reflecting.
At some point in the conference, it struck me that this is the best thing about eportfolios as well. Or the best part of having an eportfolio anyway is when you attach the -ing to it making it an action.
Helen Barrett, in looking at the near future, makes a connection between ePortfolios and social media. Not so much Facebook as portfolio but more of what is being done on Facebook and how that can apply to an eportfolio. I agree with her. In the sessions I attended that were led by people like myself phrases such as "flow" and "intrinsic motivation" were thrown around to describe what the good portfolio experience is like. In the session I attended featuring students from LaGuardia Community College's Making Connections program they used words like 'fun' and 'proud' and 'mine.' In fact, one of the best reasons ever for doing an ePortfolio came from a student who said she "did it for herself" and did not care if anyone else ever looked at it.
It brought to mind the Kerouac quote, "Write in recollection and amazement for yourself." That's what I think the eportfolio experience can be like. I'd only replace the verb write with create to reflect the new potentials of literacy and expression.
But, it's the journey where things happen. As Shakespeare said, "The play's the thing." Or something like that. For a guy who lives most of his life in his own head, I like gerunds. Gerunds are verbs acting as nouns by attaching -ing to the end of them. This is me as a gerund: Running. Reading. Listening. Writing. Loving. Fighting. Growing. Reflecting.
At some point in the conference, it struck me that this is the best thing about eportfolios as well. Or the best part of having an eportfolio anyway is when you attach the -ing to it making it an action.
Helen Barrett, in looking at the near future, makes a connection between ePortfolios and social media. Not so much Facebook as portfolio but more of what is being done on Facebook and how that can apply to an eportfolio. I agree with her. In the sessions I attended that were led by people like myself phrases such as "flow" and "intrinsic motivation" were thrown around to describe what the good portfolio experience is like. In the session I attended featuring students from LaGuardia Community College's Making Connections program they used words like 'fun' and 'proud' and 'mine.' In fact, one of the best reasons ever for doing an ePortfolio came from a student who said she "did it for herself" and did not care if anyone else ever looked at it.
It brought to mind the Kerouac quote, "Write in recollection and amazement for yourself." That's what I think the eportfolio experience can be like. I'd only replace the verb write with create to reflect the new potentials of literacy and expression.
Normally conference keynote speakers are brought in to jazz up the audience. Their stage play is pretty script: They get the audience excited about being there, tell them about a specific challenge they face, then reveal how they already posses the power of change if they would just take the appropriate, prescribed action. In the end, we all leave feeling good about ourselves safe in the knowledge that we can do something without actually leaving our comfort zone because we already have what it takes, the right stuff. It just took the shamanistic magic of the wizened speaker to reveal it to us.
But this year's BbWorld keynote was different. If you've never been to a Blackboard Conference they are really unlike any other educational conference you'll attend. The trappings are lavish. The settings picturesque. The attention to detail paid to our creature comforts seem to know no bounds.
This year, amidst the glitz and glamor of a benefit rock concert, a man wearing an ill-fitting suit took the stage before us beautiful people and proceeded to tell us his story. His name is Greg Mortenson and his story is so incredibly simple and pure that one cannot helped be moved.
You see Mortenson's mission is to promote peace by building schools. One at a time. In Afghanistan. For boys and girls. He doesn't run the schools. He doesn't supervise the construction. He leaves his family in Montana behind for half a year and goes to a remote place in the world and finds the people who want to do this. Then he helps them make it happen. Then gets out of the way.
It is a holy story, really, about the better angels that exist inside our imperfect beings and what happens when we act on it. You can read about it here, in his book, Three Cups of Tea.
Mortenson's story moved me. Even worse, it made me think. I thought about the things I take for granted. And how I bitch about it when something interferes with my world. I thought about my values. Or what I liked to think were my values. And I thought about how out of whack my values and actions were in relation to each other. And then I felt small.
Now, the question is, what do I do about it?
But this year's BbWorld keynote was different. If you've never been to a Blackboard Conference they are really unlike any other educational conference you'll attend. The trappings are lavish. The settings picturesque. The attention to detail paid to our creature comforts seem to know no bounds.
This year, amidst the glitz and glamor of a benefit rock concert, a man wearing an ill-fitting suit took the stage before us beautiful people and proceeded to tell us his story. His name is Greg Mortenson and his story is so incredibly simple and pure that one cannot helped be moved.
You see Mortenson's mission is to promote peace by building schools. One at a time. In Afghanistan. For boys and girls. He doesn't run the schools. He doesn't supervise the construction. He leaves his family in Montana behind for half a year and goes to a remote place in the world and finds the people who want to do this. Then he helps them make it happen. Then gets out of the way.
It is a holy story, really, about the better angels that exist inside our imperfect beings and what happens when we act on it. You can read about it here, in his book, Three Cups of Tea.
Mortenson's story moved me. Even worse, it made me think. I thought about the things I take for granted. And how I bitch about it when something interferes with my world. I thought about my values. Or what I liked to think were my values. And I thought about how out of whack my values and actions were in relation to each other. And then I felt small.
Now, the question is, what do I do about it?
Lately, the subject of identity has been a recurring theme wherever I go. It was prevalent in both spoken and unspoken ways at the International Conference of the Learning Sciences, ICLS, last week in Chicago. It saturated the atmosphere of the YOUmedia center of the Chicago Public Library and it's all over the work of Sam Richards and Laurie Mulvey, two dynamic people who I'm fortunate enough to work with during their faculty fellowship this summer.
For Sam and Laurie their work is all about fostering conversations, uncomfortable conversations. Laurie beautifully described what they do when she said they look to foster these "moments of grace" where through dialogue individuals come to realize something about themselves by talking to another who, on the surface seems to be their complete opposite. For instance, in their project on race, the Race Relations Project, where they bring together individuals from different cultural and ancestral groups to...talk. To each other. An Arab and a Jew? Let's bring them together. A white boy from the country and an urban black kid? Let's sit them down with each other.
The point being that through the process of talking they get to know each other. This leads to something even more uncomfortable, they get to know themselves. By seeing the other they discover something about themselves and, hopefully, their sense of who they are is fundamentally changed.
The really interesting thing is that the kids seem to love this. Their sociology class on race is always overbooked. They frequently end up with students from the class working on the project long after the class is over. Why? Why would these kids voluntarily put themselves in the very socially awkward position we're conditioned to avoid? I think it's because at the base of it all, learning is really the process of self discovery.
The same was true at the better presentations I attended at ICLS. Whether the subject matter was gaming, science, math, English, or the arts the common denominator was they all were about enabling the students to try on different identities to see how they felt. Some of the more poignant quotes were, "I wanted them to think like a scientist," or "think like someone who knows they can solve a problem, or, "act like someone who knows they are creative." What was striking to me was that, in each situation, the act of thinking of oneself in that way was the precursor to learning. In other words, you were a scientist from the first day of class. The teacher told you so. Again and again. It wasn't the grade at the end that determined your fate. It was the fact that you were there participating.
The act of participation is the heart of what the YOUmedia center is all about. Their stated goal is to create an atmosphere where kids feel comfortable trying on new persona's. To see themselves beyond consumers to creators. While their focus is on the creative arts the life lessons are universal. It takes a lot of courage for a high school kid to stand in the middle of a room and perform a free-style rap.
Thinking about it, the best teachers I ever had impacted me at this level. The subject matter was different, and certainly the methods were not the same but, what all the experiences had in common was their ability to have me challenge myself. To question who I am and why I am this way. Maybe that's what it's all about.
I'll leave you with a couple of links JoVie, from the YOUmedia center, shared with me. Each beautiful in their own right showcasing kids at different stages of their evolving identity.
Ankare "I Believe"
Miss Chevious EmCee
For Sam and Laurie their work is all about fostering conversations, uncomfortable conversations. Laurie beautifully described what they do when she said they look to foster these "moments of grace" where through dialogue individuals come to realize something about themselves by talking to another who, on the surface seems to be their complete opposite. For instance, in their project on race, the Race Relations Project, where they bring together individuals from different cultural and ancestral groups to...talk. To each other. An Arab and a Jew? Let's bring them together. A white boy from the country and an urban black kid? Let's sit them down with each other.
The point being that through the process of talking they get to know each other. This leads to something even more uncomfortable, they get to know themselves. By seeing the other they discover something about themselves and, hopefully, their sense of who they are is fundamentally changed.
The really interesting thing is that the kids seem to love this. Their sociology class on race is always overbooked. They frequently end up with students from the class working on the project long after the class is over. Why? Why would these kids voluntarily put themselves in the very socially awkward position we're conditioned to avoid? I think it's because at the base of it all, learning is really the process of self discovery.
The same was true at the better presentations I attended at ICLS. Whether the subject matter was gaming, science, math, English, or the arts the common denominator was they all were about enabling the students to try on different identities to see how they felt. Some of the more poignant quotes were, "I wanted them to think like a scientist," or "think like someone who knows they can solve a problem, or, "act like someone who knows they are creative." What was striking to me was that, in each situation, the act of thinking of oneself in that way was the precursor to learning. In other words, you were a scientist from the first day of class. The teacher told you so. Again and again. It wasn't the grade at the end that determined your fate. It was the fact that you were there participating.
The act of participation is the heart of what the YOUmedia center is all about. Their stated goal is to create an atmosphere where kids feel comfortable trying on new persona's. To see themselves beyond consumers to creators. While their focus is on the creative arts the life lessons are universal. It takes a lot of courage for a high school kid to stand in the middle of a room and perform a free-style rap.
Thinking about it, the best teachers I ever had impacted me at this level. The subject matter was different, and certainly the methods were not the same but, what all the experiences had in common was their ability to have me challenge myself. To question who I am and why I am this way. Maybe that's what it's all about.
I'll leave you with a couple of links JoVie, from the YOUmedia center, shared with me. Each beautiful in their own right showcasing kids at different stages of their evolving identity.
Ankare "I Believe"
Miss Chevious EmCee
I had the opportunity to be part of an ICLS field trip to the Chicago Library's YOUMEDIA center over lunch yesterday. It's an amazing place run by even more amazing people. The gist of the YOUMEDIA center is this: It's a place for high school students to come and learn, play, and create with the latest digital media technology. The pictures below will give you an idea of the layout of the place but what really struck me was the quality of the people it attracted to work there.
YOUmedia center of the Chicago Public Library
Naturally these folks care a lot about and love working with kids. Combine that with their unbelievable talents and you have the making of something special. The center attracts singers, writers, film makers, producers, artists, anyone involved in the creative arts who enjoy sharing their talents and helping the kids find theirs. So more than exposing the kids to the technology the center opens up the opportunity for them to discover something about themselves by working alongside other highly creative people.
A recurring theme from the tour was how the center provided a safe environment for kids to try on various persona's to see how they felt. The kids are encouraged to explore the center, first by playing games like rock band. Soon they find themselves on the other end creating their own music, producing their own pieces. It was really interesting to hear that buy in from the kids really took off when their work was made public. Seeing their video on YouTube or having their music on their social networking site made a big difference in the sense of ownership and participation.
In addition to learning the creative end their also taught the business and management side of things. They've created a record label and are learning how to market themselves. I was amazed at the amount of life skills these kids were gaining by doing something they love--play. All they needed to take off was the right environment.
YOUmedia center of the Chicago Public Library
Naturally these folks care a lot about and love working with kids. Combine that with their unbelievable talents and you have the making of something special. The center attracts singers, writers, film makers, producers, artists, anyone involved in the creative arts who enjoy sharing their talents and helping the kids find theirs. So more than exposing the kids to the technology the center opens up the opportunity for them to discover something about themselves by working alongside other highly creative people.
A recurring theme from the tour was how the center provided a safe environment for kids to try on various persona's to see how they felt. The kids are encouraged to explore the center, first by playing games like rock band. Soon they find themselves on the other end creating their own music, producing their own pieces. It was really interesting to hear that buy in from the kids really took off when their work was made public. Seeing their video on YouTube or having their music on their social networking site made a big difference in the sense of ownership and participation.
In addition to learning the creative end their also taught the business and management side of things. They've created a record label and are learning how to market themselves. I was amazed at the amount of life skills these kids were gaining by doing something they love--play. All they needed to take off was the right environment.
With what I do for a living my job requires me to be on a lot of teams and serve in a multitude of roles. I expect that's not much different from most anybody else and their job. For the most part I play well with others. I consider all opinions, focus on the topic and not the individual, encourage participation, try to make the experience pleasurable, produce a product or achieve an outcome that is desirable, blah, blah blah. In sum, I'm a good team member. (This isn't just me saying this it's well-documented throughout my career.)
But, I have a confession to make. I've always found something about the experience a little unsatisfying. It's like, "We brought all these creative and dynamic people together and this it what we came up with in the end?" This is the end result?
You know how the end result is never as good as the original idea in your head? That's because the idealized world we envision crumbles when confronted by the limitations of reality. The best we can hope for is to approximate our ideals. That does not mean we should abandon them or not strive for them. If we hadn't we would have never made it this far. Being an imperfect being striving for the divine is what makes us who we are.
Well, I find more often than not, working in teams tends to add another layer of difficulty toward reaching our ideal than it does to supporting the goal. And, I think this is most true at the vision level where the 'ideal' concept is given flesh and bones. Teamwork is great when someone has a vision that is clear and resolute. Then roles can be partitioned out and places for input by team members identified. I think I am a better subordinate teammate when I'm part of a team whose leader has a clear vision of what the outcome is to be. It gives me something off which to work. To find my niche. To make a contribution and, hopefully, be part of a group that produces something of value.
I was pleasantly surprised to find a kindred sentiment in Donald Norman's book, Emotional Design. Norman (pp 97-8). Norman argues iterative design, or design by committee, will produce something functional but that's about all. The processes of consensus and compromise more often than not will produce something "safe and effective" but, nothing more.
Personally, I get the most satisfaction, experience the most joy, when I work on something as an individual. Especially when it's something that I thought of to begin with. Then I own it. It's mine, including the limitations of bringing it forth. No matter, I enter into a state of Flow. I still talk with and consult with people along the way. I like talking with smart people about what I'm working on but these tend to be individual, intimate conversations with people who make me think about things in a different light. They help me surmount my own limitations bringing me closer to that first thought in my head.
To quote Norman:
That is the path on which I want to tread.
But, I have a confession to make. I've always found something about the experience a little unsatisfying. It's like, "We brought all these creative and dynamic people together and this it what we came up with in the end?" This is the end result?
You know how the end result is never as good as the original idea in your head? That's because the idealized world we envision crumbles when confronted by the limitations of reality. The best we can hope for is to approximate our ideals. That does not mean we should abandon them or not strive for them. If we hadn't we would have never made it this far. Being an imperfect being striving for the divine is what makes us who we are.
Well, I find more often than not, working in teams tends to add another layer of difficulty toward reaching our ideal than it does to supporting the goal. And, I think this is most true at the vision level where the 'ideal' concept is given flesh and bones. Teamwork is great when someone has a vision that is clear and resolute. Then roles can be partitioned out and places for input by team members identified. I think I am a better subordinate teammate when I'm part of a team whose leader has a clear vision of what the outcome is to be. It gives me something off which to work. To find my niche. To make a contribution and, hopefully, be part of a group that produces something of value.
I was pleasantly surprised to find a kindred sentiment in Donald Norman's book, Emotional Design. Norman (pp 97-8). Norman argues iterative design, or design by committee, will produce something functional but that's about all. The processes of consensus and compromise more often than not will produce something "safe and effective" but, nothing more.
Personally, I get the most satisfaction, experience the most joy, when I work on something as an individual. Especially when it's something that I thought of to begin with. Then I own it. It's mine, including the limitations of bringing it forth. No matter, I enter into a state of Flow. I still talk with and consult with people along the way. I like talking with smart people about what I'm working on but these tend to be individual, intimate conversations with people who make me think about things in a different light. They help me surmount my own limitations bringing me closer to that first thought in my head.
To quote Norman:
"If you want a successful product, test and revise. If you want a great product, one that can change the world, let it be driven by someone with a clear vision. The latter presents more financial risk, but it is the only path to greatness."
That is the path on which I want to tread.