Technology… Where is it leading me?
As I become exposed to additional pieces of technology, I find myself asking: When does it end? Now that I’ve become accustomed to using Twitter, there are discussions of FriendFeed. I felt ahead of the curve because I was using Firefox instead of Explorer and then discovered Flock. I was then exposed to Del.icio.us and soon discovered that I should be using Diigo or Digg or Technorati. Not too long after that, a professor suggested that I use Goodreads, then someone else said that LibraryThing was the way to go. And, of course there is also Shelfari. I could go on and on, but…well, you get the picture.
In all this madness, I continue to ask: When does it end? Should I expect to keep up? I don’t pretend to be teetering on the edge of the latest happenings when it comes to technology, but I find it frustrating that as I get comfortable with using portions of a particular piece that several new ones seemingly pop-up. Of course, they always seem to be “all the rage.” Do I risk sticking with what I’m comfortable with rather than learn about the latest craze?
In all honesty, I’m really not sure what direction to head in when it comes to such things. Being a student, I am definitely in a learning mode. Which leads me to a concern: am I learning all I need to or am I being distracted by technology and not even learning that successfully in order to best teach my future students?
These types of questions are things that I will need to continue pondering…
May 29th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
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May 29th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
I’ve given up trying to be “cutting edge” and hope to settle for comfortable & competent. I love Twitter and the extended PLN it’s provided me with. Thus, during its recent problems, I stuck with it because the idea of trying to recreate my contacts in another venue is daunting, to say the least.
I favorite and bookmark new tools that are mentioned and will probably check some of them out this summer. Some people might be able to keep abreast of all the latest trends in education, but not me.
Just remember, though, that you’re interacting with a group of people who are light years ahead of most educators. Even my old-fashioned tools are alien to most of the other teachers in my district – probably even my State.
Go slow, take your time, use what works for you.
diane
May 29th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
For me, it’s what sticks and what doesn’t. There are some websites that I sign up for, but never end up doing anything with. If I have to make a conscious effort to remember to keep up with it, then it’s out. If I find myself wanting to visit a site then it gets added to my toolbar. Also I like to keep in mind the priority to which I give certain sites. Frequently I find myself visiting Twitter before Facebook. Your second paragraph is really just what technology is. It reminds of my the iPod. I still have my 2nd or 3rd gen iPod and although iPhones seem cool, I have no desire to update. I don’t even have a color screen! But having my music etc. portable just is not very important to me, so I make no effort to stay up to date with what is going on. You should stick with what you’re comfortable with. Don’t be afraid to try new things, but don’t be afraid to ditch them if they’re not useful.
And I’m going to stop before my rambling gets out of control.
May 31st, 2008 at 12:39 am
Diane – I’ve really appreciate your counsel and discussions since I’ve become a part of twitter. Your advice has been very useful. I never really put much thought in the fact that I’m rubbing elbows with people that aren’t just technology wizards but those who really are outside of the norm. I guess, in that sense I do need to cut myself some slack and just take in what I can.
Mackenzie – I’m glad to hear that I’m not the only one who signs up for accounts and then gives up. There are a couple that I’d like to remove myself from – but apparently they didn’t include a way to delete yourself from them when creating themselves.
I think part of the problem is a need to master it all – whether or not it’s even necessary. And honestly, the drive to want to master it is there, but the willingness isn’t always.
Thanks again for giving me some feedback – more great things to think about.
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:14 pm
I blame the web world. Someone should be able to come up with a workable product we can pay to stay on that will do everything we want it to do and be reliable and supported.
Nobody can stay on top of all that. And who would want to?
RE: Diane’s comment: It’s completely true that, among educators, we are the exception. But that’s why most of what’s going on in schools is irrelevant. You knew that already, I just wanted to say who cares about the opinion of irrelevant people?
June 4th, 2008 at 1:56 am
I love the idea of something that keeps track of all of these amazing program…but can you imagine doing a search through that database. Talk about sifting for hours.
I may have to start thinking about what’s irrelevant and assign things to that category. Hmmmm….
September 13th, 2009 at 11:18 pm
It’s pretty sad that I have no idea about most of what you said. Although I’m pretty far from cuting edge, I do not feel completely lost in the shuffle. I think there is enough support out there to help people like me who understand technology and can kind of follow along, but aren’t searching for the next new thing. I’m an educator and just looking for what I can use to help my students learn and show their understanding. Like Mackenzie said, I agree that when we find something that works for us, we will use it. As new technologies surface and I find they will better suite my students, I will learn them and integrate them into my classroom. That is one perk of being a teacher. We never stop learning new things. When we stop, we stop helping our students!