The Ed Tech Cocktail Party

When I was a teenager, I probably wasn't the guy that your parents wanted you to have as a friend.

I was often in a lot of trouble (yes, some of it involving the police) and really was not that concerned. I loved to party. Now as an adult, I'm almost the complete opposite. I travel a fair amount, but usually don't go to far from my hotel room. When I'm in town, I'm at home. My family is the absolute most important thing to me and I go out very little.

I guess this is why the posts that have been around lately regrading the edutechosphere turning into a cocktail party with insiders and outsiders is strange to me. I'm not really that concerned about who is at the party, as long as they are interesting and I can learn something from them. I remember going to my first NCTE convention in Pittsburgh and being insanely proud to say that I had 60 people who subscribed to my blog. That was about a year after I started writing. I wasn't (and still am not ) concerned about being "in" or "out." I was concerned about having a voice and making a contribution where I thought I could.

I still often feel on the margins. As a teacher who is concerned with the ideas that I mainly am (studio, the changing role of the teacher, connected content, etc.) I realize that I am an outsider. There are few people in my profession who are concerned with the things that I am. Whether I am ahead of others, behind, or so far off track that no one wishes to travel the same path that I am is of little concern to me. I blog mainly for myself, to push my own thinking. The comments that I am fortunate enough to receive (and I am thankful for each and every one of them) often push my thinking into places I never imagine I would have gone. The comments are often better then the posts and I often want to rewrite them afterwards, revising them based on what all of my readers have taught me. Don't get me wrong, I am hopeful that this blog has developed over time into a resource that can be used and drawn upon by the entire education community. I am hopeful that it has been of some use in the important dialogue of educational change that we need to keep pushing the edges of. These are issues I am very passionate about and I love to have the space to talk with all others about it who are also interested.

But as for who's at the party.... My dad always taught me to respect everyone and listen to everyone no matter how they are dressed or who they might be. We've all got something to learn from every other voice that is out there.

Comments

[Jim Dornberg]

I have used your blog and classroom projects as an example for the teachers I come in contact with. I explain how even in your relatively remote area of the world, you and your students are connected to people all over the world, and how truly POWERFUL that is! You are very creative and innovative and not afraid to take a risk to improve your students' learning so thank you for allowing me to lurk in the corner at your cocktail party< and for the opportunity to occasionally add my comments

[Pat]

I liked your comment "I'm not really that concerned about who is at the party, as long as they are interesting and I can learn something from them." I feel the same way but I wasn't a big party goer when I was growing up. I have to admit that I don't even know how many people subscribe to my blog and I'm not sure I would know how to check. I just hope that I have something meaningful to share with others because I feel that as professionals we need to share information. If I just read blogs instead of writing also, I feel like I'm not doing my part.

[Mike]

This phenomenon is due partly to the fact that the edtech crowd, by definition, is more familiar with communication technologies than others. This gives them a plethora of "extra" ways to communicate that a lot of people can't or don't use. Think of twitter - people that don't use twitter (or can't stand to read hundreds of silly SMS messages) are necessarily excluded from the content of those conversations. So it's not surprising that it would seem like a party with insiders and outsiders...the technology itself ensures that anyone without the ability to receive or decode a message is excluded from the party.

[Christopher]

I think the title of your weblog clearly speaks to your latest post!

[Dean Shareski]

Isn't that the whole point of the internet? Democracy and equality? Those that get all concerned about rankings and ratings are, as you've suggested missing the point.

I was watching a documentary the other day about a football team and the point was so clear that there were stars but also players who made significant contributions but were hardly recognized and yet to the rest of the players in the locker room, it was evident.

The concept of the long tail is one that few truly get. We often quickly want to find ways of ranking. Reminds me of the evils of current assessment practices. We tell kids to do their best and work on improving performance and yet continue to use ranking systems that is clearly a mixed message.

Thanks for the rambling opportunity. I owe you a cocktail.

[Clarence Fisher]

See. The comments are better than the posts are. I like Dean's point about the democratizing of information. In a democracy everyone has a vote. Online, every blog counts and every post counts. While it would be not realistic to think that in a democracy everyone has the same reach or the same ability to project their voice (think some party insider vs. a "regular" person), come the days that count (election day) we still all only have one vote. While we simply can't read everyone or everything, good ideas always rise to the front of the conversation, no matter how small the blogs are they may come from.

[Bill Bass]

Hi Clarence, I actually met you at the NCTE convention in Nashville. I was presenting with Bud Hunt right after you. I had been following your blog for a little while at that point but I'm much more of a blog lurker and don't comment much. That being said, I use my blog for much the same reasons you do. It's nice when people contact me about it and I love the conversations that foster from it, but really, it helps me think (as writing always has). I too work through some of my ideas and concerns on my blog. That being said, I don't blog much, but your post has gotten me thinking and it's good to know that others use blogs as I do.