The World is at Our Tweet

The Analog Professional

When we record teaching activities and file them away, we are seen as diligent. When we send notes to parents and administrators to keep them informed of our professional endeavors, we are seen as open communicators. When found with our noses in pedagogical texts, we are seen as professional, life-long learners. And, when we share and model best practices with our colleagues, we are elevated to the status of mentor teachers.

The Social Networker

Is it not then paradoxical when we share our actions and ideas with those who care to follow (i.e., school community members, local and global peers, and administrators) we are often seen as time wasters - when in fact, we are saving time while reflecting, learning, and sharing more?

The Modern Day Teacher

I would actually take this one huge leap further (for some) and recognize that these skills need to be built into academic curricula as well as our professional lives. As Chris Lehmann said in this rather ingenuous post from his blog, Practical Theory, "Networking is a skill -- and therefore it can be taught," and, "We have to be sure to reinforce these skills in the academic classroom." I might as well end with one of my favorites - the words of the French philosopher, Paul Valery, "The future is not what it used to be."