We Are All Individuals!
In my last post here I talked about reaching out, and meeting others. In that I pointed out two contradictory things, by reaching out you can find other like minded people, but you can also find different perspectives. Really, you never know what you might get. There are cyclical complaints about group-think in edublogging circles that come up (echo-chamber, anyone). Matthew Tabor has compared watching videos from NECC as akin to a cult indoctrination on twitter. I understand that is sort of Matthew’s style, but I will admit there is a comfort in being around like minded individuals at NECC and other conferences. I think it’s a little more complicated that it might appear to someone outside of the classroom/school site setting. We live socially in a series of semi-intersecting social circles. While I may be uber-Web 2.0 woman and hang out with others like that at a conference, at my work, I may be the odd person out, the only person who working with technology at this level. Compared to trainings I’ve done on Open Court (where the Governor’s Institute trainings were scripted), the thinking is pretty open in ed tech circles. So what may appear to be indoctrination to one person, looks like freedom to me.
When we go to conferences, part of what you gain is perspectives from outside your school, your district, and your state. In an era of scripted curriculum, you cannot underestimate the value of this. At the same time, I need to make what I’m learning work in the context of NCLB, my high-needs school, and within a district that has a pacing guide. How do I make this make sense to my fellow teachers? This is a juggling act I do after each conference. I’m not complaining, I find it challenging and exhilarating at the same time. My site is pretty supportive even if most of them are not putting the same things in practice that I do. They want to do more, and I want to help them, but I have to respect their concerns about cell phones, and one-to-one laptops, and not treat them as “retrograde”, but instead work with towards change (maybe for both of us). When I hear someone at a conference discuss project-based learning, I have to hear that it may well be far superior to practicing “fidelity to our textbook program” and that there are other ways to educate students that what passes for “scientifically proven” instructional methods my district uses. I may look like I’m hanging out with my “clique” at NECC, but the reality is I may be expanding my circle of thought.
Photo credit: Opening Night on flickr photo sharing
1 Comment
Donelle (dobrien917 on Twitter)
Tuesday, 7th July 2009 at 3:18 pm
Great perspective! Attending NECC alone gave me a wonderful opportunity to spend time with different people throughout the conference. It was neat to hear the variety of technology-infused settings at various schools.
I loved this line from your post: “We live socially in a series of semi-intersecting social circles. While I may be uber-Web 2.0 woman and hang out with others like that at a conference, at my work, I may be the odd person out, the only person who working with technology at this level.”
It’s one thing to inspired at a conference and ready to implement. It’s another story when you get back to your school and feel alone in wanting to progress in the methods you just absorbed the conference.
Leave a Comment