teachers’ lounge vs.tech office
I have finally figured out how to compartmentalize the twitter vs. pownce face-off. As a classroom teacher that tries to be active in the eduweb 2.0 realm, I have sometimes felt awkward and out of my element. Since you are reading my DEN blog, you can see where I come from on this discussion. I am not a tech specialist by trade. I am a teacher of Spanish who happens to integrate technology in my classroom. I learned by trial and error along the way. My access to a professional learning network has greatly enhanced my acquisition of new skills and tools. I have used voicethread, blabberize, vozme, all because of mentions on Twitter.
I do have to admit the conversations fly on twitter. Sometimes I am lost in the discussions because of two things:
a) I am only getting a piece of the conversation because one of the respondents is someone I don’t follow.(or doesn’t follow me)
OR
b) It is a technical discussion that leaves me in the dark because I am not one who has the knowledge or desire to find a program that converts wav files to widgets and back again.
I can seriously now say-twitter is sometimes best left to the technical gurus. I know you are there if I need you(And I know I will need you!!!)
Here is the thing, I know I cannot contribute on that level. I know my tweets may seem like I toss softballs in the big league arena. Remember this. I have read many of your blogs. There is a frustration that comes through about teachers being unwilling/unable/uncooperative about embracing technology. I am a teacher. I am not a technician. I love teaching with technology. Bring teachers along by bringing them into the network. Maybe twitter is not the place to start for them(me). Perhaps Pownce as an alternative is the place to bring the classroom instructionalist into the PLN. I am going to try to utilize them both as I proposed them in the title.
