The Power of We

My first tweet, on September 29, 2007, was not exactly brimming with enthusiasm:

Fortunately, I stuck around, eventually adding other sites (Flickr, Facebook, Plurk) to my social networking neighborhood.

Where my blogging has slowed down, the connections I make with professional colleagues, friends, and family are frequent and vibrant. We share resources and photos, make plans to meet, and keep in touch where physical distance precludes face-to-face interaction.

I often refer to myself as an embedded librarian, but social librarian would be just as apt. Yesterday, one of my Facebook friends, Karen Wright-Balbier, along with her collaborators Andrea Keller, Michael Soskil, and Dyane Smokorowski, posted a link to the Kid Wish Project:

"Greetings and welcome to our Kid Wishes 2013-14 Project where we link Life Skills Special Needs Classrooms with Mainstream Classrooms for a Holiday Card and New Years Wish for the World Exchange.  Our hope is by partnering students across the continent for a cultural exchange, we can begin a dialogue of personal perspectives for global positive impact.   We would love for your classrooms to participate for our quick turnaround adventure, make new friends, and share what wishes your students have for 2014."

Andrea has also written a blog posting further explaining the Kid Wish Project.

Since I no longer have students of my own, I volunteered to spread the word on my network. I've received some responses already, and may even get to visit a local classroom to see the project in action.

While Karen, Andrea, Michael, and Dyane are connected educators, their contact lists obviously differ from mine. One voice on Twitter or Facebook is powerful. Our combined voices magnify that power to a significant degree.

Social networking isn't just for idle chitchat. Used in a positive way, it can expand our horizons and enrich the lives of our students.

If it's appropriate for your situation, please consider participating in Kid Wish. If that isn't possible, then take a minute to spread the good word. It's a worthwhile project and a true reflection of what the upcoming holidays are really all about.

A Semi-post About Google Reader

I saw this notice on Google Reader:

Through my social networks, most notably Twitter, I was already aware of the impending demise of GR. Within a relatively short time period, I saw numerous RSS aggregator options suggested, evaluated, and endorsed, all in 140 characters or less. Ultimately I chose Feedly, which seamlessly migrated my Reader content.

It is troubling when well-regarded free sites and services cease operation. I'm still angry at Picnik's termination and skittish about its "reincarnation" as Ribbet. I've moved on.

And although Flickr seems to be thriving, I've also taken steps to back up my photos. Some content is too precious to risk on the vagaries of chance and the Internet gods.

To be honest, the Google Reader situation is less disruptive to my online life than it would have been a few years ago. As you can see in the screenshot above, there are 1000+ unread items in my feed. Where once I religiously scanned GR daily, I now check infrequently. Most of my information, resources, and conversations flow through social networking sites these days.

I laughed at Judy's retweet today, then decided to do a sort of non-post post. Google Reader is old news in the connected life.

Thanks Judy O'Connell and Ian Clark for inspiring this post!

Here's the Story: Mercedes-Benz Tweet Race to the Big Game

You may have seen references on social networking sites that mention #MBteamS (or 3 other teams I choose not to promote here) and wondered what was going on.

As the Official Team S Storyteller, I feel it's my job to fill you in.

In mid-December, USA Today reported on Super Bowl ads that would "play the social media game"

Mercedes-Benz... plans to launch "The World's First Twitter-Fueled Race," which awards two new cars to the two-person team of social-media wizards that garners for Mercedes-Benz the most tweets, Facebook "likes" and social-media currency by game day.

Today, on its Facebook page, Mercedes-Benz USA issues a casting call for social-media users who want to compete in its Twitter-Fueled Race.

When the chosen teams were announced, I was astonished/happy to see that educational blogger, self-proclaimed "mayor of the Internet" and fellow Packers fan, John Pederson (@ijohnpederson) is co-driver for Team S, along with Todd Sanders, aka @tsand.

In the spirit of competition, fun, and avarice (participants will be eligible to win a V.I.P. trip and/or a Mercedes!), I followed the steps to join a team, claimed a spot as "one of our human resources" (librarian, photographer, and historian were already taken, but "storyteller" encompasses all of that) and stand ready to Tweet my team on to victory.

It promises to be an interesting social media adventure, and beyond all the hype and hyperbole, there is a worthy cause:

At the core of this contest, behind all the football, fancy cars, and social media silliness, is a $25,000 donation that Mercedes-Benz is making to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on behalf of our coach, Pete Wentz, and #MBteamS. Even better, if we do end up “winning” this thing, Mercedes-Benz kicks in an additional $20,000, totaling $45,000, to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. -ijohnpederson

So follow these three simple steps:

1) Twitter. Come race time, your tweets are our fuel. You’ll need a Twitter account. Follow both @tsand and @ijohnpederson.

2) Join Team S on the Mercedes-Benz Facebook page. http://on.fb.me/MBteamS

3) Finally, claim your spot as one of our “human resources” by giving yourself a role on our team. Visit http://mbteams.com/human_resources and add yourself in the comments.

Become part of our team, and help us write this story. It's social media with a goal and for a cause. How wonderful!

Photos from Mercedes-Benz USA

Pieces of the Puzzle

As the new year begins, many of us have started, or continued, participation in 365 (photo a day) groups. A Twitter friend was lamenting the fact that she couldn't use Flickr for this activity - she doesn't have a Yahoo I.D. and therefore was unable to create a Flickr account.

Her comment triggered a vague memory, so I did a bit of searching. It gave me great pleasure to to inform her that new Flickr users can now sign up - and sign in - with Google OpenID.

This little interaction highlighted for me one of the huge benefits of a PLN (personal learning network): it allows you to tap into the collective wisdom of your colleagues. In our information age, no one can be an expert in everything...but everyone can contribute something to the conversation, frequently more than they realize.

That trick or tool that's been in your repertoire for months may be a revelation to some in your network. A frustrating technical problem could be a quick fix when you crowd-source the issue.

It's nice to know that the answer to your quandary may only be a click away.




"Puzzle pieces" by liza31337

Social Sig for Me

Update: in response to my suggestions, Jason has added Plurk and SlideShare to the list of available links. How's that for service!


Want to connect quickly with people you know - or with whom you'd like to connect - via various social networking venues?

Jason T. Bedell has created a social media signature generator, Social Sig for Me, to perform just such a function.Users choose from a list of sites, add relevant addresses, and receive HTML code. The icons can be horizontal (with automatic breaks, where needed) or vertical.


Jason welcomes comments and suggestions, so try it out and give him some feedback.

My own Social Sig is now located on the right-hand sidebar, under "Find me online!"




"A computer terminal is not some clunky old television with a typewriter in front of it. It is an interface where the mind and body can connect with the universe and move bits of it about." -Douglas Adams



"Connected" by visulogik

Interaction With Others

"The first half of life is spent mainly in finding out who we are through seeing ourselves in our interaction with others." -June Singer

Whenever I encounter students over the sumer vacation - in a store...at the county fair...here, there and everywhere - they tell me that they're having fun but can't wait to get back to school. It's not the worksheets or testing that they miss, of course, it's their friends.

This desire to socialize is a natural one for children and young adults. Interacting with peers can enhance communication skills, build confidence, and help create a positive self image.

Yet it seems like we spend a lot of our school day working counter to this need to connect. Much of our instructional time is consumed by lectures and quiet seat work. Administrators frequently equate a noisier, more interactive classroom with poor teacher management techniques.

There has been, and will continue to be, a lot of discussion in education circles, regarding the validity of cellphones and other communication devices as learning tools. Many district filters routinely block Google Documents, blogs, wikis, and social networking sites.

If we truly believe in the 21st century skill set, which emphasizes communication and collaboration, then we must determine how to use the students' need to connect with each other in an effective, meaningful way.

Rather than discourage children's sociability, let's channel it, using whatever tools are appropriate to the situation. Our millennial learners are already networked; it's up to us to show them how to utilize their skills for success in school and in life.



“I'm a great believer that any tool that enhances communication has profound effects in terms of how people can learn from each other, and how they can achieve the kind of freedoms that they're interested in.” -Bill Gates


“The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives.” -Anthony Robbins




"Best Friends" by Yogi

Connections

"In nature we never see anything isolated, but everything in connection with something else which is before it, beside it, under it and over it." -Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe


I talk about "connections" all the time, but sometimes our intertwinings and interactions truly amaze me.

A few years ago, I was able to take an online professional development workshop run by CyberSmart! As I've mentioned before, I felt so empowered by this experience that I hung around (virtually, of course), explored a bit, asked questions, and eventually became a facilitator for the company.

An RSS feed on one of the CyberSmart! sites inspired me to set up my own Google Reader account, then try my hand at blogging. I now also interact on social networking sites like Twitter and Plurk.

Through Twitter, I met Australian teacher Jo McLeay. Aware of my affiliation with CyberSmart! Jo pointed me to the Seedlings podcasts on Bit by Bit. During the November 20 podcast, Bob Sprankle gave the free CyberSmart! K-12 Student Curriculum a very positive review.

I commented:

I enjoyed hearing your comments re. CyberSmart! on your last podcast.

I started out as a participant in one of the CyberSmart! professional development workshops, and now work as a facilitator for the company, in addition to my duties as a K-12 teacher/librarian.

The updated and expanded free CyberSmart! curriculum addresses such key issues as good digital citizenship and cybersafety. We are particularly proud of the cyber bullying package and the resources it contains for teachers, students, and parents.

The educator’s toolbar features lots of pre-screened links of professional interest.

CyberSmart’s homepage is located at http://cybersmart.org/

and Bob responded:

Thanks for stopping by and your comments, Diane! CyberSmart is amazing!

Now another connection has been made. Wonder where this might lead!



"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." -John Muir




"Facebook Connections" by Elliott P

Nodes

"A node (Latin nodus, ‘knot’) is a critical element of any computer network. It can be defined as a point in a network at which lines intersect or branch, a device attached to a network, or a terminal or other point in a computer network where messages can be created, received, or transmitted." -Wikipedia

I find myself the nexus of a unique network, as is anyone who builds their own PLE.

My colleagues include librarians (school and public), teachers, IT, students, writers, artists, cartoonists, and just plain folks.

We exchange information, debate, create, commiserate and console.

Through blogging, tweeting, and messaging, we stay connected.

We are never alone unless we choose to be so.

"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one." -Jane Howard



"Node Networks" by jared

A Space Beyond Measure

Paul Klee, Twittering Machine, 1922

"The 'Twittering Machine' is neither ironic or idealizing, but rather a product of the imagination, which Paul Klee's art affirms at every turn. Crank it up, and these strange, mechanical birds start to sing their hearts out against a vast, atmospheric wash backdrop that opens up a space beyond measure." -Fine Arts exam, California State University

Twitter as experiential art; conversation as creation: for those who have integrated Twitter into their lives, such claims are validated each time the connection is enabled.

Discussions continue about the value of this interactive and still evolving "social networking and micro-blogging service". In a previous post, I shared my initial reluctance to hop on yet another cyber bandwagon. Now I'd like to add some additional insights gleaned from other edubloggers.

Scott Schwister traces his "Twitter awakening" to an invitation from Carolyn Foote, who gently urged him to visit because "It's developed into a really fun and amazing little place." Scott took note of the incredible diversity of the Twitterverse, where you could learn about new apps, carry on a deep and rich conversation, shop for T-shirts, or invent a new poetic form.

In Twitter is my Village, presentations consultant Laura Athavale Fitton describes Twitter as a venue for becoming better acquainted with "a critical mass of interesting people". She emphasizes the socially connective function of this type of network rather than its professional applications.

A number of bloggers have been posting tips on how to increase the functionality of Twitter. Dave Fleet explains how to find people to follow, an essential step in building a unique, personal twitterverse. Wesley Fryer explains changes that make it easier to carry on Twitter conversations. Once connected, individuals find mentors, ask for help in locating information sources or plan collaborative projects.

Humor is an essential element, at least on my Twitter network. Brian Van Dyck offers a Twelve Step Program for those who slide into Twitter addiction and want to take back a part of their lives. Lisa Parisi blames her procrastination on the irresistible allure of Twittering.

The creators of Twitter have been promoting it as a useful tool in times of crisis.

"There have been raging wildfires and rumbling earthquakes inspiring avalanches of Twitter updates over the last few weeks [November 2007] out here on the West Coast of the US. In Tumultuous times, people turn to Twitter."

Twitter even made a guest appearance on CSI, surely a sign of some measure of social cachet.

Twitter appeals to a large community of committed users. Whether it continues to refine its capabilities or yields to an even more sophisticated form of networking remains to be seen. But for now, Twitter is the social network of choice for a significant population of educational bloggers. It offers a "space beyond measure" in which to explore, connect and expand.

"Through space the universe encompasses and swallows me up like an atom; through thought I comprehend the world." -Blaise Pascal

Harmful Situations

"Web Wise Kids’ proven prevention strategies empower youth to recognize and resist all types of harmful situations that exist online. Situations such as social networking, blogging, Instant Messaging, online predators, cyber romances, cyber bullying, identity theft, flaming, piracy and more are introduced in our engaging and challenging Internet safety games." -Web Wise Kids website

Darren Draper's posting today certainly caught my attention. A new program, Web Wise Kids, is being introduced in some of Utah's schools to teach children internet safety through educational game playing.

Since I haven't previewed the product, I'm not qualified to pass judgment on its effectiveness. I can and will express my dismay at the overt linking of blogging and predators on the promotional banner and game description.

With the release of the National School Board Association's report on social networking, Creating and Connecting, proponents of blogging and other interactive and connective social media tools had reason to hope for a more enlightened approach to their use in elementary, middle school, and high school settings.

One of the stated goals of our educational system is to prepare students for life beyond 12th grade, in the 21st century. By questioning the safety and effectiveness of blogging as a tool for learning, Utah, and any other states who accept this approach, are doing their school population a great disservice.

University professor Daniel Lemire asserts that

“to me, my blog has become the single most powerful knowledge management tool I use. The way I use it, it gives me a view of where I am, where I’ll be, where I’m thinking about being. My blog is like my intelligence department… it collects lots of data in an organized fashion and it sits there, waiting for me to go to. The fact that I’m read means I get feedback, and hence, people help me complete my information. I also find out about new, interesting people because they link to my blog, comment on my blog and so on.”

Professor Henry Farrell identifies five major uses for blogs in [college] education, including the organization of in-class notes and providing equity in discussion for all students.

Blogging is also an import tool for those enter the world of business. Dave Pollard describes his evolving recognition of the value of blogs:

“So when I read that blogs were the next big thing in KM [Knowledge Management] I was dubious. It took an eternity even trying to understand what they were -- everyone had their own definition that seemed to deliberately exclude most of the actual applications of the leading blogging tools. When I finally realized that blogs were simply online journals, I decided to start one to get a feel for what they were about, and to start reading them to assess their potential value to business. Since I have always had a passion for writing, my own blog quickly proved addictive: Not only could I easily post my writing, as often as I wanted, without learning about HTML -- people actually read and commented on what I wrote! But it was only after I started learning about RSS -- the ability to send blog content to personal subscription pages the same way my Profiles filtered, aggregated and delivered all the site-licensed content, that I realized blogging was also a robust electronic publishing and subscription medium. And both the tools and the content were essentially free.”

In May 2005, Business Week devoted an entire issue to business blogging. Their advice boiled down to "Catch up...or catch you later".

The world of education would be wise to heed the same advice.

Splitting the Atom

"Twitter does the Internet equivalent of splitting the atom. It creates a unit of content even smaller and more trivial than the individual blog entry. Expect the response to be suitably explosive." -Lev Grossman, The Hyperconnected, Time magazine

I'll admit that I harbored doubts about Twitter.

Google Reader connected me with personal and professional resources and allowed interactivity through the option of leaving comments on blog posts. Email was available for more extended or private conversations. I had no desire to be privy to the minutiae of people's daily lives.

Yet at the end of September, curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to give Twitter a try.

I began by "following" some bloggers with whom I was familiar. By reading their messages (Tweets) to others, I gradually built up a list of other Twitter users (Twits) who had interests similar to mine.

There were minor annoyances. Some Twits declined my invitation, which meant I could view their comments but not directly interact with them. Occasional technical problems resulted in the Twitterverse being offline or otherwise unusable.

Ah, but the positives far exceeded any negatives!

My Twitter community does much more than track the details of their day. They share websites, provide links to new blog postings, have stimulating conversations about everything from menus to professional conferences to child rearing to health issues.

Yesterday a mixed group of teachers, librarians, and information technologists discussed "authentic voice" in blogging, weighed the pros and cons of rating systems for edubloggers, then invited interested parties to leave Twitter and continue conversations in wikis, ichat or Skype.

Time magazine used the word "trivial" to describe the content of Twitter. I would suggest that Twitter is trivial in the sense of "relating to or being the mathematically simplest case." By restricting users to 140 characters per comment, Twitter distills conversation to essential concepts and facilitates the rapid exchange of thought. It helps to incubate ideas and encourage collaboration.

Used properly, Twitter can easily become the thinking person's texting tool of choice.


"How do we define this lively darting about with words, of hitting them back and forth, this sort of brief smile of ideas which should be conversation?" -Guy de Maupassant




"Atom paths" by lorda

The World's Great Anguish

"Mourn not the dead that in the cool earth lie, but rather mourn the apathetic throng, the coward and the meek who see the world's great anguish and its wrong, and dare not speak." -Ralph Chaplin


The Megan Meier tragedy has been on my mind a lot lately. Yesterday I took an informal poll of some upper elementary and high school students, hoping to get a sense of their technology use and their awareness of how to be safe online.

Approximately five of forty 5th and 6th graders said they had their own Myspace or Facebook accounts. A few boys said they occasionally posted messages using another person's log-in. When I reminded them that the legal age for signing up for these services is 14 (the oldest of them were 12 years old), they laughed and said that they just clicked on whatever birth year would allow them to join. Many more of them had webkinz virtual pets. The webkinz owners enjoyed the online interaction and didn't seem bothered by the limited messaging that the official site allows.

It was quite a different story with my high school Current Events students. The boys (our sole female class member was absent) estimated that 2/3 of the middle school and high school population belongs to Myspace or Facebook. They seemed to feel reasonably safe online and accept the fact that our school blocks all social networking and most interactive sites.

Since the Meier case is very much in the news lately, I had my class watch an interview with Megan's parents and read some tips from the Department of Homeland Security on Dealing with Cyberbullies. The students' most interesting reactions were in response to some short YouTube clips, prepared by the non-profit Ad Council.

The first video, Cyberbullying Talent Show featured a fresh-faced little girl standing in front of a school assembly, sweetly listing the things wrong with a classmate ("Her dad doesn't work, they have no money, that's why she wears that nasty pink sweater"). In Cyberbullying Kitchen a similar scenario unfolds as one teenager calmly tells her "friend" (ironically named Megan) that "you are a tramp" and the "most desperate girl [he] knows - besides your Mom". The idea being presented in both vignettes was "If you wouldn't say it in person, why say it online?"

My students seemed shocked by the comments, even though their own language occasionally strays from the "school appropriate". Perhaps they hold girls to a different code of behavior, or perhaps hearing such insults being used in front of a teacher made them uncomfortable. The point that words written online can be just as hurtful as words spoken aloud was well made and well taken.

Although I had heard of a girl being harassed online by her classmates last year, none of the boys said they had ever felt uncomfortable or threatened online. I asked them to write their reaction to the Megan Meier case, and these are some of their responses:

"I think that it's very sad. If people weren't such bullies, she'd probably still be alive, to live her life."

"Cyberbullying is a problem. I think it needs to be dealt with. I am not scared by cyberbullying because I think cyberbullies are little woosies trying to act tough on the internet."

"I think that the whole Megan Meier case is just sad. I think that she should have alerted somebody about it. She shouldn't have done what she did. [committed suicide] They should definitely start making laws concerning Myspace, chat rooms, and other stuff like that."

"I have never been bullied or bullied anyone. It is wrong and should be stopped...There should be certain rules and if they're broken, certain punishments should be set up. It is wrong..."

"I think it should be monitored on Myspace and others [sites]. I think the people [who set up the fake "Josh" account] should be prosecuted."

"I think that this case is very sad. I wish that someone could have helped this girl or that she could have figured out what was really going on."

"Cyberbullying is a problem. Megan Meier should not have died."

"Any mans death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." -John Donne



"Saddness" by RadoB

Timor mortis

Timor mortis conturbat me is a Latin phrase commonly found in late medieval English poetry. It can be translated into a number of different ways, most literally as "fear of death confounds me". However, a better translation in the context of the poetic usage of the phrase is "fear of death upsets me". Another looser translation is "I am scared to death of dying". The phrase comes from a responsory of the medieval Office of the Dead, the third nocturn of Matins...Wikipedia

It was from a Twitter friend that I first learned about the Megan Meier tragedy. This young teenager took her own life after being the victim of cyber bullying on a MySpace account. The disparaging messages that led to Megan's suicide were actually written by adult neighbors monitoring their own daughter's online activities.

Megan Meier's parents thought they were adequately supervising her computer use. They knew about her social networking and had been told of the fictitious "Josh" who was messaging their daughter. When Megan began responding to unexpectedly cruel posts with vulgar language, her mother told insisted that she stop such "upsetting" behavior. Twenty minutes later, Megan Meier was dead by hanging.

Wesley Fryer recommends stronger anti-bullying instruction in schools, more parental involvement in prevention programs, and increased emphasis on positive online experiences like digital storytelling to showcase information literacy skills. He also urges parents and school districts to "encourage students to socially network online in age-appropriate, moderated and non-commercial environments like Imbee.com and/or Think.com."

Tomorrow in class I'll be sharing the story with my high school Current Events students and tackling the issue of cyber bullying. Perhaps I can get them to realize the seriousness of bullying, whether in person or online.

On a dark and cold November evening, my surroundings are as somber as my thoughts. Megan, requiescat in pace.


"The most painful death in all the world is the death of a child. When a child dies, when one child dies—not the 11 per 1,000 we talk about statistically, but the one that a mother held briefly in her arms—he leaves an empty place in a parent’s heart that will never heal." -Thomas H Kean, Governor of New Jersey

"A child miseducated is a child lost." -John F. Kennedy



"Writer's Close 04" by cx1uk