Hello, Janet:
Christine Horgan, SAIT Polytechnic, Calgary, Alberta. Curriculum co-ordinator in a large service department.
I expect to be a serious lurker for this seminar as I know almost nothing about synchronous online interviews and so my curiosity, at present, is at the level of "what's in it for me?" (as in, what can I learn about this tool? and why would I want to use it?)
Look forward to some interesting conversations and learning from the more activite participants.
Cheers, Chris
Thank you, Cindy.
I have been lurking....but still getting a lot out of the conversation and collective wisdom.
I've also been trying (unsuccessfully--hence my lurking) to craft a response because I have, in many ways, found this seminar particularly disturbing. Which may sound odd....but as the parent of a teenaged girl I run that constant battle around appropriate use of social media and privacy and safety. We all, as teens, make less-than-brilliant decisions ...some of which we hope will never come back to haunt us...but I have to wonder what will come back to haunt her as a result of the digital identify she is unwittingly building. As a result, I have found that I have not been able to step back and look at the discussion in terms of myself, my "professional" self, or students. Thus, I have been a learner vs. a contributor to this discussion.
A thought provoking discussion,...thank you,
Chris Horgan
Hello Trish:
Activity 1: What information was I supposed to get through the Personas site? I have an unusual and uncommon surname and so there aren't many of me in the world, but I didn't seem to get anything. So now I really want to know what I'm missing!
Activity 2: Could be me or it could be my organizations' fire wall, but I couldn't connect to the We Think video. I'll try again from home because the other information I found on the Internet suggests it'll be an interesting read.
I can see a strong connection to digital identities to learners in computer courses/programmes, but what connection are you making to math, science, communications, etc. What's the WIIFM? (what's in it for me)
Cheers, Chris
Andrew:
What a great question.....unfortunately, not a question with a quick, simple, or easy answer.
I no longer teach in the regular classroom (I do, however, co-facilitate ISW workshops), and so I can only think about the question from the viewpoint of my current work.
There is a balance point, and I have no idea what it is.
I think the balance point changes not only with each person but with the combination of players of a given project and also as a result of the project itself.
Passion and energy commitment may well connect to the number of real or perceived obstacles in the way, the reception of one's ideas and work by colleagues, the willingness of one's institution to follow a particular path.
Burnout (whether or not one is a teacher) remains a very real possibility.
