Written by I listened to Celeste Kirsh‘s podcast yesterday and got the clue to begin work on my introductory Google slide. As I scrolled through the “look book” I noticed just how many educators there are in Cohort 21 Season 7 and I became excited by the possibilities of connecting with so many other Ontario educators. So excited, in fact, that I began making a Cohort 21 Season 7 Twitter list. It’s early days and handles are missing from some slides and some names are more common, so I stalled out when I was midway through the coaches section. I will get back at it and finish it, but something else has happened in the meantime that I thought was blog-worthy.
This morning my Twitter account had a new direct message (DM). I don’t often get these, so I immediately went to see what it was about. It was a person with a profile photo and Twitter handle I identified as male. His name was part of his handle and it was a common enough name that I thought he might be someone I already vaguely knew. The message had certainly started out professionally enough, so I replied in kind. I then went straight to our “look book” to see if it was someone from Cohort 21 Season 7 already reaching out. Another message came through before I got very far and it erased all doubt about the intention of the connection.
Few of my former colleagues are on Twitter even after a concerted effort to get us there via Connected Educators 2014 (#CE14). Fewer still of my current colleagues are on Twitter, at least not as flamboyant educators, though this sample size is much smaller. My thoughts on Twitter as an essential source for 24/7 teacher professional development have morphed since 2014. Though I love the platform and am unlikely to ever leave it, my experiences with this DM remind me that not everyone is ready and willing to handle the dark side of Twitter. Not everyone is equipped to know what to do when an unpleasant or frightening exchange takes place. Not everyone is ready for just one more place where you can never let your guard down. I, for one, did not reply further and I both unfollowed and blocked this solicitous person. It is certainly food for thought when educational leaders attempt to attain a high rate of teacher use on this and other social media platforms. Thanks for reading.
Great post Leslie!
This reminds me of one of my first classroom lessons with Grade 9 students each year: Check your social media followers.
I open my twitter account and we go through my list of followers. We pick a few and have a discussion based on name, photo, description, level of activity, profession and purpose. And then we decide whether the user should remain a follower of mine. I explain that this is a professional persona and my goal for the medium is to use it to grow my PLN (Professional Learning Network).
Last year, we discovered a catfish account of a famous plastic surgeon who followed over a hundred thousand accounts and only had a handful of followers. We then proceeded to discuss the difference between reporting, blocking and muting. We reported the incident.
Learning to be critical of our connections is important on and offline.
Welcome to Cohort21! I look forward to connecting with you soon. 🙂
Thanks, Lisa. That sounds like a great lesson in digital literacy and digital citizenship. I can’t wait to try it with my own students!
Hi Leslie,
Thanks for sharing this. Yes, that is certainly something that we are all dealing with. Lisa’s response is right on the money – we need to curate our digital footprint carefully, share our strategies, and continue to use tools for positive good.
That being said, I am sure that there are many who would like to discuss this on Saturday! We are so excited that you’ll be joining us. I hope that you’re looking forward to this Saturday’s first F2F!
garth.
Hi Leslie,
Sorry you had to encounter the Internet’s dark side so quickly. Hoping that Cohort 21 will bring a little light back to you! Thanks for your posts – and particularly the thoughtful, natural content.
Cheers!
Adam