Techlearning blog

"John Doe (not a real name) is now following your updates on Twitter. You may follow John Doe as well by clicking on the 'follow' button."

I get an email like this every few days. It is both flattering and humbling. Honestly, I still don't know why anyone wants to "tune in" to my Twitters. I'm glad they do, though, because it has helped me learn about a whole bunch of people that I might not have without Twitter. Whenever I get one of these Twitter alerts, I immediately click the Twitter link to find out about the person. Usually, there's a blog link and I head there first, and then I double back and see who else this person is following. You see, I'm making a very quick but very difficult decision: whether or not I'm going to follow back.

Now on paper, this probably sounds just horrible. Someone is going to follow me and I don't have the decent courtesy to follow back? Ah, the guilt... But this is the "Dark Side" of Twitter that we don't talk about: you just simply can't follow everyone. Or at least I can't. It would be too overwhelming. Currently, I follow 81 people. This feels like a lot. And I'm sure I'm going to add plenty more. But my entire "media diet" is already very full and I wonder if there will come a time when I simply cannot squeeze another blogger/twit/podcaster/vodcaster/etc. in. Of course current voices will often be updated (replaced), but will there actually become a point of saturation? Am I already there? And worse: am I missing out on many wonderful authors due to a lack of hours in the day?

I'm sure I am. So much Twitter, so little time.

In making my decisions of who to follow, I have a very specific reason. Each and every one of them has somehow made his/her way to my ears, and "wooed" me with a message, a voice. These are the voices that have currently risen to the top of my radar. In a world of overwhelming information, this is quite a feat. We live in an exciting time where millions of people have the means to publish their own "TV show," "Radio Show," or "Magazine." In a sense, millions are competing for my "ears." "The world is flat," and there is not only competition for our jobs but also for our attention. It's an exciting time and it's fun to watch Big Media companies either shaking in their boots or trying to become a part of the party.

But what does this all mean for my students? I've carried out my own type of "Twitter Natural Selection" in deciding who gets me to push the "Follow" button and who gets lost in the digital ether. In a world where everyone is talking, does everyone get listened to? What skills can I help my students develop that will get them heard? How can I help them to create ways to get their voice louder/fresher/more interesting than all the other voices?

In Daniel Pink's A Whole New Mind, he argues that we are entering into the "Conceptual Age" and shows the six senses that we need to focus on in order to encourage the type of creativity that will help make one's voice stand out. Pink's argument is that our students are going to need to be skilled in employing right brain thinking to make their messages shine, stand out. Why is this important? Pink says that because of the "3 A's" ---Automation, Asia, and Abundance--- the extra "edge" needed for success will be where meaning is attached to the message/product/experience. For instance, because we have so much now in this Age of Abundance (at least in the Western world), people are searching for that which provides connections and value on a creative level. You can see it today: there are plenty of cell phones out there. Rarely, though, do you hear the "love stories" about most phones that have been told about the iPhone.

Dave Warlick talks about the need for this "extra edge" in an information-crowded world in this post:

"From the stand point of the communicator, it means that they must produce messages that compete for attention. Therefore, it is no longer enough to simply be able to write a coherent paragraph. We must be able to express ourselves compellingly, so that our information will compete for the attention of our audiences."

"Good enough" just isn't good enough anymore.

Here are just three things that I've been focusing on and believe are important to have in my daily classroom learning and routines in order to help students learn skills to "get their messages heard":

1) Teach the Importance of Design.

"Design" is one of those senses that Pink talks about, and I believe one of the most important. I've been further inspired to examine the importance of this skill from viewing Dean Shareski's excellent presentation, called "Design Matters," over at the K12 Online Conference. I realize that I need to help my students approach all of their tasks with the idea of Design constantly being questioned and evaluated. Sometimes this is through teacher modeling and talking through the process like I did with them the other day working in the program, Comic Life. I showed them one "cool" technique that cartoonist do of breaking up one picture into 2 or 3 different panels in order to show the passage of time. I demonstrated different approaches and "thought out loud" about why some things worked and others didn't. Many students went out and imitated the technique. The next step --- the step that will require the real amount of time--- is to then challenge the students to "make it their own." Ask them, "What are you going to do with that technique that you just learned that will be different than any of the others?"

2) Help students find the "tools" and allow them to use the tools.

Now, these tools by no means have to be technological . We now know enough about learning styles and modalities to know we need to offer equal opportunities in the classroom for all paths to learning. On top of this, there are certain tools that students will naturally excel with. We've all heard stories of the student who becomes engaged in the classroom when he/she is able to create/learn/demonstrate with a tool that connects with his/her passions outsides of the classroom. Technology can also be a powerful tool to offer a "way in" for many students. That quiet student hiding in the back of the class just might become the most vocal when you offer blogging or podcasting as a method to express. The ability for a student to now publish to a global audience is revolutionary. Students that have been encouraged to do so surely will have an advantage in learning communication skills necessary for the 21st Century.

3) Allow them the voice/Provide opportunities to strengthen their voice.

I've been thinking about this a lot this year. Not only do I need to get out of the way and let my students explore, lead, teach, discover, but I must actively provide opportunities for them to practice leadership skills. This year I've started the role of "Teacher's Assistant" in the lab (I've had this before in my 3/4 classroom). Just providing the opportunity for students to give the directions, run the computer and the overhead, and make decisions where the lesson should go has been a powerful revelation. When the Teacher's Assistant first starts the class, I can hear the tentativeness in his/her voice. By the end of the lesson, however, you audibly recognize the shift in confidence.

In putting these skills at the forefront of curriculum, students will learn that "being heard" is valued and important. No one can listen to every person's message, but every person can get his/her message heard.