Goal 17: Tell Your Story
Part of the 30 Goals Challenge Series
Many of us have caught the social media fever. We love our Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) and
want to persuade all educators to partcipate. However, Twiter, nings, blogging, and did I menton
Twiter, are not appealing to a majority of educators. In a past post, Most Teachers Don’t Live There, I
refect on my reasons for wantng teachers to live in blog land and Twiter world. In spite of my
convictons and passions, I do not try to sale social media and web 2.0. I have come to learn that
sharing my personal learning journey is a beter way. My blog is one way I do this. Many of you know a
lot about me including what I looked like when I was a baby. My long-term goal is to begin sharing my
personal learning journey at presentatons.
Crafing Our Stories
In Mart Side’s recent post, The Story of Kunami10, she shares her journey about receiving her black
belt. Mart does not paint a prety picture. In fact, she talks about bruising and being so sore she did
not want to get out of bed. I love this about her story. When we talk to others about our journeys we
need to paint a complete picture. Yes, I had to invest tme in learning about technology. I made many
mistakes and really embarrassed myself at tmes. Technology and social media are not easy and do
take tme to learn. Some people will need to invest more tme than others. If they are not prepared
well for this reality, then they will be completely turned of to technology. I have seen this happen to
many teachers who were forced to use technology in their schools with no notce or preparaton.
Some get very hostle if you menton the “T” word.
Another part of your story should be to share what you learned and how you learned this. When
possible, we should ofer guidance and resources. Later, we may also have to check-in and see how
the educator’s journey is going with technology.
Sharing Stories with Students
One of the most powerful ways to connect with your students is to share your journeys. Many of our
students may not believe we relate to them. By sharing our personal stories we can overcome the
generatonal gap and show our empathy. I am not saying we should get uncomfortably personal, but
every once in awhile our colleagues and students can be inspired by our personal journeys. A
wonderful example of a teacher connectng with his students is Jim Burke’s post, When the Teaching
Gets Too Real. By postng this experience in his blog, Jim Burke also managed to reach many educators
as well.
Challenge:
Share a personal triumph or failure with someone. Sharing this with your students may help you
connect with them on a deeper level.
Don’t forget to leave a comment that you accomplished this goal using the hashtag #30Goals!
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