Thing 16: Fear and Loathing in Professional Networking

The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side. - Hunter S. Thompson

The wisdom of Dr. Gonzo here can probably be applied to my own views on social media. A mixture of fear, trepidation, intrigue, and a bit of diffidence. To put it mildly I'm conflicted. I do think putting social media within the context of a Professional Learning Network is a good way to focus on the constructive aspects of the medium, and I found Caroline's videos and links very interesting. On to the questions:

• What were your feelings on social networking before you took this course? Were you active in any form of social networking before you took this course? If so, was it personal or professional?

Probably negative. I am (as I think I've said before on this blog) not particularly a fan of facebook and myspace. My private, introverted personality doesn't jive particularly jive with the need to express every small event and status of my day with my friends. Professionally, I had some limited experience with wikis, but nothing extensive. So on balance, probably negative and maybe even leaning towards the "end of civilization" theme Caroline mentioned.

• If you've never gotten involved in social networking for professional purposes, had you ever considered using web-based tools as means of networking with other educators before?

Not explicitly. I had recognized the need for collaboration however. Much like Caroline I have a somewhat unique job and a 1:12500 student to me ratio. I struggle to find peers to collaborate with. I had subscribed to a few e-mail listservs (one of the precursors of social media) that were somewhat within the scope of my field, but even their the ability to collaborate is a bit limited (no ability to truly SHARE anything that couldn't be attached to an e-mail). Many people who truly do as I do work in University environs, where peer collaboration is usually limited to the normal means (Journals, Conventions, etc.). Finding others who work in an applied setting like myself was a challenge.

• Regarding PLNs (Personal/Professional Learning Networks), what are your initial thoughts about them?

That I would very much like to find what Caroline has found for myself. I've tried a bit, but I can't say my search has been extensive. I like the advice Caroline was given by the peer at the convention to "read". To explore blogs and other resources. I haven't done enough of that. To truly find a community of collaborators requires the investment of time and resources. I need to be willing to put the legwork in rather than just hoping things fall into my lap.

• Looking at your own professional practices, do you think building your own PLN could benefit you? Why or why not?

Most definitely. To put it bluntly, if you are trying to, say, predict CRCT scores for students using linear regression equations and you are concerned with variability as a result of inconsistent scaling among inputs, you can't really walk down the hall to find someone to bounce ideas and concerns off of. This is a very specific, esoteric problem (and by the way, it is a really one I'm grappling with, not made up) that only somewhat with a similar background can assist with. If you can't find someone like that down the hall you've got to find them somewhere. And while Facebook and MySpace may be the end of our civilization, at the very least you might as well piggyback those tools to network in the meantime.