Staying even

Lately it's been difficult getting around to posting here. Part of it is the increasing load at school, and part of it is that Twitter and other social networking forums, like Facebook, also allow me to publish my thoughts. Shorter posts, for sure, but it's so much easier and quicker to say something or make a point.

Not only have my ways of expressing myself changed, but my thoughts are read by different audiences. Here are some real modest personal stats:

• A little over 300 follow this blog via rss (as far as I can tell, as there is more than one feed)
• 270 people follow me on Twitter (went up by 7 while I wrote this)
  
• I have 135 friends on Facebook

It would be impossible to tell how much overlap there is between those three groups. My best educated guess is that 30 to 40 people are on all three of those lists. Easily 90% of them are educators, I am pretty sure. Would like to see a Venn diagram right about now...

What's the point of all this? Well, I've been reading lots lately about social networking, much having to do with Facebook.

• "Social Media is Here to Stay... Now What?" - danah boyd, a must read
  
• The Way We Live Now - Growing Up on Facebook - NYTimes.com
• Kari Henley: Facebook And Kids: Are Their Brains Ready for Social Networking? - Huffington Post panic
• Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know - valuable common sense

And Twitter seems to be making headlines of its own:

• Free Technology for Teachers: Seven Ways to Find Teachers on Twitter, which led to:
• twitter4teachers - a wiki. I started following many elementary folks from this today. I need to remember to do this more often, and not remain so passive about my PLN.
• Keith Olbermann on YouTube: Twitter is the Worst Person(s) in the World
• Even my own school district had something to say about Twitter the other day...
  

What does all this mean to this third grade teacher trying to teach and prepare his kids for the rest of their lives?

Not sure, except to say that if I do not at least try to stay even with the kids I'm teaching, in terms of understanding the technologies so entrenched in their lives, I don't have a prayer of providing a meaningful or relevant educational experience for them.

And as their teacher, I should be doing a lot more than just staying even with them.