Last night I sat in on "Women of Web 2.0". It was very interesting and casual in nature and I found that it afforded plenty of time to surf the various sites they suggested. It was particularly interesting because it basically consisted of regular educators who have been actually using these various technologies. I think that the boundary between theory and practice is being bridged in a very meaningful way in this sense.
I did, however, find some of the speakers to be self-important. They frequently expressed their utter disdain for those not using these technologies and showed no hesitation in patting themselves on the back for being such wonderful educators. I think it is precisely these types of attitudes that are preventing the more rapid normalization of the web 2.0 concept. It is also these types of attitudes that make me feel self-conscious and keep me in 'lurker' mode. I congratulate most of the people I have met online, especially the ones in this class, for being so open, accepting, and understanding. There are some, however, who could stand to stop looking down on educators not in the technological loop and start helping out to bridge those gaps.
Hey Trevor, I didn't have the greatest first experience with ETT either, but it was unfamiliar territory and I missed enough that I'm prepared to give the presenters the benefit of the doubt. I listened to another ETT talk that was archived on e-porfolios and found myself in a world of issues I hadn't even considered about e-portfolios. The point is I learned something!
ReplyDeleteI think as you reflect on things, you will realize that the presenters are actually advancing the use of technology by sharing what they know. Perhaps they have forgotten how far behind some of us are. We need to ask questions when we don't know; that is how we learn. I have found the vast majority of people who respond to me are both helpful and kind about giving the help. They also are usually very useful folks to follow on Twitter as they can provide you with some useful links!