Blog Entry II: Sharing

Technology has given teachers a more accessible means of sharing information. The internet and social media pushes this even further. When you are expanding your Personal Learning Network (PLN), you are opening yourself to countless resources and knowledge all at the click of a button. Twitter, for example, allows you to subscribe to things that you are interested in, and when you see this information pop up on your news feed you immediately have access to it. I think that it is important for teachers and leaders to share their work. 
Jennie Snyder makes a good point when she is talking about the importance of sharing throughout a PLN; it is not seeking knowledge for my own benefit, but creating and sharing with others to work toward a larger purpose that matters. Whether it is through positively changing things in education or even society our ability to share can play a crucial role. While I think that many people would agree with these statements, there are some people who would prefer to stay away from this habit. On the topic of blogs, George Couros shares some ideas on why people may be turned off from the idea through thoughts such as some people are private or the feeling that people aren't going to care about what you say. As I can understand the thoughts behind some of these criticisms, I personally don't like some of them. Take the second comment for example. When you are building a PLN, you are connecting with people who share the same interests as you. As mentioned before, following certain pages on twitter that you are interested in and creating a PLN that shares a common interest can help make sure that your opinion doesn't go unheard.  As for the first comment, as long as you are keeping the content you share professional then I don't think privacy would be too much of an issue. 
Now technology has made sharing more convenient, but that doesn't mean sharing face to face should be looked over. Being able to discuss, create, and collaborate face to face can be even more valuable than doing so through technology. You can even take this idea and use it in the classroom. Open ended discussions, peer reviews, discussion boards (more technological based), can all prove to be quite beneficial to student success. When I do begin to teach, I will definitely attempt to use all of these strategies in the classroom.
For the benefit of classrooms, it is important that we share. In an era that we are in now, it would be silly not to. By using technology, the expansion of PLNs, and taking the time to collaborate, we can give students great opportunities to go above expectations.