Increasingly, I have been using twitter as my primary networking tool.  It is just easier, quicker, less painful.  But it’s also less intensive and frankly, it’s selfish.  You see, twitter is about me and the people I choose to connect with.  It is tremendously powerful, but does little to help share the ideas I want to promote amongst a larger group.

Case in point – a couple of weeks ago I received an email from Adam Dionne, a grade five teacher in our District. He wanted to let me know that, after reading a post a while back on my blog, he had started recording Math lessons to share via a wiki with his students and their families.  He is using the recording software in the SMART Board tools. Cool stuff.

I had a chance to chat briefly with Adam yesterday at his school.  He tells me that feedback from parents has been very positive and that students are using the videos to reinforce class learning at home.

He set up a channel on TeacherTube, where all his videos are posted.  I know he’s just started and things will change as he learns and adapts, but this spirit of innovation and sharing is exactly the mindset we need amongst teachers in order to prepare our students for their future.  While the immediate project is still teacher-centered, he is already looking at student created videos on the channel, shared with the world via a wiki. Great stuff!

It’s stories like this that remind me that we need to share.  As Will Richardson’s latest post notes, sharing is powerful – for all learners.  Breaking into the locked filing cabinet syndrome of the past is crucial if we are to serve our kids best.

I am also reminded that, while Twitter is powerful it’s also tremendously selfish, and regardless of how many people I touch with blogging, just one idea shared is worth the effort.

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