My true professional value has become clear to me in the last 24 hours. I teach business education in an actual school in the mornings and then the rest of my professional work is conducted online - starting at about 3:00 pm yesterday, the online part came to a screeching halt.
I had JUST received my brand-new laptop and was getting it all set up while simultaneously actually working on one of my other laptops …………wow, that makes me sound like a major geek, doesn’t it? I was downloading Twhirl, Audacity, Live Messenger, and about a gazillion other things trying to get new machine up to speed with what old machine has. Well, unbeknownst to me, I exceeded the Fair Access Policy usage limits on my HughesNet satellite plan, and things slowed down to barely a trickle. I normally operate with about 5 windows open with the max number of tabs open on all of them, Twhirl running, maybe add in a few gchat and live messenger chats………..lots of action. I was slowed down to the point of having to run Gmail in basic html version – that’s SLOW. Then nothing.
I’ll spare you the hours of frustration and troubleshooting (resulting in over 24 hours of no or minimal service – I was able to quickly check a few things at work), but it really made me realize how much of my work is conducted online. Actually, other than my face-to-face time with my students, ALL of my work is online. That really scares me. If I’m only valuable professionally if I have a working computer and internet connection, then am I really valuable at all? All of the people in my PLN (excepting two) would never know how to get in contact with me in the “real” world. I have projects that I’m working on with people from all over the world and without an internet connection I wouldn’t be able to even let them know I’m out for awhile.
I have an entire professional life that exists only in cyberspace. I have edtech “friends” who would never find out if something bad happened to me. I have professional contacts that wouldn’t be able to reach me with updates on a project or deadline. Now, this isn’t saying I don’t have lots of friends, family, and professional contacts that DO know me really well and see me regularly. Plenty of people in this world know how to bug me if they need me, but it worries me that in my edtech PLN and career, I truly have no professional value without the internet. No one would be reading this, that’s for sure. Somehow the thought of a Reflection 2.0 snail-mail newsletter just doesn’t sound as appealing……………
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Never a truer word spoken. Really makes you think doesn’t it?
I see what you are saying… HOWEVER, there are soooo many other perspectives to take on this one. For instance, the fact that you have an internet-based PLN, online friends and colleagues, as well as a host of other professional needs for the internet says something about your willingness to rise to the needs of your profession. The internet isn’t going anywhere, and its speed will continue to get better.
Currently, I am struggling trying to wrap my head around those who DON’T worry about even the slightest skosh about having a PLN, collegial contacts, learning experiences, and growth within our profession.
I applaud you for your acknowledgment towards the need for your extended networking and communication.
I, too, have had similar moments of frustration…to the point of almost tossing a monitor or laptop. I have sworn off technology as being the source of all stress at times. However, the other side of the coin is this… When you need a positive conversation about teaching and learning, when you need to hear that someone reflects on education as much as yourself, when some of your hallway colleagues keep advocating for textbook learning from a book published over 15 years ago- the good ole PLN is here- waiting, responding, listening, discussing, and reflecting.
Again, your perspective on how much your professional value is dependent on the internet is correct… but the resonance of that same thought through all of us makes the value grow exponentially.
That is why we take the time and wait for the slow email.
It is so worth it.
I have often thought similar thoughts-
like there needs to be a ‘medic alert’ bracelet for the uber-connected. If you did not log in for a day(ok-few hours) someone would call your cell-to see if you were kidnapped or worse. We would have all been checking up on you then yesterday…..hope the new laptop works out. I love my new one!
Electrons are so ethereal, yet they are also fickle as you have pointed out so well. I have also considered this scary scenario recently. I have decided that we should all have a backup plan;D
Here it is:
Get to know or become a ham radio operator. These people use very little electricity and they are communicating within the most stable of all the electromagnetic waves in the entire spectrum.
While I am suggesting this in jest, this would be the default plan for a regional or world-wide disruption of electricity, networks or other items related to our internet service.
Good blog. Scary, but good!
teachingsagittarian - yes, it DOES make me think, and I’m thinking I need to start backing up more of my online work!
coachk - thanks for the positive spin on the situation, I’m the queen of sitting and waiting for a page to load until TRIUMPH! What satisfaction :-)
Linda - great idea, are you patenting that? I was thinking when you create a twitter account you should have to provide an ICE (in case of emergency) number that they’ll call if you haven’t tweeted for a certain number of hours……..
sammcoy - hmmm, now thinking I’ll have to learn a whole NEW technology! I’m going to try not to think too much right now about the whole world’s network going down right now, my 24 hours was bad enough :-)
hi sammcoy - even ham operators are now using the internet to make contacts but I much prefer the airwaves if using radio.
Hi Kate - am checking out a few bloggers who have written into edubloggers and looking at their blogs and what they are talking about. I am so new to this, I didn’t even understand the term PLN.
tasteach -
I’m so sorry! PLN just means Personal Learning Network and means all of the people in your blogging world, twitter followers/followees, ning friends, etc. Basically anyone who helps you learn! I just started even using it a week or so ago and actually wrote that I was going to start using it in one of my posts! I saw Lucy Gray (@elemenous) use it and went from there.
Living in an urban area which still can’t access Broadband via a telephone line (don’t judge all of Adelaide on this, 95% of the rest of the population are happily enjoying ASDL2 Broadband) I have had to ‘invest’ in mobile internet for my laptop.
This works perfectly with my job - as it allows me to access reasonable bandwidth from most places I work from or travel to.
But what it functions on an ‘external USB cable data Reader’.
I’ve been ‘very protective’ of this reader - looking after its welfare like a mother over their new born baby - and to date - it’s been running lovely (”touch wood”).
However, only last week - we also ‘upgraded’ our home PC to mobile internet (on a very good deal mind you), but within 2 days - the Reader stopped working ;(. I know it was the reader, because I’ve swapped the SIM card & cable with my Reader - and they’re work perfectly.
So now I’m really, really paranoid that my poor Reader will break and I’ll be ‘forced’ to return to the world of ‘dial-up’ or even worse, I won’t be able to connect with my online connections ;(.
This is a very scary feeling….
Allison Miller
Adelaide, South Australia
http://twitter.com/theother66
I could not live without my high-speed access. I have Time Warner and they are considering using a ‘usage’ plan now… so I may be headed to the same ‘pain-state’ as you discovered. There are no real alternatives in my area; here is to hoping Verizon finally bring Fios to my area!
Your value is high and the internet, not the car, is your vehicle. It is really no different than decades in the past other than the vehicle you require.
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