After reading so many things lately about the time suck of 2.0 and the stupidity of twitter (and no, I’m not linking to that negativity - nope, won’t do it) I’d like to simply state 2 teensy tiny changes that I’ve made almost without thinking after working in this new world of effortless global interaction:
1) Adding F when I write about temperatures
2) Adding CST when I make plans
These things may seem inconsequential, but they show my shift toward global thinking. I’ve always talked about it and have taken several international business courses, but have never had a need until now to truly communicate professionally with people who don’t know that my temperature is measured in Fahrenheit and who do need to know that when I plan an Elluminate session at 8:30 pm it’s 8:30 pm CST. I don’t think I’m alone in this, although probably many of the people who need to make these same changes aren’t reading here. Call me small-town, call me isolated, but I’m not all that unique compared to the education community as a whole. It truly is the little things that make a difference.
I’d also like to share one of the posts that exemplify my global network - Sue Waters from Perth, Australia just wrote today about her vacation and gave a fascinating look at Western Australia and some of the highlights of her travels. I know Sue only through our online interactions, but she’s bringing me information that I probably never would have gotten without our connection. Isn’t this what we’re trying to do with our students? Open up the world and provide relevant connections to curriculum? I could read all of the textbooks out there about facts of Australia, but what will actually stick with me is Sue’s post, because I could relate to it.
So, I’m sticking my tongue out at the naysayers and am still in awe of my new world. Everything in moderation, of course.
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m glad you mention the time zone difference. It’s not something we normally think about, but something we should. In putting together my state project collaboration times and will certainly have to keep this in mind. Great point!
Good post, Kate! For several years I helped moderate a big international listserv that discussed world events, arts, etc. VERY interesting to get many perspectives and to realize that, for instance, Fahrenheit temperatures are incomprehensible to much of the world.
As for the Twitter naysayers, they’d make as much sense (i.e. none) if they said “Telephones are stupid.” It’s just a medium. Some of the people who use it are stupid, and some of the smart ones use it stupidly. Ah, but I don’t have to talk to them, do I?
It’s no different than some of the 19-year-olds I hear on campus as they talk vapidly on their cell phones. The fact that *they* are vapid on the phone doesn’t keep me from having a meaningful phone conversation with you, my mom, my wife, or whoever.
It’s just a tool. The brilliance or stupidity is in the use.
Thanks Kate — I’m glad you enjoyed my post. I tried hard to grab videos on my holiday that I thought would interest my readers and discuss aspects that would make them laugh.
Timezones is important however as an Aussie US time zones do my head in :) which is why it’s also worth linking to a time zone converter (even if the time zone converters also confuse me).
With temperature I will often show both C and F. Distance I will show as both miles and km — I didn’t in this post because the post was too long.
I have just started a collaboration with someone in Canada in a different timezone than myself. I am in Mountain and he is in Central. We decided that when we talk about time that we would use Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) so that we would have a common reference. The challenges that arise when you are collaborating with people all over the world are amazing.
Chris
edtechrunner.edublogs.org
@Chad » I’m glad you found this useful, it’s something I’m learning as I go and is giving me an entire different framework for my thinking!
@Tim Walker - hmmm, sometimes it WOULD just make sense to follow the rest of the world and switch to Celsius, huh? Silly us, doing our own thing!
@Sue - I’m glad you mentioned the time zone converters and the miles/km reference. I’ve been directed to time zone converters on other sites and found that to be VERY helpful and a mile/km conversion is always nice as well. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all just use the SAME measurement sysetem?
@Chris - sounds like you and your collaboration partner found a system that works for you, that’s key, isn’t it? Find a standard for going forward to act as a baseline for future references.
What really confuses me is when someone starts talking about time in Second Life - I mean, what is SL time…!?
Sarah Stewart » I completely agree! I haven’t dived into Second Life yet, and as I showed in my post, am just starting to think globally in THIS life :-) Someday all of these worlds will merge, perhaps?
I chat with people all over the world on IRC and find myself doing the same thing. Another thing I’ve started doing is using “military time” since our AM/PM is incomprehensible to a lot of them. :)
Michelle
Michelle - military time, now that’s an idea I hadn’t considered! Thanks for sharing it :-) I’m doing my best to get out of the US-centric viewpoint many people around me have, I think it’s so important.
It’s hard to get out of that viewpoint. I’ve been on IRC with people all over the world for 11 years and on usenet before that and I still catch myself forgetting sometimes.
Michelle
AHHHHH Time Zones! Next year I am going to buy a bunch of clocks and put them up labeled with the groups we work with.
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