Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Ms. Konkel vs Nellie 

I am only 25 years old, so I can remember high school like it was yesterday....and even some of elementary school. I remember having older teachers, younger teachers, and teachers of all ages in between. No matter how old my teachers were, I remember thinking one thing about all of them: there was no way they could have a life outside of school. Teachers did not have real lives. They came to school, taught us, then went home and got ready to do it all again the next day. When I saw teachers at the grocery store or at a neighborhood event- it was like seeing a dog walk on its hind legs: a very odd event! 

Flash forward to me being in education- and it is absolutely crazy being a young educator and realizing that all my teachers were just completely normal people. Teachers are completely normal people! We watch horrible reality tv shows, we go out to dinner and eat too many calories, we might even go to a bar for a cocktail (gasp!). Yet this concept that our lives start and end with school is still very, very real. Students are shocked when they see me outside of school, baffled when I know a current popular song, and surprised when I have social plans. 

So where exactly does this notion come from? I can't necessarily answer where it comes from- but I can tell you it is certainly perpetuated in many ways. One of the main ways is teachers being held to a distinctly higher standard than other 'average citizens'. It is definitely frowned upon for teachers to share revealing photos on social media, use foul language in public, be seen drinking, or doing other 'taboo' activities. However, if other people are seen doing any of these things- no one looks twice. And further more, it would never jeopardize their jobs. While yes, we should absolutely conduct ourselves in a positive manner, I do not think that we should constantly be worried about how others might feel about our actions; especially outside of school. 

I think this really hit me when completing the Personal Learning Network (PLN) assignment. This assignment required me to setup a Twitter account, or use an existing one, follow educational accounts, retweet resources, and participate in an #edchat. Right away, I knew I did not want to use my personal Twitter account. I do not really tweet often, but I retweet memes, videos, and other tweets I find to be funny. Most do not reflect my personal views at all- I simply think they are great for a laugh. Yet still, I am afraid that if people who know me as a teacher or a student saw these tweets; they would think differently or less of me. Creating my Twitter account for the PLN assignment reminded me that there's an unwritten expectation to keep my personal life very separate from my professional life. 

Below are some snapshots from my professional Twitter account, created for the PLN: 

Image source:  Twitter.com 

On this account, I only follow educational accounts. I only retweet resources or other professional tweets. This Twitter is what I like to refer to as 'Ms.Konkel': Clean cut, no room for controversy, and all business. It is still all about what I love: education and special education....but there's just no personality. There's no me. 

Now, below are snapshots from my personal Twitter account: 

Image source: Twitter.com 

On my personal account I follow my favorite performers, alcohol brands, comedians, and friends. I tweet about silly things like my fuzzy slippers, how summer break is going, and getting concert tickets to my favorite artist's show. This Twitter is Nellie. It is me. It is full of things that make me laugh, that I enjoy, that I love. Are any of these horrible things? I do not think so! But somehow I feel the need to keep my account very private because I feel like any of these factors could be interpreted the wrong way, and be used against me as an educator. 

This course has shown me so much about technology in education, and the wonderful things about it. But it also made me realize something: it is just another aspect of our lives to keep separate from our careers. A professional and personal Twitter account, a professional and personal email, a professional and personal Pinterest account- the list goes on. 

Overall, I think this course opened my eyes to just how involved technology is becoming in day to day education. Going into this course, I knew technology was something that has made so much possible in technology. It has given students a voice, it has allowed students to be more engaged than ever, and it has enabled teachers to build educational connections with students even outside of the classroom. Now, having taken this course; I realize that technology in education reaches way beyond just devices in the classroom. Technology in education is now professional websites that interviewers might want to see in the future, it is monitoring our digital tattoo that has been being built since we started using the internet, it is trends that can bring our teaching to the next level. Technology in education is interlaced in almost every facet of education itself. While we are inevitably going to be faced with more boundaries and more questions as new technology continues to emerge- there is one thing I can say for certain: I believe technology in education has done more good than bad. All of the questions, uncertainties, and uncharted territories are absolutely worth all of the amazing possibilities  that technology has allowed!