…or should it be ’140 or fewer characters’? Countable? Non-countable? I should Google that…

Anyway, should ‘tweet’ be both a noun and a verb? Ah, other than the Lynne Trusses of the world, who cares? In today’s world, attention to grammar seems to have gone the way of the Comm0dore 64.

When Michael Jackson died, I had to turn off my phone – my twitter updates were just vibrating it all to hell. When people asked me why I was screening my calls, I had to tell them about my twitter addiction. For some reason I felt like I would wither away to nothing if I had to wait a few hours to check online. Ah, those were the days…

…these days I get to carry my Mac around with me…and log into TweetDeck. I make sure it’s on mute, then feel like I’m connected. Why do I need this? Does it really matter that someone I know – on the other side of the world – slept in and missed work? Or that there’s a new sale going on at a store in another country? Perhaps not, but it makes me feel connected. And you know what? That’s not an easy feeling to come by when you’re living in the Arctic. Not easy at all.

So here’s my current TweetDeck screen:

I have my personal one, the one I keep for my dogs (because, obviously, my dogs are technologically inclined), and the one I keep for a side business I’m trying to grow. And I tweet. And it makes me feel connected.

Since that time – the time when not many knew too much about the whole Twitter phenomenon – it’s grown to something that constantly shapes communication. I keep up to date with classes, friends, and (brace yourself) even Perez Hilton – gossip king/queen extraordinaire. There, my dirty little secret’s out.

But if you’re not concerned about who wore what to a red carpet event, keep this in mind: Twitter can be one of the most powerful tools out there. Face it, this is a tangential generation (hey, just check out the # of ellipses, dashes, parentheses, and general lack of direction throughout most of this post). Very short attention spans seem to be the result of the dizzying instant gratification we can receive online. Surfing is all about tangents!

…and there I go again…

Check out this story, then tell me Twitter’s not a powerful tool.

#change11

The beautiful hamlet in northern Canada which I call 'home'.

So now here I am, above the Arctic Circle, wondering how to connect. True, a Bruce Willis movie with butter-drenched popcorn in a dark movie theater isn’t much of a human interaction, but at least you are surrounded by people. This reality has, however, guided my professional journey to an extent.

As an adult educator in the north I encounter a unique learner: a person with vast skill-sets, only some of which are generally deemed appropriate for in-class work…I’m not saying that I wholly agree with this generalization, but it’s one that is commonly thrown around in the dark and dusty corners of various staff-rooms I’ve entered; I’m trying to align my worldview with my current reality. People tell me, “think outside the box,” but I think I’ll need help. How does ‘education’ work in this environment.

I’m sure there are quite a few metaphors which could be used at this juncture, but I’m just trying to keep things as clear as possible. When I speak with most of my colleagues in the ‘south’ (below the treeline), their main pet peeve seems to be keeping ahead of their grade-school kids when it comes to the undeniable power of online tools. However, how do you teach someone with no experience with a computer to stay ahead of the kids at school? I work with future teachers.

I hope someone out there will stop by every now-and-then to give me some advice. And, if I insult anyone, please don’t hate me: explain why you were offended so I can learn a bit more…

#change11

…please check back soon.

…please check back soon.