FOMO-Fear Of Missing Out. This is a real concern for educators and parents alike. Our students constantly using their digital devices to check their social media sites. Are their friends doing something “great?” Did they not get invited to something this weekend? Did they not watch the Netflix show that everyone will be talking about on Monday?
But this is not just a “thing” for kids. Teachers have FOMO too. Do they choose not to check Pinterest for fear that their classroom does not live up to the ones pictured? Do they shy away from joining Twitter or Facebook groups or Instagram because they can not possibly do all the neat activities that are being talked about. Or add the technology into their day that is proposed by “everyone” on these social media sites.
A few thoughts to keep your FOMO in check.
- Don’t let FOMO keep you from some of the best Professional Development available to teachers. I have found most of the Educators on Twitter to want to share for the purpose of collegiality. The posts, pictures and Twitter chats can inspire you to use the resources you are already using in new and creative ways.
- Let the posts on Twitter and Instagram inspire you to learn 1 new tech tool. You don’t need to be an expert at every digital resource. If you are comfortable and intentional in your use of a tech tool, then your students will have no trouble following your lead. In fact they may teach you a component of the tool that you did not know, showing your students that we should always keep learning.
- “Listen” to a few Twitter Chats by following along or reviewing the conversation the next day. When you get comfortable, type “Hi” and indicate that you are new to Twitter Chats. This will help you grow your PLN (Personal Learning Network). Use the hashtag to follow some of the more popular ones: #isedchat; #edchat; #edtechchat; #tlap. Here is a google calendar with tons of Twitter chats sorted by the day of the week: https://sites.google.com/site/twittereducationchats/education-chat-calendar.
- Speaking of PLN (Personal Learning Network), create one. Teaching should be a collaborative venture. Learn from one another and you may find that you are doing something that another teacher wants to try in their own class.
- Pinterest: rather than envy a post, take the idea and make it your own. Just this week, I found a post on making a pipe cleaner snowboarder. I wanted to use it in my after school group in coordination with the Olympics. To allow my 2nd graders to do it, I had to make a few adjustments with the design and instructions.
While it may seem that “everyone” is more tech savvy, or classroom creative, don’t let that fairytale keep you from enhancing your own pedagogy. Use these tools as inspiration and resources, not as expectations. Connect with me on Twitter to start your Twitter experience @edtechease or @swladis. Or use my Pinterst boards as springboards to your creativity https://www.pinterest.com/shariwladis/ or https://www.pinterest.com/edtechease/boards/
“See” you there!
Originally posted on Friday, 16 February 2018