by John T. Spencer
What did I do during my week away from Twitter?
Pretty much everything I do without Twitter, just with a little extra mind-wandering, more doodling and maybe a little less distraction. I didn't write more, run more or watch a foreign movie.
What did I miss out on?
Not much. I had the same types of conversations I have on Twitter, but I was limited by time and place.
What does this tell me?
That Twitter is an everyday part of life. It's a place I like to be, but it isn't home. It's a method of communicating, but it's nothing as vital to me as blogging.
What does this have to do with teaching?
Sometimes techies gush about social media as a transformative tool. This week reminded me that it hasn't transformed much of my life, much less my approach to teaching. It has, however, become normal -- and maybe the normalcy is precisely why it's powerful. When the novelty fades and I find myself drawn toward it again, I am reminded that the place/tool of Twitter has a place in my world.