Always, endlessly, exhaustedly all of the tools …

 

So, here we are. Week 5. Past the 1/3 mark of the class.

We’ve had a lot of tools offered to us on our social media buffet.

Blogs. Instagram. LinkedIn. Reddit. YouTube. Pinterest. Diigo. Cluster. Flickr. I could go on. And more to come.

I mean, yay, right? But also it’s a lot. 

How are you doing? How are you feeling?

Me, I’m exhausted, but that’s OK. I knew that my experience would be exhausted and resigned to the fact that I can’t be there to see it all and do it all. In any other class that might not be great, but in this class, it’s really okay to not see and do it all. It’s also okay to just sample a tool briefly and move on. We need to explore the tools so we can think about which ones will support us as we teach, network, and build community. This is connectivist learning that we’re experiencing.

I could make a list right now of things I’ve seen and done in this class so far, and things that I’ve not. 

I choose where and how to participate based on a number of things:

• Timing (I’m here — anyone to interact with right now?)
• Where I see you all engaging (BTW I’m loving the posts on Cluster! More! Go do that fun challenge!)
• My tool comfort and preferences (I just can’t get into Reddit, having tried many times. I pushed out of my comfort zone on LinkedIn this summer. I hope to engage with y’all more on GoodReads — where are my readers at? — and Instagram)

Some nights I go to bed thinking “but I forgot to check in on [tool] today” but then I remember that really it’s okay. Our objective in this class is not to interact constantly across a zillion platforms. We need to learn about the platforms (at least some of them, and it’s okay if we all focus on different ones). We need to experience what it is like to interact and have interaction partners AND what it is like to be in a space and not have them. 

On a personal level, we need to learn to manage the deluge of contact and information. We’ll each have different ways that work for us. It’s important to learn what works for us as individuals and to acknowledge that other people will have different strategies and needs.

So why this post? I want to normalize the diverse feelings and experiences that accompany this journey that we’re on. 

Why not leave me a comment and let me know what you’re feeling and how you’re managing it.