John Spencer is among the smartest people I know. He’s creative, thoughtful and introspective. He also has a really good blog. That I don’t read.
I talk with John frequently. He’s helped me work through ideas. He’s bounced things off me regularly. I have a blog too. That he doesn’t read. (We coincidentally confessed this to each other a few days ago. We laughed.)
I have been blessed to know dozens of people like John, many of whom have great blogs. I don’t read them either. I share this as both a confession but also a reflection in my evolution of learning shifts in consumption.
Blogging has been and remains for me the best way to reflect. When I began it was also a great way to connect more deeply with educators around the world. My job was like most in that outside of my online interactions, I had few focused conversations on topics I was interested in. My job with Discovery Education has me interacting with so many smart people that I work with and as part of our community. I’m privileged to attend many conferences and connect to incredibly passionate smart people. I have regular discussions about the things I’m passionate about and get to hear from others and their passions as well.
When I do read a post, it’s because it’s caught my eye on social media. So I still read blogs, just not like I used to. My RSS reader is largely for my students which I do read even after the course ends. Other than that, there are dozens of unread subscriptions and feeds that I’ve once subscribed to but just don’t read because when it comes to consumption, I don’t want to read about education all that much. I can’t remember the last book I read about education, I don’t listen to any educational podcasts either. This isn’t to brag or to say anything more than I’ve made some intentional decisions about what I consume outside of my work. I can’t help but taking the ideas I hear or read about that are not necessarily about education, and apply them to learning. The downside of reading fewer blogs is I’ve lost connection to some really great people that I don’t talk to much on other social spaces where I reside.
I’ll keep blogging but I don’t expect anyone to feel an obligation to read it. I’ve learned a long time ago that blogging is mostly for me to reflect and synthesize ideas, like this post. I’m grateful when others also find it useful and comment but that’s a bonus. I hope this doesn’t make me a bad person, but just wanted you to know, I still like you, respect you, I just don’t read your blog anymore.
cross-posted at ideasandthoughts.org
Dean Shareski is the Community Manager of the Canadian DEN (Discovery Educators Network) and lecturer for the University of Regina. With 24 years of experience as a K12 educator and consultant, he specializes in the use of technology in the classroom. Read more at ideasandthoughts.org.
Disclaimer: This weblog contains the opinions and ideas of Dean Shareski. While there may be references to my work and content which relates directly to my work, the ideas are mine alone and are not necessarily shared by my employer.
