Social Media (SoMe)

Well, if there's one thing I'm learning in this class, it's that I don't know as much as I thought!  I am an overachiever and receiving only 50% on this survey just sent me into a rage--Lol.  I'm in Education, not Technology nor Business, that's the feeling I got while answering those off the wall questions.  I've always considered myself "in the loop" when it comes to current trends and such, so I beg to differ with my "so-called" results.

I recall years ago (and I emphasize the word years) while working with the Department of Energy and serving as the Administrative Specialist and Retention NCO for my Army Reserve Unit, I was on top of it when it came to the latest technology.  Granted we used those obsolete hard square disks, worked with a program called LOTUS, had computers the size of a 1950's television, and corresponded with holey-joes and the telephone (you know the kind---they had a cord connected to the handset), but I was "with-it." haha.

 So I can honestly say that I am most definitely in when it comes to technology.  After all, I bought my children their first video game system--Sega, a few years later we purchased the infamous Nintendo 64 (by which my 24 year-old technology savvy son explained why it was called that!),and when I began my journey as an educator, bought a home computer. I had every type of cell phone you can think of, and I have even had the pleasure of introducing some amazing technology to some teachers who are from the old-school of thought.

I participate in Facebook (so I can creep my kids), Linkedin, and Google+ and I get lost for hours using Pinterest.  On a personal note, the social media has provided me ways to stay in touch with family and friends, find old acquaintances, discover great places to eat and of course to meet people.  Professionally, the stuff that is out there is just overwhelming.  You can get ideas for lesson plans, assessments, activities, etc., all from fellow educators and researchers.  So the question is not is social media the way of the future for me, but how am I going to incorporate social media into my profession as an educator.