New Friends Are Better Than New Tech

I recently started a master’s program in Educational Technology at Michigan State University. In the first week of CEP 810: Teaching for Understanding with Technology, I was required to open and use a Twitter account, make an introductory Flipgrid video, and start a blog, all to engage in a professional learning network (PLN).

Ugh. How bothersome.

But whence my annoyance?

There were two possible culprits responsible for my admittedly bad attitude: the technology, most of which I had never used before, and the social interaction with strangers. Despite being a computer programmer, I have always preferred late adoption of technology; and despite how much I enjoy meeting new people, I tend to stress over what I perceive to be my unacceptable amount of social awkwardness.

So I engaged myself in a thought exercise. What if I were required to participate in a PLN with strangers, but with technology that I was already in the habit of using, like email, phone, or text? And inversely, what if I were required to use new technology to interact with friends rather than strangers?

I already knew the answer to the second question, as I have purposefully avoided all use of social media over the last 15 years and have, uh, lost touch with a lot of folks. But, the answer to the first question surprised me: I would be perfectly willing to join a PLN if I were using old technology. So, it appears I have strongly held technology biases and habits I will have to understand and change to fully take advantage of the content in my master’s program in educational technology.

Buckle up, everybody! Time to change this old Luddite into a young technophile!