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something there is that loves a list
By audhill | August 6, 2007
Mr. Belshaw asks what irritates about edubloggers. Here’s my list:
1) serving yourself. Edubloggers who use listservs for the sole purpose of advertising their own blogs with no give back (you know who you are) and those whose self interest conflicts with critical evaluation of products, positions, and practices
2) nonstop evangelizing. Thinking the world will be saved by your vision; for an out of profession example, see chiropractors who see a causal relationship between frequent universal adjustments and world peace. It’s good to be upbeat, but a daily dose of overwrought, uncritical enthusiasm is just creepy.
3) courting the end times. Bloggers who complain continuously about what will happen if others don’t get on board their vision for the world, district, or school. Start with the fact that no field including (gasp) technology has the whole or only answer, end with nobody wants to hear it post after post, even when they agree. “It’s not all a disaster, Margaret.” Sky-is-falling blogging is one of my personal failings, but, of course, in my case….. see caveat below
4) contributing to the decline and fall. It’s not all a disaster, unless it is. When those who educate our young, or who help to create policy, devalue a liberal arts education as archaic and irrelevant then the sky really is falling, chicken little.
5) engaging in the lingo. We all use it to an extent, but over use of coded language always seems regurgitated and undigested. Consider the term digital native…it looks like fad following and smells like idolatry. Rule of thumb#1: never trust anyone over 50 who trusts everyone under 30; rule of thumb#2: never trust a parrot.
6) being overly pious. There’s no need to be a shock jock, but adult blogs don’t have to taste like baby food, either. The criteria for adult and underage audiences is not identical (ps… damn, damn, damn. Double entendre follows in the next post)
Topics: for fun |