The Current Face of Twitterboy
So this is both a serious and not so serious post about a discussion that started all because of some late night tweets that kept my brother up last night.
Since I am still not adjusted to the time zone in Barcelona, I woke up in the middle of the night and started responding to some tweets and woke up my brother. Today this led to him lovingly referring to me as #twitterboy. As soon as this happened, several people from my Professional Learning Network (PLN) started making jokes about the whole concept of a Twitterboy superhero! The conversation continued (it may even still be going) so I am guessing you are wondering what this has to do with education.
Through this topic and joking with my colleagues, I know that we will actually form a stronger relationship through our PLN. It is these types of moments that build relationships that are essential to learning and having “play time” that is essential to growth. Talking to Joyce Seitzinger this morning, we talked about the importance of humour in our learning environments and its importance for connecting with one another. Shelly Terrell also continuously emphasizes that it is essential that we have fun with our PLN or why would we come back?
The next time you teach your class, don’t ever hesitate to have some time to joke and show this humourous side to them. Through it, your connection and relationships will be a lot stronger! Relationships are the key to education, and through them, learning only gets deeper and stronger. Never forget to make time to have a laugh.
Thanks for the fun convo Meredith, Alec, Michelle, Joan, Jen, Beth, Diane, Hadley, Mary Beth, Amanda, Kathleen (for making the beautiful picture) and to ALL MY PLN who make learning fun and enjoyable every day. If we can all do that for kids in our schools, that is when we will see true change in education.
Time for play; The story of #Twitterboy%20http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/877" title="Share on Twitter" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">
Time for play; The story of #Twitterboy" title="Share on Delicious" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">
Time for play; The story of #Twitterboy" title="Share on StumbleUpon" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">
Time for play; The story of #Twitterboy" title="Share on Digg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">
Hi George,
This is a great reminder for us to not take life too seriously. When we laugh together it truly builds relationships where we can problem solve together. You are certainly a good sport! Thanks for sharing your insights once again. Great inspiration and leadership for all of us
Thanks Joan…you are the epitome of a positive person and I appreciate your easy going nature. If I had kids, I would trust you would make them feel welcomed, make them laugh, and would further their learning. Thanks for all the twitter mentoring; I really appreciate it!
Okay, now I get it! I must have been offline when all the conversation was going on!
I completely agree with the importance of bringing humour into the classroom and into our professional relationships! I'm leaving a 7 year stint as a grade 8-12 art/photo teacher and one of the main things I learned is that a sense of humour is a HUGE asset when teaching teenagers!
You definitely have to learn that when working with that age group. If you can't laugh with them, you will end up crying because of them. Humour goes a long way with all kids (and people!).
Great fun on a summer morning. With Twitter you never know where your next learning will come from. The useful posts, the brainstorming, the relationships formed, the laughs, the knowledge –> all a part of the learning cycle!
Kathy (aka Kathleen … not many people call me that – just George [due to my email] and Starbucks [due to my name badge])
PS –> Fellow Twitterboy followers mentioned above, I've added you to my followers. Hope you do the same.
Hey Kathy…I am glad that you opened up your learning environment on Twitter. You are going to have a great time with some wonderful people. The one common thread that I find with the educators on Twitter is that they are PASSIONATE!
Thanks for the encouragement. I know I'll enjoy the adventure!
I totally agree with you about humour, George. Without laughter, life is pretty dull and boring. By the way, I love the Twitterman avatar! Much prefer it to the Jerry Seinfeld pic! (Even though I know it's not Jerry Seinfeld)
I was going to go for T-Bone but George Costanza already took that name
George, I really wish that I hadn't missed out on this Twitterboy conversation this morning because it sounds like quite the great one. I just caught up on the last of the tweets now.
I really agree with your very important message here. Learning should be fun, and I think that laughing and learning should go hand in hand. This reminds me of a presentation that I listened to a couple of years ago when my school was looking at adopting a formalized Character Education Program, and we researched Fish For Schools. We never did purchase the program, but one of the key elements in it is to "Play." Laughing and having fun makes for some very meaningful lessons and some awesome learning opportunities!
Thanks to you and your brother for reminding us of this today with the birth of #twitterboy!
Aviva
I love FISH! If you are serious all day, days will be long, leading to burn out. My Superintendents, who deal with a lot of tough things, have the BEST sense of humour ever. They have made it such a warm and friendly place to work that I have never felt uncomfortable to talk to them. Laughing sounds the same no matter where you go, and it always eases the warmth in the room. I always remember that with my students!
I love FISH, too. I use both FISH and FISH STICKS (videos) in trainings. I'm headed to Seattle later this month an am looking forward to seeing the Pikes Place Fish Market in person! (along with a few Starbucks!)
Go, Twitterboy, go! I love the joy that you bring to education and Twitter!
Ditto Meredith!
I'm just glad I was in there somewhere.
I have often been harassed for being too serious, and it's one of my major goals to live a little and laugh a lot more. Life's too short not to, right?
I think you hit on something very important about a personal network. If we're all work and no play, we're not offering much that's personal. The humor and personality that comes through are definitely important to making connections. I know a lot of people who, in person, help me with information and resources, but I don't feel like I KNOW who they really are. When you and I meet in person, I will feel like I know a lot about you already. Plus, with the Twitterboy costume, you'll be easy to spot in a crowd.
Great post.
I am currently going on a diet so I fit into the costume. It is definitely going to be a tight squeeze!
I agree George. Your sense of humour is just one of the things that makes you such an effective leader. I always try to include some fun & laughter into our learning – life's too short to be serious all of the time!
Way too short! I know that my family is VERY dependent on laughter and it is something that has made our lives with each other great! Laughing and joking is way better than serious and arguing.
Hi Twitterboy! Your avatar makes me laugh every time I see it and I've been having a blast following up on the mancapri poll and the Couros brother adventures! Laughter is very good for health reasons and relieves stress. I'm sure people know this but I like to think we need a reminder. It's great to have people like you in my PLN to continuously remind me to not take myself too seriously!
I swear I laughed for 10 minutes straight reading your Twitter stream and seeing your avatar! Hope your presentation was fantastic but I'm sure it was!
Thanks Shelly! We are having a great time in Europe and a lot of laughs; Twitterboy sure helped out
I hope you are great on your side of the world even with me there!
[...] Alec said, about George, who has within the past year become active in social media himself. The tweets and blog posts coming out of Barcelona kept us all on the edge of our [...]