After reading the short and sweet book, Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon I find myself again inspired to put more effort into social media sites and to maybe even share a few of my ideas online. I completely agree with Kleon that there are many ways to meet people, share ideas, and make new connections online and being in this class has opened my eyes to many of these things. So now the question I am asking myself is why do I never want to participate? Everyday I have to force myself to get on Twitter and find a few things to post and I never feel the urge to reach out and contact someone personally that I found online. Maybe it is because I have been a visitor on the internet for so long that it is hard to view it as a way to interact with people. Or maybe it’s because I am secretly introverted and want to do everything quietly by myself. Who knows? After reading this book I feel compelled to once again try and make an effort to create a presence online. I love reading people’s blogs and using their ideas in the classroom so I know I should share my ideas as well. I think my hesitation could stem from my lack of experience in the classroom. I am just starting out in my teaching career so who am I to tell people what they should try or what worked for me? This book made me think that even though I am still learning that I should share my work regardless. The whole idea of sharing before something is completed is very foreign to me and to many people. Like the book mentions several times, no one wants to admit that their work was not perfect the first time they tried it hardly anyone wants to admit how long they actually spent on something. This is one thing that I am really going to try and stop doing. Who cares if I do not do everything perfectly the first time? I should welcome suggestions because they will in the end help me to make what I am doing better. It is very hard to accept criticism of something you are passionate about but in the end it will only make you better at what you do. I am going to make a conscious effort to share my work and my ideas and also to ask for advice and ideas instead of trying to hide everything I do until I know for sure it works. I think this will help me to become a better educator and a better person as I move towards my future career.
Kleon, A. (2014). Show your work!: 10 ways to share your creativity and get discovered. New York, NY: Workman Publishing.
Kleon, A. (2014). Show your work!: 10 ways to share your creativity and get discovered. New York, NY: Workman Publishing.