I’ve been listening to the rebroadcast of Dean Shareski’s ETMOOC Session “Sharing As Accountability” which you can find here. In it, he presents the argument that educators have an ethical responsibility to share. That is an intriguing notion (I would’ve used the word idea if this wasn’t an ed blog) that I had not considered. Before his session I would not have used the word responsibility but maybe the word opportunity or choice.

So why is it a responsibility? I’m going to have to re-listen to the presentation to get some more insights. But I do wonder why it is a responsibility?

Is it a responsibility because:

Is it because education is so difficult that we must all work together?

Is it because there is so much stuff out there related to education that we need to help identify and promulgate (ed blog word) those ideas that are best or we are undercutting the work of someone else?

Is it because sharing also provides a means for self-evaluation and reflection that is essential to becoming effective?

I’m sure I could come up with other questions. But one thing that stick in my mind is related to my personal teaching situation. I am a one-man department amongst many other one-person departments on a small, isolated community college campus. How small? 500 students. How isolated? We are 90 minutes away from the nearest Walmart (and those aren’t freeway, rush hour minutes those are open-country-watch-out-for-deer-elk-and-cow minutes.) Put simply…I need ideas and my colleagues need ideas. And, sadly, as far as I know none of my colleagues are into the whole Web 2.0/Personal Learning Network thang! I do feel obligated to share what I am learning in order to improve our effectiveness with our students. And…I am so grateful that others out there on the interwebs are willing to share with more because my PLN is a major part of my professional development.