A blog post by Terri Elton
…students Tweeting in class at the request of the teacher!
Today might have been a first at Luther Seminary. Instead of discouraging social media in class, Terri Elton and Nancy Lee Gauche encouraged it. Today, as Nancy Lee Gauche lead a discussion with the theme “yourself as leader,” Terri Elton and a few other students posted what they learned, questions, and comments live on Twitter. It was fun, and we even had a few outside voices join in. Here’s part of the thread:
DISC profiles today. If you’ve taken it, what were your results?
DISC is a tool to discover what motivates people. How does motivation connect to leadership?
Assessments helps us understand ourselves as leaders, but also understand the people we are leading.
People behave in either an active or passive way. We are shaped by our environment.
How important is trust in leadership? Is trust necessary to help people be motivated?
I think it is necessary. If there is no trust in the leader why would one follow them?
Are trust and fear on a continuum in the leadership/follower relationship?
Does fear ever completely go away in leader/follower relationship? Can a follower ever completely trust?
Not sure the definition of fear. Bible says that fear is the beginning of wisdom. That fear?
Or are we talking about fear as opposite or lack of trust?
And so we are off. Tweeting in class. Students of leadership discussing in the room, as well as conversing in the virtual world.
Why? Why do such a thing? There are at least two reasons:
First, leadership is a public endeavor. And learning about leadership from those in the room and those outside the room just seems right. Cloistered away in a seminary classroom is too safe, too theoretical. Going public makes us accountable, challenging our assumptions and making us think twice about our words. And it’s surprising in many ways. You can’t control it, and that’s the exciting part.
Second, I can’t imagine teaching leadership without it being part of a larger conversation. The conversation takes place on many levels. Some of the conversation is the shared teaching and learning between the instructors and the students. Some of the conversation emerges as each person speaks from their various experiences. And some of the conversation connects with those whom we will lead, right now or in the future. If students studying to be leaders in the church are not in conversation with the church, then there’s a problem. And that’s always been true. But in the past we didn’t have tools to engage in such conversations live, and all at the same time. Today, we do. So, we are going to try it. And we’d love for you to join us.
So, yes, every Thursday (1:30-3:30 pm CST) for the next 11 weeks (minus Thanksgiving) we will be Tweeting live. Our hashtag? #cyfleadership. Tell your friends and colleagues.
Next week’s theme: leadership in intersections. #cyfleadership
Author Bio:
Terri is passionate about young people and their families, and loves the church. No really! She’s our Associate Professor and teaches with an eye toward developing leaders and leading change. She also serves as Director of the Center for First Third Ministry and hopes to help ministry leaders create environments that cultivate a faith that matters. Growing up in southern California, Terri discovered her love for the city, cultural diversity and the beach. You can usually find Terri running or biking the streets of Minneapolis/St. Paul, or wherever she happens to be. When not moving, she’s watching a movie with her husband or traveling with her two young adult daughters.
