Warning: DON’T TAKE THE FOLLOWING SERIOUSLY

I think it was an Australian blogger who wrote a post about how people should include a picture of themselves on their blog. Something about letting people see the real person behind the words. I am coming out against that practice. I like using my imagination to create an image of the person I am listening to or reading. Some of the people that I have been reading or listening to for over a year have become real people in my imagination. Their hair is cut a certain way, they wear certain clothes, and they walk a certain way. Along the way many of my images have been shattered. It turns out that many of my imaginary 2.0 mentors don’t look like what I imagined them to look like in real life. I would just like to go over my biggest disappointments so far in 2008.

The first is Ben Hazard of pdtogo:I have listened to almost all the podcasts but 90% of the time I only listen to the first ten minutes. I love it. I have always pictured Ben with very neatly combed hair to the side, a pastel polo shirt on, collar up, a pair of those boats shoes with socks up to his knees, tan shorts, round glasses that were too big for his face, and he was as skinny as a bean pole. Well about two weeks ago I saw a picture of him and it shattered my image.

Next is his co-host Joan Badger– I had a crystal clear image of her in pajamas(now wait, in one podcast she mentioned that she could wear pajamas and nobody would know),  hair all a mess pulled back in a pony tail,  a tie died t-shirt from a college sorority that she took from her roomate, bunny slippers, and somewhat bowlegged. Well I just saw a picture of her last weekend and it shattered my image.

Next is Steve Dembo of teach42 fame – yes Steve, I am still waiting for my invitation to the kegger – I am most disappointed with Steve. After reading his stuff and listening to his podcasts I knew for sure that he had thick black hair in a pony tail. Tattoos — you know those big ones you wish you did not get when you were 18, jeans, black boots, a leather jacket, a wallet on a chain, and he drove into his presentations on a Harley. I just watched a presentation of his a couple of weeks ago. Well…again, my image was shattered.

Howabout just one more…this one is a little different…I have seen what Kevin Honeycutt looks like right from the very beginning of when I started listening to him. His podcasts I caught early on showed him sitting in his car. But something I saw recently really surprised me. I saw him standing next to a picture of a llama. I never realized he was that tall!! I always thought he was about 5 feet tall. But he was bigger than that llama and llamas are pretty tall. My image of a short little man walking around the Kansas Prairie was shattered.

Alright, since you asked, one more.  There is one person that I am lucky to not have seen his picture. Doug Johnson. I have read his blog on and off for a year. I know he is a short, squat, cigar, crushed hat, beard that is white, no hair, I mean nothing on top, slick talkin’ Minnesotite. He looks weathered, in a way that makes someone look tough, not old. He has been on one too many ice fishing trips without a shelter, even though people offer him a beer and he accepts, he would rather have a malted milk. He is definitely a hunter and has a stuffed rabbit, no deer, no moose head above the computer he works at. I hope that image is never shattered.

I was going to post their pictures here, but I don’t want to shatters any images that other 2.0 going educators might have. If any of the above characters read this post — sorry I have to stop to laugh because it would probably quadruple my readership–I hope you know that I love you all and you all had a role in how my kids turned out this year.  This is my way of saying thanks.