Have you ever seen that crazy YouTube video called “David After Dentist”? Of course you have. So have tens of millions of others. Or maybe “Charlie Bit Me”? How did these run-of-the-mill videos, typically just private moments with a family, become global sensations? They went viral.
Someone uploaded the video and sent it to a few friends or family. They thought it was hilarious, so they passed it along as well. This cycle continues, an explosion of traffic a result of the network effect.
Why aren’t our classes going viral? Or at least some of our projects?
What if students couldn’t help but tell their friends about what they got to do in class? What if students were actually evangelizing your projects? We already see some of this happening with teachers, where teachers post/share what they do and others are quick to snap it up, but are they quick to turn around and re-share it with their colleagues? Or do we run in such closed circles that all we get is a feedback loop?
It’s not as far-fetched as you might think. Let your ideas begin spreading virally. For example, if you’re having trouble getting a class on-board with a new project that you’re excited about, find one student to get started. Then, let others think this student is getting to do something special. They’ll ask questions. The idea spreads. Then more students want to participate. You’ve now created an environment of students that want to learn and your one student is now the “expert” that they’re turning to. In other words, you started the virus and then got out of the way and let it run its course.
Projects won’t go viral by chance and they aren’t just happy accidents. They are the result of dedicated thought and preparation of how you’re going to change the way ideas are spread in your classroom and even school.
