Who is a "Connected Educator" Anyway?

October is "Connected Educator Month" and I was honored to be asked by the IDOE eLearning Development office to model what a "Connected Educator" might look like for their promotion of the event.It was great opportunity to stretch myself in the video creation department, so I was happy to accept the invitation.

What Does 'Connected Educator' Mean?
"Connected" means so many different things to different people. For me, being connected is utilizing web tools, resources, and online collaborations to help me become a better teacher. 'Connected' also means that I get exposure to terrific methods of teaching, creative student learning products, and support from teachers around the globe who are trying to get better as well.

How Do I Connect?
I think that most teachers are a very giving lot, educators that share what works and what doesn't is invaluable. A source of perpetual professional development. I have great teachers in my building to be sure, but I can make almost unlimited connections through my favorite social media platform, Twitter.

After more than three years on Twitter, I can confidently say, the people I follow share things that matter. Whether their content comes to me through their blog, website, tweets, or their own re-sharing, there is rarely a time when I don't find something of value on the other side of that click.

#Chat it up
When I was a new teacher, #ntchat, founded by Lisa Dabbs (@Teachingwithsoul) and moderated with her fabulous devotion to her 'newbies' helped me realize that I wasn't alone. The Twitter chat let me 'talk' with teachers who were encountering the same problems that I was facing and work through solutions together. I've found tremendous value in #elemchat as well. There is one out there for you as well. Start with Jerry Blumengarten's (@Cybraryman1) Educational chat page to find one that matches what you need.

This constant sharing and resource stockpile has resulted in great depth of available expertise and tools that I can use to help my students learn and demonstrate their learning. Tools that allow them to take hold of their learning and be creative in how they show what they have learned. I guess you could say that not only am I connected, but so is our class.

PLN
A Personal Learning Network or PLN is a network of people that you can develop over time. A PLN is about relationships and trust.You don't have to be the building 'techie' to create or grow a PLN, you just need a desire to learn and a willingness to learn from others. Your PLN can be as big as you want it to be, but  whatever the size, it can be invaluable. Read this excellent post by Tom Whitby on PLN's from a few years ago.

A Connected Class
I've used technology to connect in differing ways to my students and their home partners. I use Facebook, Remind 101, Google sites, Kid Blogs, and Edmodo among others to let home partners be a part of our classroom. Parental engagement is so very important to my student's success, so tools that flatten and simplify communication are essential.

My blog is a place for me to talk about what's important to me and share some things that have worked for me in my classroom. I'm amazed and humbled that people like to read what I have wrote. The reflective part of the writing process can be excruciating and painfully slow, but worth every minute, I put into it.

Get connected. You'll be glad you did.

Follow me on Twitter @YourKidsTeacher

Setting the Foundation

Just around the corner is our School's open house. After a long Summer, many of my new class of 6th graders will peeking into Room 216 for the first time.

Open house night starts with sack lunches prepared by our amazing kitchen staff and a picnic of sorts as people spread out across the playground. It is a great time for family members to get together and tour the school together. It's the first glimpse I have into the home life of my students. I can observe the interactions between the parents and their kids. I can get an idea of how large their families are, where do they fit in with their siblings and how well do they seem to get along. I might see the structure of the house (a two parent household, are there other caregivers involved, etc). The night doesn't give me a complete picture, but gives me enough information to start to understand the kids that I will be spending the next 10 months with.

The evening's positive energy is high. The kids are excited as they make there way around the halls, then into our new room. The teachers have typically spent the last week or so getting their rooms ready for those all important first few days of the new school year. The educational infrastructure has been created and put in place so that the next morning when the first bell rings, our kids can start learning. Kids always want to find their desks and see who is in their collaboration cluster. Many of the kids are anxious, a little nervous, because of the unknown. So am I. A new start can be scary when you're 12 or ....well.

It is interesting to see which kids introduce themselves and those that are introduced by their home partners. Which students are already comfortable in their home away from home. The students already at ease are usually the ones who I've had in science fair,  coached or rooted for on various teams, or just a frequent high-five recipient. Other students move about the edges. Maybe they are trying not to be noticed or are just a little shy this early in the relationship.

Invariably there is one or a few home partners who want to provide me with a breakdown of their student's weaknesses. I politely listen, but to be honest I'm not storing much of the conversation in my long term memory. I will get to know their child's strengths and weaknesses soon enough, and it takes a lot longer than a passing conversation with warm cookies in our hands. (my wife is awesome by the way)

On this occasion, I'm more interested in the home partner. I want to get a sense of what school was like for them, because their attitude and interests have certainly impacted their student's attitude. Does the home partner contribute to an us vs. them attitude with their child? Questions I try and slip into the quick conversation:

• What was your favorite subject? Why? (grades or the learning)
• What books have you read recently? 
• Who was your favorite teacher? Why?
• What do you do for fun? What are your interests? 
• Did your family have the chance to do something fun or exciting this summer.

The questions aren't meant to define, but to gauge how high the home partner's wall is. In other words, do they have a negative predisposition to school? Do they like learning? What expertise can I leverage for our classroom? What kind of support can they or are willing to give to their student? 

I need to capture the natural energy of the event and start to build the relationships that will contribute to a vibrant learning environment. The last thing I'm going to do is put another brick in the wall between them and their own learning experience by handing out a bunch of classroom rules and expectations. I want them to walk away knowing that our student is going to learn and grow in Room 216. I can't communicate that with a handout or permission slip. 

I want them to know that the learning might look a little different than when they went to school. It will not be in a straight line and might look a little messy. Their child's proof of learning won't be demonstrated by properly filling in a standardized bubble sheet. Their child will have choices. Their child's work will be published, displayed and shared. They won't have homework.

I want them to trust in their student and in me. I try and get them to help me to lay the foundation for the year and not build higher walls. We're going to do great things and I want them along for the ride.

 
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above photo by Eric Johnson