The latest big thing in education is getting educators connected. The Department of Education is even declaring the month of October as Connected Educators’ Month to place an emphasis on and using, information, sources, and recruitment as key components in supporting a goal of connecting educators.
What is a connected educator? As a generalization, defining anything for educators is always a task, since educators try to make all definitions as inclusive and complete as possible to account for any contingency. It is as if someone can point out an exception to the rule, the definition must be flawed. As a result some bloggers try to qualify definitions in order to accommodate skeptical, or questioning educators. With that in mind, this is my definition of a connected educator. If it does not suit you make up your own. For me a connected educator is one who uses technology and social media to personalize learning for both personal and professional growth.
Of course someone will step up and say that we can do that face-to-face so we don’t need technology. Of course that is true, and that is the way that it was for many thousands of years, but we are no longer living with the limitations of past centuries. With the advent of the printing press, the radio, the telephone, the television, the calculator, the computer, and now the Internet, we have tools to get beyond face-to-face limitations. We can connect globally or locally without concerns for time or space. We live in an anytime, anywhere communication culture. Why would any educator dealing with thinking and learning not use that to his or her advantage, or the advantage of his or her students?
The big picture in being a connected educator is the idea that you as the educator are first connected to the general flow of information, and then secondly, focused on specific connections to drill down to the detailed needs specific to you, or your students’ needs. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter are all applications that may be used to connect educators. Like it or not however, Twitter is the backbone of a majority of Personal/Professional Learning Networks for educators. Educators have taken Twitter beyond its intended use, making it a professional tool for collaboration. Approving or disapproving of the application is like approving or disapproving of a hammer or screwdriver. You can hate them all you want, but try building a house without them. Being on Twitter and following 200 sharing educators is a general connection that will meet general needs, and promote great reflection on education. Your Twitter timeline will flow with education sources and information 24/7. Information and sources are simply there for the taking. Using that timeline to focus on educators in your area of expertise will render ideas and lessons beyond general education philosophy to meet specifics in your area of study. If you teach English focus on English teachers. If you teach second grade focus on second grade teachers. There are thousands of connected educators in your specific area of expertise willing to share with you. Your task is to find them and connect.
I referred to Twitter as the backbone of a PLN because it is a constant flow of education sources and connections. You can literally post a question on Twitter and get answers back in seconds, if properly executed to a developed network of educators. To get beyond Twitter educators need to locate and follow Blogs that are in line with their needs. More and more bloggers are becoming our educational thought leaders. The benefit of blogs is that you may interact with the blogger, as well as the ideas in any post. Educators may question, test, and reflect on any ideas put forth in a post.
Ning sites are communities of educators with like interests. Joining any of these communities gives access to Blogs, discussions, videos, and groups specific to the needs of that community of educators. Ning sites are a great source for expanding connections
Skype and Google hangouts allow educators to select individuals for specific face-to-face interactions. Educators may connect with authors, experts, speakers, or other educators for personal, or classroom interactions. These interactions may also be recorded in order to be shared later. Making these connections lasting connections should be your goal.
There are several hundred education Chats taking place on Twitter each and every day. Participation in these chats enables educators the ability to exchange, consider, reflect, modify and adopt ideas from educators around the world. These chats are a great place to find, and connect with other educators based on the acceptance of their ideas as opposed to their title. Follow the chat hashtags.
Of course the irony of this post is that if you are reading it, you are more than likely a connected educator. You are also more than likely already familiar with all that I have said. There is however a purpose in sharing these ideas with you. We need to take these ideas to share with your non-connected colleagues. As we increase the number of connected educators in our connected community, we are increasing our knowledge pool. In doing so, we are getting more educators focusing on their needs in education. An idea not shared is just a passing thought. As individual thinkers we may be good, but collectively we are better. Convince a colleague to connect and we all benefit.
[…] The latest big thing in education is getting educators connected. The Department of Education is even declaring the month of October as Connected Educators’ Month to place an emphasis on and using,… […]
I like the idea of being able to identify myself as a connected educator. I think accessing all of the valuable resources and information out there, then using it to fit my needs is powerful. I also love the idea of using twitter as a “professional tool for collaboration”
I am currently in the process of becoming an educator. I will agree that it is great to have all of the technology we could want right at our fingertips anytime that we need it. I also agree that as an educator it is important that we know and understand how to use all technology tools offered because in certain cases in different classrooms there will be times when these tools will need to be applied.
With that being said I also feel that all of these tools bring with them a certain amount of busy work. I have a lot of other things I enjoy in my life and I cannot constantly be checking up on twitter to see what everyone is tweeting about. None the less, I love having all of the options.
I hope to be connected throughout my teaching careers, however I do fear that students and people in general are loosing their ability to connect on a face to face basis. Though I thoroughly appreciate technology and hope to utilize it to stimulate my students in my future classroom, I hope that I am also able to help students find the value in personal relationships and contacts. The web is an incredible resource that should be used purposefully and intentionally and should stimulate curiosity and intellectual and personal growth. I want to be connected so that I to can stay up to date and thoroughly informed on current issues around the globe.
I have to admit that I was uneasy when my teacher education program required us to start a Twitter account (which I had successfully evaded for some time). Since then, I have had to force myself to be intrigued by it and keep looking for more educators to follow. I understand the importance of being a part of the collective conversation on education. Being united digitally gives more power than I had previously thought. Think of what the future of educational reform could look like if we just had the right people connected! We don’t necessarily need to wait for politicians as they shuffle their feet on these subjects. Change just requires unity.
I like the idea of being a connected educator, but it is a lot of work. I feel like information is going by too fast in too many places. Having to keep up with Twitter, blogs, newsletters, and Facebook creates a lot of stress and anxiety. I am also afraid that students are getting worse and face-to-face interaction and I am only adding to this by throwing myself into that same information culture.
I do really enjoy finding resources and information through other people. These resources and information are usually very good, especially if you are in the loop with people you respect and find helpful.
So it is a fight between how anxious I want to feel, how much I am adding to the information culture, and my desire to get good information and resources. Ultimately, I think that being a connected educator is a good thing and hopefully, as I become more connected and use these sites more often, I will become used to the fast flowing information and less anxious about the whole thing.
As a future educator, I really like this idea of becoming a connected educator and uses the resources around me to my advantage. For awhile, I had been against the use of technology like this in an educational setting, since I felt it didn’t really make sense to bring something so professional into a social media setting, but as this brings out, it works. Being able to have countless resources at your fingertips and being able to share and receive ideas so easily is a great tool that all educators should utilize.
Not only that, but our students are some of the most technologically up to date people that we will encounter, and if we aren’t aware of the resources that they are familiar with and use daily, it could hinder a possible connection we could be making with them as well.
Emily
I am going to share a list of educators on Twitter who I count on each and every day for the newest and best sources in education. If you follow all of the educators on this list on your Twitter account, you will have the very same access 24/7. Your Twitterstream will overflow with sources. Please share it with your other classmates as well. Here it is: https://twitter.com/tomwhitby/my-twitter-stalwarts/members
Reblogged this on All Things Moocable and commented:
I opted to reblog this article mostly because of the author’s down-to-earth and pragmatic views. By simply questioning why anyone would choose to ignore the potential advantages technology offers in the of centuries old customs, he defangs most of the counterproductive rhetoric that impedes collaboration and cooperation in education related communities.
Tom: I recently read a 2012 Pew report that said 15% of online adults use Twitter, and of them 17% are college graduates. Teachers make up just a portion of college graduates, so this says to me that it is quite a small number of teachers who use Twitter; I would venture a good number of them do not participate in a PLN. There is quite a long way to go until connectedness via online means such as a PLN has a major impact on the profession. But keep up the effort!
Jeff: I addressed this specifically in a previous Post-Twitterati: Progressive EDU leaders or outliers? https://tomwhitby.wordpress.com/2013/07/08/twitterati-progressive-edu-leaders-or-outliers/ As always my friend, thanks for your thoughtful comments to keep me honest.
Hello again Tom, I am supporting the connected educator cause by sharing this post with my tweeps. I would prefer that October be called Connected Learner Month to promote learning through social connections for everyone!
Robert: It is my belief that in order to better educate our students, we first need to better educate our educators. As we connect more educators, connecting students will be an easier task. We all need to buy into life long learning if we are to make a difference. It requires a culture change. Some e call it a paradigm shift.
Makes sense Tom – thanks for the reply. After thinking about this (over a bowl of rice crispies) a bit more, I suspect that our students are connecting at a greater rate than teachers are. So, as you say – teachers need to feel and understand the “learning” power of a functional PLN and pass this along to their students. BTW – it took some time and convincing, but I now agree that Twitter should be the foundation of personalized learning.
Robert: You are the reason I write this stuff. Thanks for figuring it out.
It’s no overstatement to say Twitter has changed me as an educator. My PLN on Twitter is amazing, and getting better all the time as I follow and connect with more and more connected educators and school leaders. I don’t even understand how any teacher isn’t on it at this point–even if they don’t want to Tweet, just reading the great insight and finding fantastic resources is worth it.
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[…] The latest big thing in education is getting educators connected. The Department of Education is even declaring the month of October as Connected Educators’ Month to place an emphasis on and using,… […]
[…] The latest big thing in education is getting educators connected. The Department of Education is even declaring the month of October as Connected Educators’ Month to place an emphasis on and using,… […]
I wonder if for those educators not on Twitter due to perceived time constraints and demands of the physical world need help on reconceptualizing how they can use their time most effectively. Being a “connected educator” or learner takes concerted and intentional time in front of a screen beyond the typical productivity tasks that most take part in as part of their daily routine. I talk to many preservice students and teachers who believe that they just don’t have time to dedicate to this. I don’t think we (speaking generally) always do a good job of helping them ease in to becoming globally connected, focus far too much on the technical aspects, and expect them to do a paradigm leap rather than work toward a paradigm shift with needed ongoing support.
Regardless, all learners need to figure this out sooner than later, as more and more learning is being built with a virtual, social component. I envision that it won’t be long before those who are falling behind will become less and less effective in the classroom to the point that they will choose to leave because it is all just so overwhelming without these new tools for connecting and learning.
[…] The latest big thing in education is getting educators connected. The Department of Education is even declaring the month of October as Connected Educators’ Month to place an emphasis on and using,… […]
very good
[…] The latest big thing in education is getting educators connected. The Department of Education is even declaring the month of October as Connected Educators’ Month to place an emphasis on and using,… […]
[…] The latest big thing in education is getting educators connected. The Department of Education is even declaring the month of October as Connected Educators’ Month to place an emphasis on and using,… […]
Tom,
I like your explanation of connectedness. When it comes to Twitter I often explain to to skeptics or neophytes as being a stream of consciousness that they set the parameters for by selecting who to follow. Then they can step in and out if this stream as time and desire permit. Thanks for your explanation I will be sharing this as well.
Tom, at first (many moons ago) I was really apprehensive about how much technology is being incorporated into everyday life. I was one of those “face to face is better” people. But as I ventured out more into the real world and traveled farther along in my education, I realized how much information is out there (good/bad) to be shared. As a future educator, I am thankful for all of the resources available out there for fellow educators to share about teaching, and ways to help keep my future students engaged.
I am just starting out as a teacher and also just starting out as a connected educator. I am excited to be able to use all this wonderful technology in my classroom as well as stay connected with education. I am afraid it will become too much for me though; I will have all these sites and blogs and tweets to read. Hopefully I can stay on top of it.
Karley
Take the connectedness thing at a pace you can handle. Bookmarking apps will store and catalogue posts until you are ready to read them. !5 to 20 minutes a day involved in connecting should be fine to start out, and then adjust your involvement accordingly.Being connected will keep you relevant. Without it you will always be playing catch-up and that wastes way more time, both yours and your students’.
I can’t help but wonder at the extreme position you take when you say “Approving or disapproving of the application is like approving or disapproving of a hammer or screwdriver. You can hate them all you want, but try building a house without them.” A lot of teachers are already so overwhelmed just trying to build their educational practice with the tools they have. It’s easy to give quick quips about intentionally structuring time, or being able to jump in and out of the Twitter stream at will, but when you’re already overwhelmed with life in the flesh, imagining adding life in the binary would seem pretty scary. We definitely need to find better ways to structure introductions to these new tools for teachers.
Zach
We have little kids connected and learning on some of the largest Social Media sites. Kids love it and do well, learning things on Webkins and Penguin World. We stop connected learning when they get to school. You are right technology as learning tools need to enter the system much sooner.Many teacher preparation programs fail to emphasize the need.
I agree that being connected to technology is extremely important. There is no better way to find answers to the many questions that educators have to face within their schools. I am still a little bit hesitant to spread myself too thin across the social networking sites. I fear that I may find it difficult to navigate through the useless information and find the “nugget of gold.” I suppose that it will become something I will have to work on my own. I also fear that my own opinions my struck down and I won’t be able to defend my ideas. This as well I will need to work on being able arguing point. I hope I will be able to come more comfortable with social networking because I don’t wish to be left behind.
Mila
If you can’t defend your ideas, rethink them. That is a consequence of collaboration, we test ideas. You will come away stronger in your conviction, or find a new way.Failure is how we learn. It is better to fail with supportive online colleagues willing to help than fail with your students.
I am an aspiring teacher and this is my first real exposure to reading an educational blog. I am excited to use technology to become a more connected educator. I think it’s awesome that we can use technology and social media to personalize learning for our own professional growth. I also really like the idea of using Skype and Google to connect with experts in education.
I consider myself a pretty tech-savvy person, but my experience with edtech so far is pretty much limited to sites like Moodle and EdLine that provide instantaneous feedback for students. I have yet to find a practical purpose for LinkedIn (besides networking) but I am quite intrigued by your use of Twitter as a PLN; there’s no doubt that we live in an information age, and being able to sift through it all is important to get the good stuff out. Obviously this is one of my biggest concerns as a future educator: will my students be able to figure out what’s credible and what’s not?
Peter
One practical use of LinkedIn as an educator beyond the obvious networking with thought leaders, speakers and authors is the ability to join a number of education Groups. This offers further networking and access to thought-provoking and informative discussions.
I really like the idea of connecting with other educators, experts etc. I am a future educator and want to be able to pick the experts’ brains when I feel overwhelmed or lost. I feel rather green in using these technologies in the classroom and would like to know how to get started or improve my use of these applications. I think it is nice how you emphasize going at your own pace and building up new strategies. Having some of these strategies available in my toolbox could help me improve as a future educator. However, I still feel like you would need to look through things to find ‘useful’ articles or discussions. The constant production of new technologies seems to make it more and more difficult for students to find legitimate information, so what kinds of things would you look to in helping them find applicable articles or data?
I am an old-school learner, but I am painfully aware of how important it is to keep up with the changes in technological communication. When touch screen ipods first came on the market, I had an eye-opening experience when my elementary school daughter could navigate it better than I could. Though technology can offer unique advantages to learning, I see equal value in face-to-face time as well. As a future educator, I hope to utilize technology in a way that best serves my students.
Hello-
I understand your point that we as educators need to find better ways to facilitate conversations among ourselves; and I agree that the use of Twitter or similar applications can help connect two similar-minded teachers that are isolated from one another in a geographic sense. I am going to go off on a bit of a tangent here, but, I am a bit disturbed by the talk of creating assignments for our students that require their use of this technology as well. Here in Minneapolis, I have been active in 3 separate classrooms at 3 separate schools over the last year. In each of these classes, there have been students that obviously can not afford a personal phone, much less a personal tablet or computer. These are also the same students that are ‘left behind’ in the achievement gap. Do you have any suggestions on how I can use technology with my students so that it does not put those students at a further disadvantage just because their family can not afford to support such learning?
Michael
More often than not, it is not education that is the problem, it is poverty that we need to reform. We are in a tech-driven society and that is not going away. The world our students will live in will be even more tech-driven. If educators are not digitally literate they are limiting their ability to provide the education that their students need. Schools need to promote 1:1 programs or BYOD programs to provide needed tech to those who can’t yet afford it. They need to be technologically competitive in order to get jobs that pay.
BTW what class is it tyhat has taken up this post as their personal crusade. I should be getting adjunct pay for all of my responses.
Thanks! TW
People should not be fearful of new technology. Technology should be embraced.
Of the technologies mentioned, Twitter is the focus of this article. The benefits are a constant flow of information etc 24/7. Though you say that reflection is a benefit, the counter argument is that the constant flow of information is inhibitory to reflection. Barraging minds with idea after idea may not be as beneficial as one would think. I personally would prefer a slow and incremented amount of information that have been carefully thought out and then I would go back to my classrooms with those ideas and digest them in context.
As a Twitter user, the information is not all relevant and the character limit is more detrimental than not. I don’t believe that Twitter is the means for intellectual discussion at a productive level. Most tweets are not thought out.
Since I am a Twitter user, I use it already for entertainment, current events, and personal purposes. I have noticed that this is a cumbersome system which is uneasy to filter through. If I want to look at a certain type of twitter, there are no easy means to categorize posts. If I want to add onto that , edtech follows, then I would be swamped with even more tweets. While following 121 currently, I receive about 30-40 tweets an hour.
To effectively be a part of the Twitter community, smartphones or some sort of constant internet connectivity is required, which is not adequately integrated into our culture and community.
We should examine first what can be accomplished with Twitter/edtech versus traditional means. If communication between educators is a goal, then more relevant communication can happen amongst districts/schools in a local setting. And then conferences for bigger settings and so on. Ideas can be prepared and researched and then shared.
The issue of communication is real, but I feel the solution is not Twitter. Better systems can be created that are designed for idea sharing and productive debate.
(Comment walls are also not entirely productive, but as you, TW, have noticed, this has been made a requirement of a class.)
Andrew
I have been a connected educator on Twitter for about 5 years. I currently follow about 2,500 educators. I must disagree with most of what you have said about Twitter, but to explain to you why, would take more space and time than we have here.Twitter is the backbone of my Personal Learning Network. I find it the best application to date to serve that purpose. Tech will change b/C that is what it does and another App will surface to take its place. We need to be digitally literate and connected to take advantage of any of this and maintain relevance in the process. I hope this class that you are in is small.
I understand the importance of being connected and collaborating with others to further professional development. I can understand that Twitter has the capacity to help me in those areas. I am worried about several things however. First, it can be a huge distractor to getting work done, though that is probably more my fault than anything. Second, when following a number of people, there are so many tweets that it is fairly overwhelming to try to keep up with all of them and I don’t know if there is any way to filter through them easily to find tweets that will provide enrichment. Lastly, I am concerned that keeping on top of Twitter may take a lot of time and that is not something that many educators seem to have enough of. Any suggestions?
Kyle
When you go to a party do you feel the need to listen to and partake in every conversation? You do not need to read every tweet. You will develop an eye to spot things quickly. Key words and hashtags are helpful. Tweetdeck or Hootsuite are Apps that will help organize your follows into groups. 20 minutes a day is not a big expense when it comes to lifelong learning.Please tell me I am done with this class.
I remember long ago hearing a quote that went something like, “Teaching doesn’t happen on an island.” By that, no teacher should be expected to be successful if left to their own resources. There are so many successful educators and their is a need for them to band together and help education in the U.S. (and world!) progress forward.
As a graduate with a science degree, one thing that was reiterated to us continually in our undergrad is that science is best done in teams. It seems like to me that education is one big experiment and the needs are continually changing. By referencing other educators and discussing what is working around the globe, I feel everybody wins. Teachers win because they can glean strategies from other teachers but most importantly the students win because they get a better education.
Being plugged in and connected provides many opportunities to see what is working and what should change. I hope all this instant access and communication revolutionizes education.
You are right. People will say that we can always be connected educators face-to-face without technology, but why would you rely solely on face-to-face interactions when using technology to stay connected is not only easier but also faster. Yes, there is a need to stay connected face-to-face to keep interpersonal interaction, but in most circumstances it is just as useful to using things like twitter to keep connected.
Luke
We have had f2f collaboration for centuries in education and it only took us so far. It is limited. Digital connections have taken us to the next level. If I were to have SKYPED with your class, I would have saved myself a great deal of time repeating my replies to each of your questioning classmates. Distance is not an impediment with digital connectedness. I could have addressed your entire class answering questions directly.
I believe that if we as educators want to thrive in the field, our only option is to become familiar with as many “tech tools” as we can, and incorporate these into our classrooms. I feel that the most tech savvy teachers have an advantage over the others and make themselves a more competitive applicant when applying for jobs. I am in favor of keeping the main focus on providing the most valuable education to the students, regardless of what that entails, but the role that technology is playing in today’s schools (and the world as a whole) is inevitable.
Hi Tom, you’re a good man for going through all of our comments.
I’m getting used to hearing about technology’s role in effective student learning so it’s kind of nice to read about how technology can be used to create a network of ideas among teachers. I’m especially intrigued with the idea of Twitter as PLN. I’ve tried to pick up twitter for this reason on a couple of occasions but I found that keeping up with the constant flow of information felt like drinking from a fire hose at times. I understand the value of following many contributors but it begins to feel overwhelming to this Twitter novice. Are there any twitter accounts out there that you would suggest that highlight the best new information each day without overloading the feed?
Joe
Hootsuite and my fav Tweetdeck enable you the ability to create groups to follow in separate columns with as many columns as you may need. It helps organize the aggregation of information. Follow that list of educators in my last comment and your account will rock.
I don’t consider myself to be a connected educator and appreciate this article. After being on maternity leave and easing myself back to full time work in the last five years I have a lot to catch up on techno wise. Thank you
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