In case you have missed it so far, October is Connected Educator Month. Clearly implied is the assertion that educators should be "connected". I know many teachers who are. I aspire to be a principal who is. This post is for my peers and colleagues near and far who do not know what it means to be connected or are not convinced that they should be.
Allow me to begin with my definition of being "connected". To me, being a connected educator is about forming professional relationships with educators I am unlikely ever to meet for the purpose of exchanging ideas. Being connected means discovering and activating vast digital resources for professional learning. One metaphor for the "traditional" approach to teaching describes teachers as independent contractors. The new conventional wisdom suggests that teachers leave that model for one of collaboration with their peers. Connected educators embrace that wisdom and take it much farther, seeing themselves as part of a team that extends across the profession. They seek to engage the teacher next door in powerful professional dialogue and to apply that learning to planning that impacts student learning. They are willing though, to find such connections on the other side of the country or the globe if they must. Many connected educators have come to the realization that the Digital Age was not created specifically to serve learning but has provided an enormous array of tools that do exactly that. In today's rapidly shrinking global society, long distance communication and collaboration can be done instantly and nearly effortlessly. "Being connected" then, usually includes learning how to take advantage of the tools to make such connections possible.
Lest there be any confusion, let me make clear my opinion that educators should never be required to be connected. Any attempt to do so would be counterproductive at best. It would be analogous to forcing someone to diet - isn't that called starving them? I believe the case for connectedness to be so strong, however, that it requires little more than a clear articulation and open modeling of these practices to win the consideration of others.
So, let me attempt to very briefly make the case. If you are an educator (of any kind) you should be connected with other educators. Imagine carrying in your pocket the computing power equivalent to that which put a man on the moon. Picture having the collected whole of the accumulated knowledge of mankind at your fingertips. Then open your eye and realize that you live in a world where such power is not only available to but already in the hands of most educators. Today's technology allows you to seek for resources or advice from colleagues via social media such as Twitter and receive outstanding responses from folks who do not know you and who have no reason to share other than their love of the profession. Through platforms such as Pinterest, teachers can gather enough instructional ideas and templates to last a career ... without spending a penny. Only first year teacher in your building? There are hundreds of thousands out there waiting to share how they are tackling the very same challenges you are facing. Creating a new program or course or club or student organization for your school? You can find someone who has implemented what you are shooting for and would be happy to mentor you or at least to share a few pointers.
If you need one more great reason to begin the journey towards being a connected educator, consider your students. Imagine the implications of the fact that change accelerating at an exponentially accellerating rate. Imagine a future where social media is long out of style, where text messaging is embarrassingly quaint, and where cell phone calls are as forgotten as mimeograph machines. What if that future is just around the corner, waiting for your students before they are a quarter of the way through their career? Will the instruction you are providing them prepare them to be healthy and productive members of that society?
What I am trying to say is consider becoming a connected educator. What could it hurt?
Andrew Maxey is the principal of Rock Quarry Middle School. He blogs at nothingthatprofound.wordpress.com and tweets from time to time as @_ezigbo_.
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