Connected Educators A to Z: C is for Connecting

C is for Connecting

Connected Educators Creed

"Be both a leader AND a follower, teacher AND student. Learn from people who inspire you AND inspire others with your boldness. Lead with conviction AND be prepared to change direction. Walk an authentic path AND inspire others to walk theirs. A leader is anyone willing to grow and change and live out loud."   I saw this quote online today via communications specialist Randi Thompson. It really struck me as a quote that applies to connected educators everywhere. Whether twittering, in online forums, webinars, or any number of venues I see this is a great mantra for connected educators!In order to allow people at all levels of your organization to lead, they have to be empowered to do so. Allowing new forms of learning and connecting is key to any school or organization today.

• Do teachers have access to tools for connecting?  Computers, tablets
• Is the internet connection free of overblocking of sites?
• Does professional development time allow for learning and exploring new web tools?
• Is mentorship encouraged?
• Are successes shared regularly?
• Do policies support collaborative tools such as Twitter, Wikispaces and more?

The more we can empower educators to connect online for their professional benefit and for that of their students, the more we are the light that is needed in education today.