Why you should be a connected educator

In case you didn’t know, October 2014 is Connected Educator month. What is a connected educator, you ask?

Connected educators are teachers who realize the importance of utilizing and embracing 21st century concepts (digital citizenship, new technologies to enhance learning, etc) and are willing to think outside the typical professional development box. This definition…courtesy of yours truly 🙂

Honestly speaking, I’m not sure one specific “black and white” definition of what it means to be a “connected educator” actually exists. What’s your definition of a connected educator? 

Schools across the country are seeing drastic budget cuts to professional development. At the same time, teachers are asked to arm students with 21st century skills and prepare them to be successful in an increasingly digital world. Many classrooms, mine included, are given access to wonderful technologies to enhance the learning the learning environment and increase student engagement. However, many teachers find themselves lacking the requisite knowledge of these awesome technologies…and the wonderful new world that teachers and students can now access!

So, how do we learn to embrace the new tools at our disposal?

Just be a “Connected Educator!” Simple solution, right?

How can teachers become “Connected Educators?”

• Join groups on Google+
• Follow educational channels on YouTube
• Use TWITTER!!!
• Subscribe to EdTech blogs … like this one 🙂
• Pinterest like crazy!

• Twitter hashtags
• #edtech
• #edchat
• #edtechchat
• #flipclass
• #sschat
• Chromebook Classroom on YouTube
• A great place to look for resources to use in your Chromebook Classroom…hence the name 🙂
• Free Tech 4 Teachers
• Richard Byrne’s awesome EdTech blog which is constantly updated with great information
• Educational Technology and Mobile Learning
• Another wonderful EdTech blog with great resources
• Sophia.org
• I am SO glad I stumbled upon Sophia’s professional development tools. Sophia offers webinars and courses for teachers, as well as a great platform with which to create, share, and assign video lessons for your students!
• Schoology & Edmodo
• Groups on Learning Management Systems like Schoology and Edmodo can link you to other teachers around the globe who use educational technology, and can be a great resources for new ideas to use in your classroom.