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Connected Educator Month, 2015 #CEM15

October 1, 2015 by Amber 1 Comment

Even though it looks different for each learner, being a connected educator simply means leveraging technology to expand one’s personal learning network. Doing so not only provides you with a network of like-minded people, but also inspires you to try new activities and strategies to create the most effective learning environment for your students.

No one has time to be alone on their educator island!

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Jump in this month and try something new!

There is a calendar through ASCD & the USDOE and  that gives a multitude of activities that you can partake in.  From tweeting to blogging to an online book club, there’s an activity for every type of learner. Defining what being what a connected educator looks like for you is step one!

I know right now, at this point in your year you’re thinking nuh uh, I can’t handle ANYTHING else. Trust me, we get that. These activities were intentionally easy,  applicable, and designed to help get you CONNECTED…which in turn should make your life easier.

Angela Watson, from The Cornerstone for Teachers, who is just a little slice of heaven, puts it like this “Has teaching gotten a little monotonous? Are your students driving you nuts? Are you bogged down by all the demands of teaching and losing sight of the big picture? Do you often dread or feel ambivalent about going to work each day? If the answer to any of those questions is YES, then becoming a connected educator is necessary.”

But wait, Amber, how does this all translate to helping students learn?

Educators are models of learning for kids.

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As educators’ learning shifts from the “sit and get” model to the collaboration model, that shift hopefully transfers to their teaching as well. If an educator controls his or her learning through self-direction, that learning becomes more meaningful. Authentic self-directed learning becomes self-motivating. That does more than translate to a better-educated educator — it also creates a teacher advocate for collaborative learning. AND that, quite simply, is where we are going! It’s easier  to differentiate, assess, and KNOW our students using this form of pedagogy, vs again, that traditional sit & get model. 3

We’re challenging our teachers to complete a “connected bingo” this month, knowing that if do  they’ll have changed the dynamics of their classroom, and the mindsets of their teaching!

Connectedly,

Amber

 

Filed Under: Campus ideas, Classroom Connections, Staff Development Tagged With: #admin, #beintentional, #cpchat, #teachers, #twitter, AmberTeamann, social media

Social media & strategy

August 11, 2014 by Amber 1 Comment

It’s easy to get excited at this time of year. There’s all the back to school supplies, new back to school outfits, and all those fresh new faces! This also is the time new initiatives are rolled out on campuses state wide. From district ideas to campus thoughts…everyone’s excited in August!

I participated in #ptcamp this summer, which was both overwhelming and energizing. There were so many great thoughts share…and as usual, social media was discussed quite a bot. Even if it wasn’t directly referred to as “social media”, the words twitter, facebook, and instagram were talked about. Just like any other new initiative if you’re deciding to get serious with your social media presence, albeit for your classroom or your campus, I challenge you to BE INTENTIONAL.

Regardless of your own personal stance on using social media, you can’t deny the ever increasing use of it in our students lives. To not take advantage of a tool that your students and families are already utilizing is missing a huge opportunity to truly CONNECT. (<—My word for 2014-2015!) If your opinion is that what you’ve been doing is fine, and that you have no need for MORE connections with your students & community, call me. 😉

fad of internet

Building relationships is what we do! Utilizing some form of SM to help facilitate those relationships makes sense. You don’t have to do them all, pick one, that you’re comfortable with, and then BE INTENTIONAL.

Decide what you’re going to share. How often you’re going to share. When you’re going to share. The challenge, just like with any other form of communication, is to maintain your presence to help ensure the  validity of  your communications. Don’t do all the heavy lifting of getting your parents invested and then in October forget to post anything. It will be next to impossible to get them to commit to something else in the future.

Need some data to help back up my social media “claims”?

 

  • 72% of all internet users are now active on social media
  • 18-29 year olds have an 89% usage
  • The 30-49 bracket sits at 72%
  • 60 percent of 50 to 60 year olds are active on social media
  • In the 65 plus bracket, 43% are using social media
  • Time spent on Facebook per hour spent online by country. USA citizens get the top gong at 16% followed by the Aussies at 14 minutes and the Brits at 13 minutes.
  • 71% of users access social media from a mobile device.
active monthly usersRead more at http://www.jeffbullas.com/2014/01/17/20-social-media-facts-and-statistics-you-should-know-in-2014/#VKwcE6rkAmqai71U.99

 

As my buddies Joe Sanfelippo and Tony Sinanis share regularly, “Never give up the opportunity to say something great about your school”!  I will add that there’s too many FREE and easy places to say it!

 

 

 

Relationship building,

Amber

 

 

Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: #admin, #beintentional, #classroom, #cpchat #txed #admin, #free, #parents, #txed, social media

ASCD 2014 literally rocked my world!

March 20, 2014 by Amber 2 Comments

20140314-135640.jpgThe 2014 ASCD conference , Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, was held in Los Angeles this past weekend. With keynote speakers like Daniel Pink and Sir Ken Robinson, you knew going in that this conference was going to make you think…and it didn’t disappoint. My big take aways from this year:

#5. Educators are persuaders. That is what we do. Teachers persuade children to learn. Administrators persuade staff to engage and teach. We’re “selling” people, moving them from point a to point b. Education is a form of persuasion. If we are the sellers of what we do, believe in, and are passionate about…who is the buyer? Staff, students, and families. We have to embrace the fact that we have a product to sell, and we want their buy in. No longer can we say that we have all the answers and know what’s best without having to prove it. Informational parity is alive and well. Make a statement and you can be instantly fact checked from a phone in the audience. We have to embrace this new reality and use it to our advantage.Persuading/influencing, not making something, takes up 41% of adult workers time. Standardized test prepare for this…right? Gulp.

For more about the “always be selling” theory and educators as persuaders, check out Daniel Pink’s latest book, To Sell is Human.

#4, DNA is not your destiny. Good teaching trumps genes. Eric Jensen was AMAZING. The research he shared during his session was jaw dropping. His session was on how poverty impacts student engagement and learning. “That kid you think sucks? You’d be surprised at whats happening in that kids head.” Some of my tweetable quotes from him:

  • The stress we experience is our reaction to a perceived loss of control over an adverse situation. KIDS NEED MORE CONTROL! Ss don’t need more discipline when struggling – rather they need more control in their own lives. Help them!
  • Risk factors in an environment suppress IQ.
  • My favorite line: If you think a student is just like “his/her mom/dad” you used to teach…ask yourself if it’s because you’re teaching them the same way.
  • How we feel is whats real. It’s the link to what we think.

#3, The culture makes a difference for the whole child. Top to bottom, this ASCD conference spoke of the whole child. It was SO incredibly refreshing to see how many sessions were centered around loving, teaching, and growing a child. There is more to a great educational environment than high scores.  There were even comments directed at administrators to think about the WHOLE teacher. Principal Sharon Jacobs, from the Washington Montessori School of Greensboro in North Carolina, winner of the 2014 Vision in Action award spoke briefly at a keynote, (I could have listened to her ALL day!). She spoke so highly of her team, and how as a leader it was your responsibility to nurture your staff, & that enthusiasm was contagious. When she came on stage she took a selfie of herself with the ASCD audience in the background. Can you imagine learning in an environment like that? My tweetable quotes from her:

  • Proficiency is just one component of educating children…and not necessarily the most important one.
  • See children as more than a proficiency number. Take care of basic needs and the proficiency will come, more importantly, Ss GROW!
  • Vision, not just seeing things what they are, but what they can be…that’s what what vision in action should be!
  • It can be done, we did it, and you can do it too. #educationalmantra Principal Jacobs

#2, Don’t confuse compliance with engagement. What is engagement? What does actual engagement look like? When you have students raising their hands in class…are they engaged or are they just compliant?Self-efficacy and collective efficacy are critical pieces to increasing student engagement. How do we show support for this in the classroom? Robyn Jackson had the statement that “we lament that we want students to be engaged, but our policies and procedures suggest we don’t really want that.” Raise your hand before speaking. Sit quietly. Work independently. Real engagement encourages non-compliance! My tweetable quotes from the Robyn Jackson and Allison Zmuda session: 

  • Being taught something b/c it’s on a test is not a compelling reason to learn it!
  • Goal clarity does not equal posting a LO on the board. Takes more than that for Ss to get it and want it…
  • We tell teachers you need more engagement and we end up with teachers entertaining, not engaging.  <—–Isn’t this SO true!?

#1, Be a learner, be a sharer, be connected. Compared to last year, there was a definite hum of “connectedness”. There was a presence of technology and social media all throughout. Not a lot of nouns (Twitter, Vine, etc.) were necessarily mentioned…but the verb of being “connected” permeated throughout. Even the president of ASCD gave a shoutout for getting on Twitter. He challenged the audience, saying if he could do it, then anyone could do it! It’s about relationships, it isn’t about a tool. Whether it’s twitter, facebook, instagram, or even any asynchronous community, get connected. Grow with your peers. Admins, great leaders are part of the group as a learner! Set an example for your staff! Michael Fullan had a great line, “Pedagogy is the driver, let technology be the accelerator.” Connections can stimulate conversations and help relight that fire that makes all your energy and efforts worthwhile. Reflecting on our activities, our classrooms, asking for feedback, is an important piece of what we do…and finding a community is where that begins. 

If you think about other professions…what would we think of a doctor who discovered a cure for some disease…but doesn’t share it?

 

I enjoyed every single minute of this year’s ASCD conference, even during the earthquake that hit Monday morning. Leave it to ASCD to literally rock our world, 🙂  Learning from others, being involved in conversations that inspire me, meeting authors that change the way I do business…what an incredible four days! Next years conference is in Houston, so ya’ll come on down Texas way, 😉 You won’t regret it!

ASCD appreciative,

Amber

Filed Under: Conferences, Leadership, Organization, Vision Tagged With: #admin, #beintentional, #cpchat, #edchat, #teachers, social media

Top five reasons I am a “connected” educator…

September 29, 2013 by Amber Leave a Comment

October is a big month to celebrate education. Not only are we leading the charge for National Principals Month, but NASSP is also involved in promoting the importance of connected leading and learning during Connected Educators Month I thought in that spirit I would list the top five reasons I think being a connected educator has changed not only the way that I do my job, but also how I think, interact, and learn. (Those are HUGE facets of anyone’s world!)

#5. Connections become friends.

When I have an important decision, point to ponder, or even a snarky opinion to express…I now contact people that I have developed relationships with online. I have met some of them once, hung out with some of them twice, but I interact with them on a daily basis. They’re my sounding board, my inspiration, and the ones who keep me on a path of doing what’s right for kids.

#4. I get the opportunity to discuss innovative, trend pushing, status quo breaking initiatives with educators who are out there making it happen. The last #SAVMP hangout was awe-inspiring. (And not because I was leading it, wink wink!) We had three different educators who are doing things in three incredibly different ways, all making a difference in education.

 

 

3. Conferences become family reunions.

BT (that’s before twitter) I’d attended both the ASCD and ISTE conference with my instructional technology position. They don’t particularly stand out in my mind (aside from the great travel companions). This year, ISTE and ASCD were the HIGHLIGHTS of my admin career. I had such an incredible time putting faces and voices with profile pics and avatars. Between each session there were hugs and speedy chats as you went from session to session. I traveled to ASCD alone. In Chicago. If you know me, you’d know that is a HUGE thing for “Ms. I can’t even go to the movies alone.” I went and came back having found two ladies who are not only inspirational educators, but are now inspirational, supportive friends. I have already started planning for both conferences again next year, and @ErinKlein and I have roomie ‘rangements pending!

IMG_2262

EdCampDallas is also just around the corner and that’s another great way to make connections with learners around you. We sold out (!!!)  this year, but keep your eyes open for others to pop up in our area soon!

 

#2. Your jargon has changed and changes often.

Hashtag. FF. Voxer. Techlandia. MISTERMACNOLOGY. Podcasts. Feedly. Cpchat. Follow. Retweet. Google hangout. Ignite. Blogger. Google Plus. DM. Chat. Followers. Twitterati. Bammy’s. GFC.

All google worthy things that are now a part of the lexicon of being a connected educator.

 

#1. Like you even had to read this far to know what my #1 was. 🙂

 

Do something this October to get connected. Follow a blog. RT something worthy. Follow a chat. Lurk and learn. Stalk a celebrity. Just DO something!

 

 

connectedly,

Amber

 

Filed Under: #SAVMP, Social Media Tagged With: #admin, #cpchat, #edcampDallas, #edchat, #twitter, #txed, #vision, social media

A digital footprint for the beast

August 23, 2013 by Amber 6 Comments

During a conversation with a new colleague recently, she expressed surprise at the fact that I have two daughters, not just one curly headed one. I heart social media, especially when it lets me share my sweet baby girl with my friends and family.

I am very cautious, however, about sharing my big girl. She almost a teen and I try to be very cognizant of her digital footprint. I don’t want her to be attached to the social stream of who I have defined her to be. I want her to be her own person, with her own likes, dislikes, pins, etc. I never use her real name on the internet. She is known by what I’ve called since she was 2 and toddled around carrying a sack of potatoes. She’s my “beast”. (Obviously, she’s gorgeous, else that would just be uncomfortable!)

I’m also aware of the fact that there are going to be times in the future when she is not holding my hand when she walks across the parking lot. I don’t need “strangers” being able to initiate conversations with her based on details I’ve provided. (The baby is always with an adult, less opportunity for that with her!)

She is very limited in what she is allowed to be involved with on the Internet. It is a constant discussion in our household in what I think she should have an account with or have zero access too. From what I have seen & learned though, is that my opinion does not match what other parents may be thinking or doing.

Scrolling through her “friends” accounts shows me how uninvolved some parents may be in their children’s social media world.

It’s not enough that I can teach MY child how to be appropriate…I also have to monitor what other people are posting & sharing. While I initially took advantage of the teachable moment when something came across, I ended up having her delete her account. There is a cognitive level of maturity that needs to occur both with her and her circle of friends before we’re going let her dive into that social media stream. Controversial? Probably, given my stance on all things SM, but unless my PLN wants to help me have some of the super awkward conversations that were caused by things that we came across…we’re going stick with harsher parameters for now.

Mom to 2,
Amber

Filed Under: Classroom Integration, Parents Tagged With: beast, digital citizenship, social media

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