Being a connected educator
What affect, if any, does being an connected educator have on my classroom? I’m not one of those people who constantly needs to be glued to my phone. You won’t find me bumping into perfect strangers because I’m too excited to see what TSwift was wearing on some red carpet. I do however understand that a vast majority of people are, and they are getting younger and younger.
I do not have a school Facebook or Twitter account, yet. Next year will be my first experience with it so I’m going to discuss some of the things I think I could experience with those two media outlets, as well as others that I am able to use.
I’ve always been really well versed in e-mail and finding ways to bring technology into my classroom. E-mail, now that we’re a fully Gmail school, has been great to use with the students because it’s started to limit the ways that they can “get out” of doing something. All of my students know that because of our email system, they can email me at anytime and I’ll be able to respond if necessary. I’m also able to correspond with colleagues and parents with just a few simple clicks. This has allowed me to keep an eye on my students, and have contact with families as well.
“Your students spend time every day in virtual environments that are highly engaging and encourage creative thinking and problem solving.” To be seen as someone who is on “their side”. Educators should immerse themselves into the world that their students live in, at least a little. My students often times are shocked to know that I have a Facebook account, or that I know what it means when they say DMs. It allows me to connect with them on things that they experience outside of the classroom walls, and we’re able to use that avenue in class to make connections, share in discussions and find new discoveries.
Getting connected isn’t as scary as one might think. I believe that so long as you’ve set boundaries, and discussed those with students and families, you can have a huge impact in your students and yourself. I imagine being able to share something with my class that will help them start a discussion at home, or be a reminder to them as they get ready for school the next day. Being connected to your students outside of school in a virtual way, I feel would be just like it is when you run into a student at the store. Students love seeing that you have a life outside of the school, and to be able to reach out to them with a quick snippet or a fun video to get them excited about the next class. Why wouldn’t you? In, Ten Tips for Becoming a Connected Educator, the case is made for trying something new, and embracing new challenges or experiences. Isn’t that exactly what we’re asking our students to do day in and day out?
Finally, “I found an online community of educators who changed my life.” Pretty powerful for a person to say. I hear all the time in education, “don’t reinvent the wheel.” Well, with becoming connected, the wheel is already there, so go out and find it. Be fearless, be excited, try something new and push yourself, just like you ask your students to do. Am I going to say that being connected will save your life? No. But it just might make your students look at you in a new light.
How does being connected affect my classroom? It gives me the chance to show my students a world of learning, and exciting new things with just a few clicks. It gives me the power to bring in videos and pictures that students can remember and reference, and once I get my school Facebook and Twitter, it just might show them that I’m human too.
