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What does it mean to be a connected educator?

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October is Connected Educator Month (#cem16) and if you are here, you are probably participating in our Connected Educator Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge.  :)

What does it mean to be a connected educator?  This might be a loaded question...



 The above quote defines the term 'connected educator' for me.  The world we now live in is more connected than at any time in the past and we are less connected now than we will be at any time in the future.  If we are preparing our students today for successful tomorrow's, we must reach past the walls of our schools and lines of our districts.

Social media has connected us in ways we never thought possible.  While arguably some choose to use these tools in unhealthy ways, the possibilities for connecting classrooms to the real world are endless.  No longer do we need to rely on only a textbook!

What amazing times we live in!  What does the term 'connected educator' mean to you?
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  1. UnknownOctober 4, 2016 at 5:07 PM

    A connected educator to me is someone who is actively trying to find ways to engage their students and themselves in the world around them with technology. It's finding things that are relevant to our students' lives that they understand and using a platform in which they are comfortable with. It is pushing the boundaries of a traditional classroom and living up to the times that we live in (even when we don't want to or don't understand why we should). It is progress and meeting the kids where they are and using the technology to our advantage when they are already on it.

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  2. UnknownOctober 4, 2016 at 6:05 PM

    The term connected educator means to me continuing to educate myself to be the most effective teacher. Technology is always evolving as well as our students and in order to make an impact in their life I need to be connected to them in some way- whether it be through technology or cultural trends (which mostly revolve around technology in today's society). For example, I had a student today tell me that I needed to check out a YouTube channel called The Game Theorist- a channel that he loves but was also relevant to our topic of learning today (Laws vs Theories).

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  3. AnonymousOctober 5, 2016 at 10:46 AM

    A connected educator to me is using technology as a resource to engage themselves and their students in the world around them. Technology, especially social media, is what the kids are already engaged in. It is being able to incorporate and use the resource to connect them to the instruction to make it more engaging and meaningful to them. It is also preparing them for their future as technology is only becoming more prevalent in our lives. My goal this year is to expand my knowledge and usage in the classroom and have my students become more connected.

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  4. UnknownOctober 5, 2016 at 11:30 AM

    Connected Educator to me means being connected to our students and their way of learning and interacting in order for them to feel connected to their own education. If we are using the "old ways" of teaching and our kids today are using "new ways" of learning then we are going to loose them and their interest along the way and loose the opportunity for them to be a functional part of a growing and changing society. In order for our kids to be relevant to their society as adults we need to remain relevant in how we educate them. This means to go out of our comfort zone sometimes and continue to learn and grow our own knowledge of technology that seems to change by the second.

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  5. AnonymousOctober 5, 2016 at 8:35 PM

    To me, being a connected educator is using technology in my classroom to enhance the students' learning. To be honest, I am not as connected as most are because I become frustrated when it doesn't work the way I think it should. I feel like the minute I learn how to use something effectively, something new has come along to replace what I just learned. It's like learning to read all over again!

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  6. Ashley WallOctober 6, 2016 at 5:10 PM

    Being a connected educator means understanding the type of changing world our students are growing up in and how to use a variety of resources and teaching styles to help our students become successful adults. We should teach students to use technology appropriately and functionally so that they will have necessary skills for their futures. Therefore, we must also understand our resources and provide opportunities to our students to help them grow to be successful in our ever-changing technological society.

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  7. AnonymousOctober 9, 2016 at 4:15 PM

    Being a connected educator means being connected to your students so we can find what interests them and incorporate them into our lessons. Technology is becoming a must-know in society and is something that almost all students are very interested in. Being a connected educator means using technology as often as possible in the classroom so students are engaged while also learning very valuable life skills. Being patient with students as they learn this new technology (and being patient with the technology itself) can be difficult but is extremely important. It is important to not give up on this aspect as students will learn and be engaged and interested in lessons that involve technology. My students have used pear deck a couple of times. The first 2 times were a learning process for everyone and a little crazy. However, each time we try it, students are faster and more engaged. They are now asking when the next time we will use pear deck is.

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  8. Mrs. KeithOctober 30, 2016 at 7:30 PM

    A connected educator is a person that embraces support for growth in their teaching craft by connecting to the professional learning community both locally and online. A connected educator is supportive and supported by others in the profession and is seeking the opportunity to learn new skills to apply both in the classroom and in life!

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