We are in the thick of Connected Educator Month and, despite all the juggling of tasks and ideas and events and a hundred other things, my mind has been delving into the ‘why’ and ‘so what’ of it all.
I have seen a few folk ask 'what’s the point – aren’t we all connected all the time?'. The fact is, no, we’re not. I have spoken to many educators for whom this month has been a catalyst for dipping a tentative toe into blogging or social networks, digital storytelling and webinars.
And, of course, connecting digitally is just a first, tech-focused step. Being connected is dispositional – the modern educator must adapt expertise to serve the evolving needs of their learner – and a network can serve to support individual educators more than just immediate support in one’s local school.
The following ideas were the basis of my session at ULearn14; an abridged version (and livestreamed version) is below.