In the spirit of Connected Educator Month, we invite our colleagues in edtech to share how they’ve given back, whether personally or as a company, to the community of connected educators. Just use hashtag #cem14 and mention us so we can catalog it for a future blog post!
I became a connected educator by accident.
A few months into my first year of teaching, I found myself frustrated with the textbook I was given. Though I was asked to stick to it as closely as possible, I knew there had to be better resources out there. As I researched, I kept coming across Twitter chats, blog posts, blog responses, and more.
As it turned out, my questions had all been discussed at length in weekly #edchats. I not only found exactly what I needed for my class; I found a community that has inspired me every day since.
Now that I’ve left the classroom and work in edtech, engaging the connected educator community has taken on new meaning.
It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
I still do my best to contribute to the community by sharing resources, participating in discussions, and trying to offer helpful reflections on PD and professional growth. But now, this community helps me keep a finger on the pulse of the education universe. It’s like having a global focus group working 24/7.
Participating in conversations and reading blogs helps to surface educators’ frustrations, wishes, and needs. In fact, I’d recommend that all edtech companies act as connected educators: learn from the community what you need to do to support the schools we serve, and give back however you can.
We are proud of how we’ve given back to the community of connected educators at TeachBoost.
- We guest-hosted #ohedchat, during which we had a lively discussion of the current state of PD and how to evolve it.
- We host our own monthly Twitter chat on instructional leadership, #ilchal.
- We moderate a quarterly webinar series.
- We partner with The Principal Center to offer the free 21-Day Instructional Leadership Challenge.
Educators and edtech companies, please mention us and share your stories on becoming a part of the connected educator community!
