"What Connected Educators Do Differently"

This week I began reading "What Connected Educators Do Differently" by Todd Whitaker, Jeffrey Zoul and Jimmy Casas. I learned about this book from teachers on Twitter, commented that it looked interesting, was invited to join an online book discussion #TBookC, ordered the book, and began learning! I enjoyed seeing how questions were posted in a Twitter book discussion similar to an edchat. This became what James Paul Gee defined as an affinity space where I met other educators interested in connecting professionally and supporting each other in the process. It held me accountable for not only ordering but also reading the book within a two week period.


Here are some of the ideas I am taking away from this book, well worth the read if you are trying to intentionally build your Professional Learning Network online.

1. You can connect to thousands of educators around the globe who are giants in our profession
2. Connected educators are more energized and positive than ever about teaching & learning
3. Each author found the Twitter platform to be easiest entry to building their PLN
4. Being connected means give and take, not just take
5. Taking time to reach out to global educators makes you better at what you do for kids!
6. Connected educators actively seek new opportunities and resources to grow professionally.
7. You get to connect with other equally energized teachers, at a time when amost half of all new teachers leave the profession within 5 years (Graziano, 2005).
8. Everyone has time to respond in Twitter's 140 characters so it's the go-to!
9. Authors suggest starting by making 4 Tweets a day (ask a question, share a resource, respond to a tweet, and share a bit about you.
10. You should care about your numer of followers, not because its a popularity contest, but because it allows you to make the greatest impact.
11. We need to be lifelong learners and model lifelong learning for our students! #studentswin

I challenge you to set up a Twitter account and begin to follow some key educators. The book suggests 5 new people to follow in each chapter! Consider joining the #TBookC chat below! Have fun connecting! You can follow me at @FriedrichLaurie!