I am not a stranger to social media. Liking a picture of a friend's baby; enjoying a Kid President video; and retweeting a good quote from Stephanie Harvey are part of the routine. I have discovered the power of the hashtag and have found many good resources around coaching and the Common Core. However, actively participating in social media has somehow not come very quickly. I have participated in professional development around using and being active in social media and am comfortable with the routine, but I never really made the plunge.
I have recently read that we have to acknowlege ourselves and the work that we have done for teachers and students. Although I reflect often on the work that I do as an academic coach, it usually is about what I can do to be more effective and better support teachers in meeting expectations that will benefit students. I have rarely taken the time to think about the successes I have experienced and how I am making a difference. It feels weird to pat yourself on the back. That may be the reason that I haven't participated in twitter chats or other interactive media forums. I didn't think I had anything to offer.
Well, last night as I was checking up on how the Bulls did on twitter, I came across the #educoach chat that occurs every Wednesday. There were many good ideas and resources being shared by some very experienced and enthusiatic educators. I will usually lurk and just be on the outside looking in, but for some reason I found myself typing on my phone to respond to a question. Well, it didn't happen that fast. I typed something then deleted it. Wrote something again then paused. Finally I just got the courage to hit 'tweet'. BAM! Just like that my Professional Learning Network began to grow. I started following more people and people started following me, I didn't know what was happening, but it was good.
I didn't solve the any problems or blew anyone away with some awesome epiphany, I just joined a conversation with dedicated learners that made me stretch my thinking. It was cool. People acknowledged my thoughts, added theirs and even asked questions to make me think (thanks @kathyperret ). If it wasn't for social media I would have never been able to learn from these people that are scattered all over the country. This resource is here; I'm going to start using it!
I know that I am going to go through a learning curve on how I am going to participate in these learning experience more often, but now that I have tried, I want to make time for it. I even put the #educoach chat on my calendar, "repeat every week". As leaders of learning, we are asking our teachers to stretch themselves and try new things that are outside their comfort zone. I have to do the same. Being an active participant in a twitter chat with people I don't know fits the bill and I definitely learned from it.
I have recently read that we have to acknowlege ourselves and the work that we have done for teachers and students. Although I reflect often on the work that I do as an academic coach, it usually is about what I can do to be more effective and better support teachers in meeting expectations that will benefit students. I have rarely taken the time to think about the successes I have experienced and how I am making a difference. It feels weird to pat yourself on the back. That may be the reason that I haven't participated in twitter chats or other interactive media forums. I didn't think I had anything to offer.
Well, last night as I was checking up on how the Bulls did on twitter, I came across the #educoach chat that occurs every Wednesday. There were many good ideas and resources being shared by some very experienced and enthusiatic educators. I will usually lurk and just be on the outside looking in, but for some reason I found myself typing on my phone to respond to a question. Well, it didn't happen that fast. I typed something then deleted it. Wrote something again then paused. Finally I just got the courage to hit 'tweet'. BAM! Just like that my Professional Learning Network began to grow. I started following more people and people started following me, I didn't know what was happening, but it was good.
I didn't solve the any problems or blew anyone away with some awesome epiphany, I just joined a conversation with dedicated learners that made me stretch my thinking. It was cool. People acknowledged my thoughts, added theirs and even asked questions to make me think (thanks @kathyperret ). If it wasn't for social media I would have never been able to learn from these people that are scattered all over the country. This resource is here; I'm going to start using it!
I know that I am going to go through a learning curve on how I am going to participate in these learning experience more often, but now that I have tried, I want to make time for it. I even put the #educoach chat on my calendar, "repeat every week". As leaders of learning, we are asking our teachers to stretch themselves and try new things that are outside their comfort zone. I have to do the same. Being an active participant in a twitter chat with people I don't know fits the bill and I definitely learned from it.