Kentucky Connected Educator Month Day 6

Chris Crouch

Regional Instructional Specialist/Northern Kentucky

Kentucky Department of Education   

 In what way (s) are you a connected educator?

 

I think of myself as a relative newcomer to the connected educator universe and I can’t believe that it took me this long to get here.  I consider myself a connected educator due to the fact that I’m able to utilize resources, experiences, and individuals from sources all over the world.  Sharing ideas, receiving input, refining thinking and then actually adapting my how I do my job everyday are essential to being a connected educator.  I’ve really concentrated on two areas of connecting.  I regularly participate in education Twitter chats and blog daily. 

How does being connected impact your practice?

Being involved in a larger platform for developing my practice allows me to take the best ideas from other connected educators all over the world.  One of the important skills I have learned from being connected is developing and sharing a message.  Twitter forces a concentrated effort of brevity, more is less.  Blogging has helped me refine my ideas and thoughts into coherent action steps and turn theory into practice.  My blog, has allowed me to share what has worked for me and serve as a virtual portfolio for my work. 

How does being connected impact you as a professional?

As a professional I feel that I have a duty to be abreast of the heartbeat of the profession.  Twitter and the blogosphere allow me to attend hundreds of hours of professional learning in my own way.  Accessing these types of learning opportunities, either Google hangouts or Twitter chats through a virtual conference have allowed me to focus on my weaknesses, to grow my areas of iinterest, and to participate in thelarger community of educators.

What advice or resources would you recommend to colleague interested in becoming connected?

The world that exists outside of our classrooms and schools is quite large and intimidating.  My advice would be to gradually acclimate yourself to the torrent of information and thought available.  Twitter is amazing tool for educators and for creating a Professional Learning Network (PLN), but the key to building a powerful PLN is to be a good follower.  Find educators that push your thinking, have insight into complex issues, or share a common  issue or concern. Once you find these educators, follow them, retweet them, and read.  Understanding what makes one an effective contributor is important before one attempts becoming a contributor.  This process allows for a great infrastructure for a PLN. 

Also, don’t be afraid to connect with people outside of the field of education itself.  I have found that the healthcare and design industries have great implications to our work as educators and always search out ways to incorporate what works for them into my work.  

 Chris Crouch has been an educator for 14 years, all in the Northern Kentucky area.  He has taught grades 7-12 and was awarded the 2009 KCTE High School Teacher of the Year.  Chris has also worked as a consultant for Advance Kentucky, a program funded by the National Math and Science Institute, helping students across Kentucky prepare for Advanced Placement exams.  Discovering all that the connected educator universe has to offer has inspired Chris to start a blog: www.workontheworkchris365.blogspot.com and follow him on Twitter @the_explicator.