Kentucky Connected Educator Dee Crescitelli

In what ways are you a connected educator?

I use both social media and face-to-face-opportunities to connect with as many other educators as I can!  I serve on the Kentucky Council of Teachers of Mathematics Board, which allows me to connect with math teachers from all over the Commonwealth. I love to attend conferences-- it’s great to have time with folks from other places and fields. Some of my favorites: KCTM, KEA-Student Program and KATE-- all have loads of educational opportunities and time to network with other teachers and students. Left to my own devices (literally!), I would be a Twitter junkie--it is a great tool for learning and for expanding the resources available to me as a teacher and to find things to share with my students.

How does being connected impact your practice in schools/classroom?

Being connected enables me as a teacher educator to stay in touch with what is happening in public schools in KY and also in classrooms all over the US and the world.  Online communication tools and social media makes it easy to share current best practices with my teacher candidates and prepare them for what classroom teaching looks like today.  Having a core network of people on Twitter to run questions by and have mini-discussions with has been a great help in keeping me current and involved in what is happening beyond my institution.  I think it makes me a better teacher.

How does being connected impact you as a professional?

I love having a digital PLN!  It  gives me the opportunity to learn from experts in different fields for little to no cost!  I think being connected also pushes me to do my best work-- there are other people paying attention and I like that we hold each other accountable.

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

Jump in! Don’t be afraid to ask questions-- it’s good to learn something new and step out of your comfort zone.  We ask that of our students all the time.  

Look for hashtags on Twitter for subjects that interest you-- there are Twitter chats on just about everything.  #kyedchat #scitlap and #mathchat are some of my favorites.

Connection tools I love: Twitter, Pinterest, padlet.com, Google Drive, and blogs on educational resource sites (there are always great conversations happening and amazing sharing of great ideas that work!)

Bio:

• Director of Assessment and Alternative Certification for Educational Studies at Union College in Barbourville, KY
• Middle grades math and science teacher for a decade before moving into teacher preparation
• Currently finishing dissertation research on the impact of the KCAS in Mathematics on teacher preparation and on math instruction in higher education
• Focused on preparing excellent math and science teachers to lead classrooms going into the future… because:
• My husband Todd and I have three daughters (23, 21, and 13!), and we want great educators for our children and later for our grandchildren.