 |
| Principal Erika Bowles Boone County |
In what ways are you a connected educator?
I’m not sure how to be an educator who is not connected, actually. It baffles me that there are teachers in this profession who still prefer to shut their doors and do their own thing. The power and ultimate potential that comes from putting two or more heads together to achieve awesomeness is second to none. I’d feel as though I was shortchanging my students it I didn’t do everything in my power to steal as many great ideas as possible from not only the tremendous educators across our Commonwealth, but around the globe.
I connect to educators daily through Twitter and Voxer. Joining group chats such as #satchat, #sunchat, #kyadmin, #kyedchat, and many more insert me into a community of teachers and learners who know there’s more out there for kids than what’s in their own brains and crave that knowledge and understanding so that kids can be better serviced. Through Twitter, I’ve developed a PLN, professional learning network. These are individuals that I rely on for their advice and input and I place value on our professional relationship. I have grown more in the past year as an educator than I have in the 16 years preceding my indoctrination to Twitter. From my use of Twitter, I began using Voxer as a PLN device during the week work. Consequently, I now participate in a Daily Voxer chat with the #satchat group where we extend the Saturday conversation through the week. I also facilitate two Voxer book studies and use the tool as a communication device with my staff through daily “shoutouts” to spread positive vibes but also to use for walkthroughs in classrooms to give immediate feedback to teachers.
This past February, I created #kyadmin on Monday evenings as a way of connecting with administrators across the state on a weekly basis. We’ve chatted nearly every week since including a summer book study on Shifting the Monkey by Todd Whitaker.
I guest moderated the #ubdbookchat this summer and that was about the most fun I’ve had online. Fast and furious. Lots of interaction and energy. And...Grant Wiggins was in the chat. Pretty cool stuff. Pretty awesome connections.
Finally, I created the first EdCamp in Kentucky (I think…) almost 2 years ago. We called it EdCampCoop (we are a cluster of schools within the Boone County system centered around Cooper High School). The following year we facilitated EdCamp Boone for our entire district and EdCamp NKY for the entire Northern Kentucky area in cooperation with the Northern Kentucky Education Action Council. We are looking forward to hosting EdCamp Kentucky (spring edition) at Boone County High School this April. EdCamps are a GREAT way to connect with K-12 educators from outside your building to create and participate in meaningful collaboration about topics you want to learn more about. No agendas, no rules. Just learning the way you want to learn. There’s nothing like it.
How does being connected impact your practice in schools/classroom?
Our teachers probably cringe everytime I say, “In my Voxer group…” or “Did you all see that article I retweeted on Twitter?”. There’s just so much out there that I would not be aware of if I didn’t connect online with educators with such a varied and vast interest in educational initiatives, policy, and practice. The caution is being able to remain the filter for the building as the administrator. Not ALL of the fabulous and wonderful things can be brought back to the building level immediately or maybe even in the near future. Timing is everything, but exposure is as well. I make certain I’m curating the resources I find online and matching them at the appropriate times and places for our students and our staff. Some things I find through my PLN are wonderful, but not for us or not at this time. Enthusiasm for connection is important, but so is tempering of the ideas obtained from connection.
How does being connected impact you as a professional?
Does it sound cliched to say it allows me to be more “worldly”? I suppose that’s how I feel. I’ve only ever been an administrator in my county. I don’t know what it’s like to work as an administrator in another district, much less another state or another country. Learning from administrators that work in districts smaller than mine, bigger than mine, with resources that are different than mine, with structures in place that are different than mine, allow me to see varying perspectives to how to perform at this job. I’m able to see the position from many lenses. My students gain from this. The most dangerous words in the English language are “We’ve always done it this way.” I don’t allow those words to be said. My goal is to keep reaching out and determining how we can do better for our kids by taking the strengths of everyone and creating the best possible school scenario for our kids. I think we owe that to our community. Don’t you? If not...why do I have a job?
I have to give a shoutout to my co-mods on #kyadmin: Brooke Stinson, Lou Shanda Carter, Kevin Estes, and Shelee Clark. They make me a better administrator each week. I’m blessed they bought into the crazy that is #kyadmin.
PS: You can join us Monday evenings at 9E/8C. We’ll hold your hand. Promise.
What advice or resources would you recommend to colleagues interested in becoming connected?
- Tweechme is an app created by Susan Bearden. It allows the user to learn to participate in a Twitter chat without getting thrown into the vortex that can be a Twitter chat.
- I would recommend all teachers in Kentucky participate in #kyedchat on Thursday nights. The connections that you will make and the amount you will grow in your profession will probably blow your mind.
- I of course think every administrator in Kentucky should be on #kyadmin.
- I recommend creating a Google Plus account. Begin dabbling in communities that interest you.
- More than anything, take it all one day at a time. You don’t have to be Super TwitterGirl/Guy. There’s a name for people like that and it’s Cybraryman. (Oh...also check him out--Google it. Seriously.)
- I recommend attending an EdCamp. Immerse yourself in the experience. Then next time show up with a plan to facilitate a session. We only grow when we’re challenged. Make this your year to stretch, grow, and be challenged.
Erika's bio: I am a K-5 principal at Longbranch Elementary School in Boone County. We are a 4-year old school and I’m the first principal (an honor) of my school. We combined staff members from 10 different elementary schools to make up our faculty and staff of 86 individuals. 850 students attend our school daily. Prior to becoming the principal at Longbranch, I was the assistant principal at Shirley Mann Elementary in Boone County, also having the privilege to open this building as a new school. Before working at Mann, I was an assistant principal and 5th grade teacher at Erpenbeck Elementary in Boone County, a 5th grade and LBD teacher at Stephens Elementary in Boone County, and an LBD teacher at Tates Creek High School in Fayette County. I also worked for three years at Lexmark International as a technical writer and editor for a brief moment of temporary insanity when I left education to pursue a career in the private sector. Missing “my people” terribly, I returned to public education and haven’t looked back. If my life works out the best I could possibly imagine in 5 years (don’t we all get that question in interviews?)...I’ll be right here doing my thing with our incredible staff. Making history. Creating tomorrow.
Want to participate in Connected Educator Month? Consider:
- Participating in #kyadmin chat Monday nights 9pm EST
- Following our blog daily where we will highlight a different educator each day in October
- Adding tips and resources to a shared Google folder
No comments:
Post a Comment