On Being a Student of Reading

By: Janice Bullard

As teachers, we know the importance of reflecting daily on our own teaching. We look carefully at the teaching moves we make, so that the next time we teach, we are a tiny bit better. But how often do we do the work we are asking our students to do, and then reflect on how it went? How often do we “give it a go” ourselves before evaluating their efforts to learn? This past summer, I was lucky to be a part of a virtual book club that did just that.

I learned of the book club from Julieanne Harmatz’s blog To Read to Write to Be. I had been following Julieanne’s blog for months, so I knew that participating in a book club with her and others would be an amazing experience. I was not disappointed! The goal of the book club was to read the book A Handful of Stars by Cynthia Lord, write in our journals, and share our journals and our thinking in Google doc. We read and wrote both as students and teachers. As students, we responded to the reading with writing, in whatever way felt authentic. As we read and responded, we also listened to our teacher voice, and asked ourselves “Is the writing growing my understanding of the book?”, “How does it feel to be a student?” and “How might this work in the classroom?”

As a teacher, my takeaways from this experience were many:

• Sharing my thinking with a group of teachers that I didn’t know was intimidating and a little scary - a reminder of how important it is to develop a trusting learning community in the classroom. By collaborating, though, I deepened my understanding of the story and ways I might help my students learn. 
• My first reader’s response was in the form of a letter to the other readers. This form of writing was helpful to me, because it personalized my purpose. I could think of it as beginning a conversation. Might this also help my students?
• Having choice in how I responded was huge!
• Using an anchor chart of sentence starters helped me kick start my thinking and writing. I need to make sure these are available for my students!

This was a great exercise in making my thinking visible and learning from the visible thinking of others. The wise words of Dorothy Barnhouse and Vicki Vinton, in What Readers Really Do, come to mind: “What’s needed is a willingness to peer into the recesses of our own reader’s mind, attending to the work we do internally that frequently goes unnoticed or that happens so quickly it often feels automatic…”

Perhaps the most helpful insight was this (interestingly, this was shared by many of the readers in the club!) - I wanted to just read. I wanted to get lost in the story and not have to worry about writing on sticky notes or in my journal. A reminder that while we need to push students to deepen their thinking through writing at times, much of their reading needs to be for personal enjoyment. Otherwise, we risk turning them off to reading!

To check out my final entry to the virtual book club, click here.

These insights and lessons stay with me as I begin another year with my fourth grade students. The power of learning and collaborating with others is an experience I look forward to repeating when I work with teachers through NGID. And as I plan my LDC unit, a first priority will be to “give it a go” as a student.

How will you learn by collaborating with others? What are the ways you gain insight as a student?

Connected Educator Month

By: Renee Boss

From teachers collaborating across state and district lines in face-to-face and virtual meetings to hundreds of teachers gathering at regional and state ECET2 events across Kentucky, The Fund for Transforming Education is known for our connectedness. October 2015 marks our third year participating in the national Connected Educator Month movement.

In 2013 and 2014 we spent the month of October highlighting different connected educators each day of the month, and we facilitated other learning events and connected with other organizations as well. We learned Kentucky really likes to connect and collaborate not just in October but all year long.

As we continue to iterate in our practice, this year’s connected educator month includes 

• selected blog posts
• an opportunity to connect with us in person at the Louisville screening of Most Likely to Succeed
• an opportunity to share with us what you are learning and how you are connected. Tag us in tweets @thefundky 
• a book twitter chat on October 27th with one of the authors from the book What Connected Educators Do Differently. Read about the book in this review by Renee Boss
• social media posts from us about how to be involved with #CE15 nationally

Stay tuned & get connected!

Kentucky Connected Educator April Blakely

Dr. April Blakely

In what ways are you a connected educator?

Kentucky provides ample professional learning opportunities for teachers through conferences and events hosted throughout the state.  I attended the 2nd Annual Let’s Talk: Conversations about Effective Teaching and Learning conference hosted by KEA this summer.  It was an opportunity for me to participate in PD predominantly geared toward P-12 teaching.  Activities like this one around our state help keep me current with the emerging trends in Kentucky education.  At the national level, I am active in several professional organizations that provide opportunities for professional collaborations with leading experts in the field of literacy education and teaching. These opportunities influence my practices as a college professor and my service with regional partners.  For example, in the spring I participated with a group of area teachers in a PLC to study close reading strategies.  

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

I feel quite privileged to work in a profession that requires me to stay connected to P-12 education.  The days of an “ivory tower” philosophy do not apply to most teacher educators.  For example, I teach a methods course in content literacy on-site at one of our local middle schools.  This embedded experience allows me to let the clinical experiences of my students drive my classroom instruction.  If I know middle grades students are doing a book study, then we (my candidates and I) also read the book and participate in instruction.  Or, when I introduce strategies like interactive notebooks, digital media, or reading comprehension skills,  my candidates can just walk down the hall to see these strategies in action.

How does being connected impact you as a professional?

Being a connected educator impacts every nuance of my work as a professional.  It shapes my instruction, guides my scholarship, and helps focus my regional stewardship.  I can’t imagine not being connected or a part of the local and national dialog about best practices for teaching and learning.

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

I think some of Kentucky’s best resources are connected colleagues.  I moved to Kentucky only four years ago and at the time had little knowledge about our state’s educational focus.  However, connected colleagues invited me to attend meetings, join professional organizations, and to become a part of an exciting change initiative.  Now, when I’m at national conferences and people learn I’m from Kentucky, they always have questions about Common Core.  I feel better prepares to represent our position as the first adopters because I understand why we have been more successful that other states with implementation.  So, my best advice is to hang out with other connected educators and join the conversation.  

Bio: April Blakely is an assistant professor of literacy education at Eastern Kentucky University. She earned her doctorate at East Tennessee State University in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. Prior to her work at EKU, April spent 18 years as a classroom teacher, middle grades coordinator, and special programs coordinator at the ETSU laboratory school and the Aiken County, South Carolina Public Schools. She is first and foremost a teacher, and in her writing, research and professional development efforts, it is the blended voice of teacher and administrator that is always heard. As Chair and member of a five-year re-visioning process at the lab school, April developed a passionate, research grounded voice about the sustainability of lab schools. Currently, her research focusses on the integration of learning technologies in teacher preparation. She presents regularly at conferences including the  Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers, the International Reading Association, and the Association of Middle Level Educators.

Kentucky Connected Educator Natalie McCutchen

The 4 Questions

In what ways are you a connected educator?

    I am a connected educator because I seek out ways to connect with other educators.  I look for opportunities to learn with and from others.  These opportunities include conferences, webinars, Google Hangouts, blogging, Twitter chats, and online discussions.  The more I do, the more I want to do.  Being connected is simply contagious and I love finding new ways to connect with others.    

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

    Being connected has opened my eyes to all the possibilities that the world of education has to offer.  I have always thought of myself as being innovative in my practice; I have been provided opportunities to learn about new initiatives which has lead me to try new experiences for my students.  Being a connected has allowed me to become even more knowledgeable about cutting edge strategies and initiatives that have dramatically improved my practice.  Being connected has also given me the platform to reach out to other educators who are implementing specific practices in their classes.  Instead of trying to figure everything out on my own, I am able to immediately tap into someone who has already planned, implemented, and reflected on a particular so that my journey is a much smoother transition.

    The biggest impact on my practice is the fact that I am now encouraging students to become more connected.  I am sharing with them the ways that I am connected and providing them opportunities to become more connected.  It is amazing to see their interest and to see how their own connectedness is setting off a chain reaction of more engagement and involvement.  

How does being connected impact you as a professional?

    Being connected has made me realize my worth as a professional.  I know realize that I have something valuable to offer and that I am a crucial element in the educational landscape whether in my district, region, state, and even nationally.  I now have a sense of empowerment through being connected and an insatiable desire to want to do and learn more.  I have grown exponentially as a professional as a result of being more professional.  I am most proud of how I am a better teacher because of my connectedness.  This allows me to be better for my students and help them achieve more in the process.  

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

    The best advice I could give is “Just Do It!!”  Do not wait to be connected, do not worry if you are good enough, do not worry about if you have enough time, or if you will have something valuable to say.  Simply be yourself and let your love and passion for what you do shine through.  Find multiple ways to get connected.  Determine your top two or three interests and find groups, Twitter chats, blogs, initiatives, and opportunities that involve your interests and then dive in!  Stay engaged!  Share your experience and learn from the experiences of others.  The main thing to remember is there no right or wrong way to be connected; you simply have to put yourself out there.  You will be glad you did!!  Now go get connected!!!    

Bio:  My name is Natalie McCutchen and I teach 7th grade Math and Pre-Algebra at Franklin-Simpson Middle School in Simpson County; I am entering my tenth year of teaching.  I obtained my National Board Certification in Early Adolescence Mathematics in 2013.  I am a Hope Street Group Kentucky Teacher Fellow, a NEA Great Public Schools Network online facilitator for 7th Grade Common Core, and a 2014 ASCD Emerging Leader.  I am an advocate for the Common Core standards, promoting teacher voice, elevating the teacher profession, and personalizing the learning for my students through initiatives such as the flipped learning and standards based grading.   

District:  Simpson County

School:  Franklin Simpson Middle School

Subject:  7th Grade Math and Pre-Algebra

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.

Kentucky Connected Educator Brad Clark

Brad Clark is one of the educators we have selected to highlight for a second year in a row. Read below to learn about how Brad has deepened his connectedness in the past year. 

The Process of Being Connected

Last October, Kentucky teachers explored how we connect to one another.  As that month closed, I openly pondered why we connect; what purpose did/does connection serve?  I used to think that being connected was a reflection of how tech-savvy an educator was or how many followers an educator had on Twitter.  I had very little interest in joining that world.  My concept of connectedness was shallow.  I know now that connectedness is not an outcome, it is a process.

enhancing practice by being connected

My practice...hmm...what is my practice?  I have several areas of practice.  As a classroom practitioner (which is a term that we should all start using when referring to ourselves as classroom teachers), connectedness provides an informal but monumentally important Professional Learning Community (PLC).  I can find other teachers, across the Commonwealth and across the nation, that are also teaching interdisciplinary ELA and Social Studies.  We can share strategies and resources.  I can find other practitioners that are using LDC rubrics to evaluate student writing.  I can find practitioners using EQuiP rubrics to select Common Core resources.  In a nutshell, I can self-select my PLC based on common-interests.  And there is no limit on how many PLCs I join.

Another area of practice, and one that receives the lionshare of my connectivity, is finding ways to replicate my teacher leadership experience for Kentucky teachers...I want to see a tipping point; it is time that teacher leadership becomes a solutions-oriented Teacher Leadership Movement.  We have the capacity to do that in Kentucky.  The conditions are ripe.  

In order to create this movement, we need to connect more practitioners to teacher leadership work.  Throughout the state, there are amazing teachers identifying the adaptive challenges that face their students, their schools, their districts and the state.  They are developing adaptive solutions to address local and statewide needs.  They are working with administrators to shape student learning in their communities.  

It is time that we connect those dots of excellence, leverage the intellectual capital of classroom practitioners and allow all educators and education policy makers to see the connection between all of these efforts. I see the purpose of my connectivity as being an active member of an ever-growing group of teachers seeking to bring more teachers to the teacher leadership table.

The flip side of the teacher connectivity coin is that we need more opportunities for emergent teacher leaders to dive deep into the work of redesigning student learning and professionalizing the teaching profession.  There are teachers across the Commonwealth hungry for leadership opportunities.  They have the dispositions of leaders.  They simply need the time, support and resources necessary to gather leadership experience.  Those of us that are connected have a responsibility to build the capacity of teachers that are either newly connected or have yet to connect.  We are the barrier removers.  We have been given opportunity and we are obligated to create opportunity.

connecting beyond Kentucky

I talk to Kentucky teachers from all over the state.  I am consistently amazed at how little our teachers realize the role Kentucky plays in national conversations about effective teaching and learning, teacher leadership and education reform.  When I connect with educators from around the country, whether virtually or face to face, I am asked the same question:  What are you all doing in Kentucky?  We are fast becoming the national model for radically improving teaching and learning.  Few of our peers realize this.  Those of us that are connected must take this message to Kentucky classrooms.  

On a much more personal level, I have colleagues in every corner of the US (including Hawaii) and everywhere in between that I count as very dear.  I support their teacher leadership work.  They support ours.  My virtual connectedness has helped me to identify my community of practice.  When I have the great fortune of meeting my virtual peers face to face, it is a joyous occasion.  We know each other.  We know each other’s interests.  We know each other’s body of work.  We know each other’s colleagues.  We are able to build momentum for the work in our home states.  The deep sense of purpose and connectedness that I feel about my my peers’ efforts to redesign student learning and the teaching profession would be impossible to attain apart from me being a connected educator.  

connecting to students

I used to see connectedness as an individualistic pursuit.  Now, I see it as a collectivist activity.  Connectivity impacts our profession.  It destroys the culture of isolation that has plagued us all at times in our career.  Connectivity also has a tremendous impact on our students.  In light of the importance of current connectivity, how important is connectivity going to be a generation from now?  It is our duty to not only expose students to technology that increases connectivity, but to allow students to become fluent and literate in the nuance of connective culture.  To that end, three years ago I began asking for one to one tech for my classroom.  A year ago, all of my students created google drive accounts (thank you Donald Piercey) and began the process of managing digital portfolios.  This year they have one to one chromebooks (thank you Larry Caudill) and are managing all aspects of their learning process, from reflecting on their own formative and summative assessment data to interpreting the explicit and implicit skills within the ELA standards to designing units and performance assessment from the ground up.

When we talk about connectivity and we wear the label of connected educator, we are ambassadors of a collectivist culture that are shaping education redesign.  Our students are changing.  Their learning reflects that.  Our profession is changing.  Our connectivity reflects that.  

We need to consider the how, why and what of being a connected educator now so that October 2015 can be the month when being connected is the norm instead of a celebrated status.

Kentucky Connected Educator Jana Bryant

In what ways are you a connected educator?

I have decided to increase my connections in education through the use of social media.  I have become very interested in topics of teacher leadership, teacher voice, educational policy, common core implementation, support of new teachers and mathematics education.    

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

For me, I want to help spread the word about opportunities to enhance our profession and to make sure that teachers are informed.  It is important that teachers have a voice in educational decisions at the local, state and national level.    

How does being connected impact you as a professional?

In terms of my common core advocacy efforts, I am able to reach out to teachers from other states, get advice about best practices of implementation and share resources.

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

The key is to say yes to new opportunities.  We, as teachers, can be a powerful voice for advancing our profession.  

Kentucky Connected Educator James Allen

James was featured last year as well, and his post was one of the most popular of 2013. Read this update to find out how his connectedness has continued and deepened his practice in the past year.

In the last year I’ve continued to grow my personal learning network. I attended my first ISTE conference and was able to meet a ton of educators who I connect with virtually, but regularly through #TLChat, #KyEdChat, and #KyLChat. I also use Google+ and Google Hangouts to stay connected with a variety of groups like GEG KY, Global TL (librarians without borders), and TL News Night. A group of us are also excited to be working on the first ever edcamp Kentucky, coming up this Saturday, October 25. Hopefully this will be the first of many and a great way to learn together in person with the great folks we meet on #KyEdChat and other digital hangouts.

I’ve also started to get really involved in our professional organization, the Kentucky Association of School Librarians. In the past year I’ve been a district president of this group. It’s been great getting teacher librarians in our area together, talking, and learning from eachother. Before it was so easy to share and learn online, these organizations and conferences were some of the only ways we could connect. One of my goals is to help merge these two worlds of professional connections together.

Being a connected educator provides a constant incentive and support program to help keep me growing professionally. As a school librarian I’m lucky to work in a school where there are two of us. It is great having someone to work with every day, but it is still not the same as having a larger department or grade level team to collaborate with. My online connections give me a place to ask questions, discuss ideas, and get nearly-instant help any time I need it.

My Twitter and Google+ PLN really has no borders. I’ve made some great connections in Texas and and a few other states that have very active teacher librarian chats on Twitter. My local professional support system is great, but it is really exciting once you start sharing beyond your comfort zone and realizing that we all have so much great stuff to share and learn.

The real benefit of my connectedness is that my students get more than just my own ideas and experience. Our school library, the training we can offer teachers, and the information we make available to students is continually improving because of our connections on Twitter, list serves, Google+, Facebook, our local public library, and professional organizations like KASL, KYSTE, edcampKY, and ISTE. We also model productive, constructive, and appropriate use of social media through our school and library accounts. I really believe our modeling helps students see how the connections they so easily make online can be used to help others and guide their own learning experiences. We are getting there, but I would love to see our students get more involved in their own learning, and part of that is being able to connect to others who are seeking the same information and share the same goals. 

James’ lifelong interest in technology led him to become a library media specialist more than 10 years ago. He loves keeping technology updated in his school and discovering new tools and services that both students and teachers can leverage to improve learning experiences. He is currently a librarian and the school technology coordinator at Oldham County High School, a Google Educator, and enjoys assisting with #KyLChat and #KyEdChat. James is also looking forward to his role as president of the Kentucky Association of School Librarians in the 2015/2016 school year.

James Allen

Teacher Librarian

Oldham County High School

President-Elect, Kentucky Association of School Librarians

edcamp Kentucky Organizer

@TLJamesA on Twitter

Google+

ochslibrary.wordpress.com-

Kentucky Connected Educator Josh Underwood

To me, being a ‘connected educator’ means having open communication pathways to fellow educators, parents, and students.  I am connected through the use of email, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn but also by taking active roles in the Kentucky Science Teachers Association, American Association of Physics Teachers, and the Kentucky Education Association.  

I have found that being connected to the various groups has had a tremendous impact on my practice.  Let’s start with fellow educators.  A popular saying amongst our kind is that ‘Good teachers create while great teachers steal.’  The meaning is that you can further your practice greatly by learning from the collective experiences of those around you and those who have taught before you.  It takes years to get a lesson developed to a polished level that you are satisfied with, so by tweaking what others have done puts you ahead of the curve as opposed to if you had created everything yourself.  By being active in the associations, as well as having an online presence, I have created a wonderful pool of human resources that I can go to get ideas about labs and activities that I would otherwise not have the luxury of having.  My practice has also benefited from the connection to the students and parents.  I have no problem with friending them on Facebook or sharing emails.  I have found that they are comfortable with these and will use them far more often than the phone or personal visits, especially in the beginning.  Once we have a good rapport with each other, they tend to shift to those more personal forms of communication.  As you know, this openness between teachers and parents/students is where you really learn how your classroom is running and where more attention needs to be paid.  

Being connected not only helps my practice, but also helps me to be a professional.  To me, a large part of being a professional is about being a member of a group with a common trade that openly shares their knowledge and experiences for the betterment of all in the group.  While I realize that it is possible to work in isolation in this profession for the entirety of one’s tenure, I believe that one would be short changing themselves, their colleagues, and their students because of the great impact sharing has on the practice, as noted earlier.  The great thing about the world today is that we now have so many options in which to connect and share.  As you can see, I prefer a mix of in person and online connections.  While I find the in person connections most valuable, the online options allow for continuous contact that in the past may have been limited to a one time workshop or an annual meeting.  This leads to deeper connections and even more sharing.  

When it’s all said done, it comes down to doing what’s best for the students, whether they are in your class or in a fellow educator’s room states away.  It is for this reason that I encourage every teacher to take advantage of every opportunity to get connected.  Join your education and content associations.  Follow and friend your professional idols.  Put yourself out there so that not only will you grow professionally, but you can help others do the same.  Students everywhere will thank you.  Ok, probably not, but they will benefit greatly from your efforts, which is what it’s all about.  

 

Bio - I am currently in my 15th year of teaching science.  This is my first year as the chemistry teacher at Mason County High School.  The prior 14 years were as the physical sciences teacher for grades 7-12 at Robertson County School.  I live in Tollesboro with my wife and colleague, Amanda, and our 3 years old son, Xander.   

Kentucky Connected Educator Brooke Whitlow

Brooke Whitlow Hardin County

In what ways are you a connected educator? 

After attending the AMLE conference in November 2013, I began to connect with educators across the nation through Twitter. I started participating in weekly Twitter chats on #edtechhat and #flipclass. I found #kyedchat in January of 2014 and became an active participant. My professional learning community started with professional connections on Twitter and have grown to become friends. My PLN and I are co-organizing the first EdCampKY and are frequent presenters at conferences around the state. 

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

How does being connected NOT impact my practice in my classroom?Almost every day, every lesson, every question I have in my classroom I refer to a chat, a conversation or a message from my PLN on Twitter or Google Plus.  The innovation and creativity I have brought to my classroom is a direct result of my connectedness. 

How does being connected impact you as a professional?

I have a sounding board, a community of people who understand, and who are willing to give feedback and advice. They have helped stretch me outside of my comfort zone and try new things in my classroom that I never imagined I would or COULD do. 

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

Don't hesitate to get involved. At first it is daunting. Start with a small Twitter chat first to get the feel before jumping into a big one. Don't be afraid to hit the FOLLOW button. Learn from as many people as possible. Reach out to others!! 

Bio: Born and raised in Hodgenville, Kentucky, the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, Brooke has always had a passion for history….especially Abe Lincoln. It was no surprise she started her career in education as an 8th grade American history teacher. She never thought she would find a greater passion than history until she began her graduate work at Western Kentucky University, where she focused on instructional technology.  During her coursework at WKU, she began seeking grant opportunities to provide technology funding for her classroom. After being selected as a model classroom for 1:1 iPad technology in her district, she was asked by administration to write a new curriculum for a Technology Education course at her school, East Hardin Middle. Brooke is passionate about providing a technology rich environment for her students, while focusing on student engagement and authentic learning. She frequently presents at conferences on her passions and is very active with her PLN on #KyEdChat. Recently, she took her passion straight to the White House where she talked with US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden at a round table discussion with 19 other educators from across the nation. Currently, Brooke is enhancing her Technology Ed course with the addition of a career focused Maker Space and establishing herself as a leader in the Tech Ed and Maker Space community through her professional resource site at BrookeWhitlow.com. When she isn’t teaching, planning, talking or thinking about educational technology she enjoys spending time with her husband Joey and two children Grant and Vivian. She enjoys running, reality TV, sushi and knitting.

Kentucky Connected Educator Roland O'Daniel

In what ways are you a connected educator?

I would say I’m a connected educator because I use technology to enhance how I’m able to work with my colleagues and schools. Relationships are important in the work we do as educators and the technology just makes it easier to share ideas and information with those interested. I

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

I enjoy using technology to enhance what I’m doing with teachers. I look for technology that adds something to the experience as well as make it easier to connect. It can be as simple as twitter and sharing resources, or using Google Docs to co-create lessons and articles with schools across the state.

For me technology opened up a lot of opportunities early in my career in how I had students interact with content. I still remember getting my freshman algebra I students on explorelearning.com to ‘play’ with the gizmos. It was a great conversation that followed when we talked about slope and how we could impact slope. It was no longer just about the formula but about how the numbers changed the behaviors of the lines. It just reinforced for me that technology could take learning to a new level. It became about creating understanding and communicating that understanding.

How does being connected impact you as a professional?

Now that I’m not a classroom teacher, I interact with teachers and school leaders in a variety of ways. Being ‘online’ helps make those interactions quicker and easier. It also allows for input from a variety of people without having to take them out of their classrooms. I use technology to close distances. It doesn’t matter if it is teachers in the Purchase or colleagues working from the field. We ‘Hangout’ when we need to get our work done. Technology makes it easier for busy educators to use their time most effectively.

The social media side of being connected allows me to interact with people on a regular basis that I couldn’t any other way. Right now I’m working on my dissertation, so I’m connecting with others who are working in the college readiness field across the country. Without their blogs, sharing on twitter, and easy chats, I would never have the opportunity to see what these cutting edge educators are doing. It not only helps my thinking, it’s cool to meet these people and to push my own thinking in ways, I might not have thought of without them.

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

I would keep it simple. Find one or two things you like and work with those tools and build your network. As you make it routine, then don’t add more tools, add more people. The power in all of this isn’t the technology, it’s the people and the sharing of ideas. I was on twitter very early and didn’t see a lot of value initially because there weren’t many Kentucky educators on in 2007. Now that twitter is a tool used by many educators there is power.

BIO: I taught math for 17 years at St. X and in Port Angeles, WA before leaving the classroom and moving into professional development at CTL. I've been with CTL for 10 years and have enjoyed working with teachers across the state on a variety of projects. Most recently I’ve been working with college readiness and am in the process of finishing my dissertation in that area. I look forward to the challenges that await me in the next 10 years. 

Kentucky Connected Educator Allison Hunt

Allison Hunt Jefferson County Schools

In what ways are you a connected educator?

A connected educator  isn’t constrained by spatial proximity.  In my geography classes we often discuss time-space compression and how technology allows us to overcome concerns of distance.  Some of my most valued colleagues teach hundreds or thousands of miles away from my classroom.  We come together online and act as an authentic professional learning community.  I am connected with my colleagues across the country and beyond by being the administrator of the Advanced Placement Human Geography Readers Facebook page, the moderator of the College Board Advanced Placement Human Geography Community, and by following amazing education professionals on Twitter (for example, Seth Dixon @humangeog who is a college professor in Rhode Island).  

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

Being a connected educator challenges me to reflect on my practice every day.  Reading the amazing things other teachers across the world are doing on a regular basis challenges me to create the same types of experiences for my students.  Being connected means that the examples I bring to the classroom are current examples, which are much more meaningful to students.  In the future I hope to work with other AP Human Geography teachers on a series of common projects our students can share with each other.

How does being connected impact you as a professional?

Today there is a great deal of emphasis on Professional Learning Communities (PLCs).  Truly effective PLCs occur organically, they are not the forced PLCs that many educators have experienced.  I consider my connected activities with other educators part of my PLC.  I can’t imagine not having the valuable exchanges with my colleagues across the country.  With my interactions I can reflect on lessons (both my own and theirs), share resources, and just generally be supported by others.  Being connected goes a long way towards breaking down the walls of our one room school house mentality.

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

The main piece of advice is one I repeatedly give teachers who join our Advanced Placement Human Geography Facebook Group- you have something valuable to contribute.  Don’t hold back and instead join in the conversations.  Ask questions, answer questions, post resources, evaluate resources, etc.  The more you give, the more you will gain!  As far as resources, start with a simple search of your favorite social media site(s).  If you teach Advanced Placement be sure to participate in the established College Board communities.

Bio: Allison Hunt is a National Board Certificed Teacher and an Advanced Placement Human Geograpy Teacher at duPont Manual High School in Jefferson County. Her teaching philosophy is rooted in the importance of building positive relationships and in challenging all students to achieve at the highest possible level. In addition to her teaching load, she sponsors the Classes of 2015 and 2016. She is also the moderator of the AP Human Geography Community, An AP Human Geography Test Development Committee member, a steering member for the Kentucky Geography Allianse, a board member for the KEntucy Association of School Counciles, a 2013 Hope Street Group National Teacher Fellow, and past-preseidnet of the Kentucky Association of Teachers of History. She has received awards including the 2013 Kentucky High School Teacher of the Year, 2013 Allison Hunt is National Board Certified Teacher and an Advanced Placement Human Geography School Teacher of the Year, 2012 Gold Star Teacher Award from W!ise, 2012 Behring National History Day Kentucky Teacher of the Year, 2011 WHAS-TV ExCEL Award, 2009 Distinguieshed Teacher AWard from the National Council for Geographic Education, and the 2008 Kentucky Outstanding Social Studies Teacher of the Year Award from the Kentucky Council of Social Studies. Allison earned her Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration/Political Science from Georgetwon College, her Masters of Arts in Teaching degree from the University of Louisville, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Louisville.

Kentucky Connected Educator Jim Evans

                                                           

                    Dr. Jim Evans Superintendent Lee County Schools

In what ways are you a connected educator?

Now with global connectivity, I know that I must be connected through social media. Currently, I use Twitter and the school district webpage to reach students, parents, staff, and community. I also use theHoller.org and KASA.org as resources to keep updated on education in our state. Other ways to stay connected are through local media, local civic groups, open community forums, and school messenger.

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

Being connected allows me to have the ability to profile and exhibit the great things going on in our schools, have open lines of communication with staff, students, and community. It allows for an open door policy for communication in various forms. I'm a continual learner and I enjoy following and reading posts from others. I look for inspirational quotes and stories that motivate me to be a better person professionally and personally.

What advice or resources would you recommend to colleges and others interested in becoming connected?

Just do it!

Bio: Dr. Jim Evans is in his seventh year as superintendent in Lee County located in Beattyville, Ky. He's the first college graduate on both sides of his family, and her recently completed his Ed.D at Morehead State University. Dr. Evans has held the following positions in his district: teacher aide, teacher, coach, assistant principal, principal, transportation director, and is now currently the superintendent. He sees being a continual learner as one of his biggest strengths as an educator and he views every experience as a learning opportunity to further his own understanding of education, society, and culture.

Dr. Evans shares his goals for Lee County Schools:

• Ensure our students are Globally competent
• Ensure employees are focused on increasing student achievement
• Ensure a climate of safety in our district
• Ensure a culture of continuous improvement
• Ensure our district remains financially sound

Kentucky Connected Educator Sherri McPherson

Sherri McPherson Fayette County Schools

Since October 2013 when you were featured as one of Kentucky’s Connected Educators, in what way has your connectedness continued to grow?

In November 2013, I earned my National Board Certification and joined the almost 3,000 Kentucky teachers who are NBCTs. Nationally, there are over 100,000 National Board Certified Teachers. That’s a large group of amazing teachers that I am now connected with. This year I am a 2014 Hope Street Group Kentucky Teacher Fellow. The fellowship provides both the opportunity and the platform to speak for teachers’ ideas and perspectives in our state. This year’s work revolves around our new teacher evaluation system, teacher leadership, and the use of teacher time. I have learned that the more connections I make the more I want to make. Being connected fuels my desire to learn about my content and profession. The more connected I become, the more I realize I still have a lot to learn. 

How is your practice enhanced by being connected?

By being connected, face-to-face and virtually, I am able to find mentors, explore ideas, and keep up-to-date on our ever-changing profession. I no longer have to wait for professional development to come to my school or district. Now, professional development comes to me and it’s personalized based on my needs and interests. I can chat with a colleague online, read a blog, or explore new teaching strategies and then implement what I learned the next day in class.

How are you connected beyond Kentucky?

Through Hope Street Group and my work on the Bill and Melinda Gates Teacher Advisory Council, I am connected to teachers across the state, but also nationally. We connect mostly through Twitter, but try to connect face-to-face at state and national convenings. This year is the second year I am involved in the Common Assignment Study which pairs teachers in Kentucky and Colorado together to work on common units in social studies, English, and science.

How does your connectedness flow over into your work with students?

My connectedness flows into my work with students because often I use my connections to improve my content knowledge or teaching strategies. This year, I am trying Ariel Sacks Whole Novels approach with my students. I discovered the approach through my connections on Twitter. Last year, I implemented Genius Hour after learning about it through my connections. I call on my connections to bring in community members to serve on panels for my students. One panel is made up of alumni from our school, for a school research project the students do at the end of the school year. Another panel serves as an authentic audience for when my students present their Genius Hour presentations. Many of the technology programs and tools my students and I use,  I found through my online connections. 

Kentucky Connected Educator Sabrina Back

Sabrina Back representing Kentucky Writing Project

In what ways are you a connected educator?

Connecting with others online and in person is what ignites my professional learning.  As a 2003 Fellow of the Mountain Writing Project (MtWP), I learned, even before many common online platforms such as Facebook (2004) and YouTube (2005) were born, that connecting  and networking were invaluable tools to nurture myself as a lifelong learner.  Fast forward a decade later, and my opportunities for connection are limitless.  This. Is. Great!  Rather than waiting weeks for a conference, I can access quality, self-selected professional development multiple times a day just by logging in to Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Facebook, or a Google + Community.  I select webinars and follow Twitter feeds like #edchat, #edtech, and #ce14. In my role as a Co-Director of MtWP, I use online forums such as Neatchat, Today’sMeet, Google Hangouts, TitanPad, and Edmodo to coordinate and plan professional development for teachers in our service region.  Most recently, I was approved for a grant through the National Writing Project to initiate and maintain various online social media accounts for the Kentucky Writing Project.  I like the idea of paying it forward; professional learning online is all about being part of the stream of knowledge.  You contribute to the stream, and in turn, drink from the stream.  The stream sustains you, and you sustain the stream.  Whether it’s by creating in CLMOOC, “liking” on Facebook, “following” on Pinterest, or simply indulging in consumption through YouTube playlists, RSS feeds, taptu, or Flipboard, I am connected.  My PLN is rich and diverse.

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

Accessing the various platforms that feed my PLN makes me keenly aware of what students need to know to use various forms of media.  I am fortunate to have one class of digital communications, and I use this time to teach digital citizenship and online safety.  I show students privacy settings, talk to them about ways to avoid cyberbullying, and I teach them how to block unwanted connections.  I also share safe and effective use of the technology.  As a teacher, I know a plethora of apps, platforms, and websites to digitally enhance instruction in my Language Arts classrooms.  Moreover, I fully believe the words of Alvin Toffler, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. ” Teachers have all seen those “Shift Happens” videos.  We know we are preparing our students for types of jobs that have not been created.  I ask myself these questions very often:  How am I helping students to unlearn or relearn?  How am I helping them become flexible problem-solvers in a connected environment?  

Making all this happen takes a considerable amount of planning, but my students reap dividends.  Each year I select platforms based on students’ needs and interests, as well as the availability of technology.  In past, this has been some combination of:  blogging and/or microblogging, podcasting, creating infographics, using Edmodo for collaboration and quizzing, and creating multi-genre websites based on a topic of self-interest.  We all know students adore technology, but it is our job as teachers to make sure we plan technology integration with the instructional objective foremost in our minds, not simply the excitement of using a “cool” tool.  One way to plan well is to consider Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy, and to infuse technology through Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition (SAMR):  A model that combines Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy and SAMR.

How does being connected impact you as a professional?

My interest in teacher tech was sparked as a Transition to Teaching Mentor several years ago.  Much of how we communicated was online, and at that time, I was such a newbie.  I had many frustrating encounters trying to collaborate online with others in the network.  Gradually, I learned to navigate Elluminate and had some success with Wimba.  In the following year, the Kentucky Writing Project started the Literacy and Technology Inquiry Project (LTIP), making three day teacher tech camps accessible during the summer months at a number of locations throughout the state.  Those technology offerings were very well-received, and I soon became a facilitator for LTIP.  To date, I have facilitated at seven tech camps at various locations:  University of Louisville, University of Kentucky, and for the Kentucky Community and Technical College System at both the Perry and Floyd campuses.  The website I use to develop materials for these academies is:  teachersknowtech.

This gradual acquisition of technology through the years has given me the experience needed to coordinate the development of Kentucky Writing Project’s online social accounts.  Several individual sites maintain websites, blogs, etc.  This effort is an attempt to solidify and spotlight the incredible work of our writing projects.  Want to know more? Get connected with us:  

KWP Website

KWP Twitter

KWP Pinterest

KWP Facebook Page

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

Other than the resources and links I have already provided, I would just encourage teachers to jump in.  I have never attended KySTE or ISTE (yes, I would love to), and I am “that” teacher who had an iPad before purchasing my first smartphone.  You have to start somewhere, and it is best to develop a “no fear” attitude.  Yes, things are going to go wrong.  Those things will matter little in comparison to how much you and your students will benefit.  Some practical advice:

1. Learn how to curate content---Mitchell Kapor is not exaggerating when he says, “Getting information off the Internet is like taking a drink from a fire hydrant.”  We are suffering from immeasurable “infobesity,” and there is a possibility of being subsumed if we try to do too much all at once.  Whether you create Pinterest boards or Scoops (via Scoop.it), use Storify or Listly, find an application you like and start harnessing the web!  The websites Edudemic and TeachThought are great places to learn about content curation.
2. Figure out how to manage workflow in your classroom---As you have students create digital products, where will those be stored?  Will students publish on a class website, submit via GoogleDrive, share a file through DropBox, etc.?  Do some preparation beforehand to determine if students need to create separate accounts, if students can do work via mobile or desktop, and if one app integrates with others to create a much better product (app smashing).
3. Completely understand the functionality of the tool you are using---How will you teach students to use the tool (via screencast/by demonstrating on the SmartBoard/by taking screenshots)? Does the tool require the use of flash/java/etc., and have those been updated on the computers students will use?  What is the cost of the app, and is the app/tool available in IOS/Windows/Droid?

Bio:  Sabrina has been teaching for fourteen years, eight of those as a sixth grade language arts teacher at Morgan County Middle School.  Since 2005, she has served as a Co-Director of the Mountain Writing Project, the same year she became a National Board Certified Teacher. In 2009, she was selected as an Ashland Teacher Achievement Award winner.  She has presented numerous times at the state level for KCTE and KWP, and has presented twice during NCTE’s annual conference.  From 2010 - 2012, she participated in Literacy in the Common Core, a Gates-funded endeavor that assembled teachers from Colorado, New York, and Kentucky to develop and refine modules around the LDC framework.  She is currently awaiting the results of her recent re-certification attempt from the National Board.