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 Jason Reeves

Dr. Jason Reeves Union College 

In what ways are you a connected educator?

As Dean of the Educational Studies Unit at Union College, I never seem to be “unconnected” as an educator. LinkIn, Skype, Google Docs, Twitter feeds, Facebook updates, and online newspapers and periodicals greatly advance the work of the faculty and staff in our Unit. We work very hard to model our technology expectations for our program candidates.

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

A critical component of our Teacher as Leader preparation model is preparing our candidates to integrate technology usage in their future classrooms through avenues that spark creativity, engage all students, and provide authentic student achievement data. These advantages of technology usage are foundational to the success of a teacher leader blending pedagogical and clinical knowledge bases in a “real world” P-12 classroom.

How does being connected impact you as a professional?

The impact has been incredible. The world, both real and online, continues to open itself up in ways that most never believed imaginable. For educators, this type of environment is both exciting and very rewarding since we thrive on ways in which to continuously improve our abilities to connect with students.

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

Take the first step now! There are many ways that a person can become connected. I am sure it won't be your last step once you see how eye-opening being connected can be.

Bio: Dr. Jason Reeves is currently the Dean of Educational Studies and Assistant Professor of Education at Union College in Barbourville, KY. In addition to his roles at Union College, Dr. Reeves is a member of the Continuous Assessment Review Committee and Board of Examiners Team for the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB). Dr. Reeves also serves as a trained  teacher educator program accreditation reviewer for the national Council of Accreditation for Educator Preparation (CAEP).

Kentucky Connected Educator Matthew Courtney

Executive Director Bluegrass Center for Teaching Quality

In what ways are you a connected educator?

I am a connected educator because I strive to keep my finger on the pulse of education.  It is important to me to always be aware of upcoming changes in policy, legislation, and research based practices.  These are the things that effect what teachers do every day.  By making sure that I am a part of these conversations, I am able to build lasting relationships with teachers across the state.  

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

Having a wide network of friends and colleagues across the state has greatly strengthened my work in the schools.  As a teacher, I was able to reach out to a diverse and supportive group of peers when I needed help or guidance.  It also helped me adjust to major transitions in the school, such as the implementation of CIITS or PGES.  Having other people who knew what I was experiencing and who could lend perspective and new ideas helped me greatly.

How does being connected impact you as a professional?

Being a professional is all about being connected.  Professionals know about the shifting tides of their profession.  More importantly, they know where to go when they don't know!  When you are well connected, you may also be called on to speak about your profession.  These opportunities, while intimidating at first, help you grow.  They help you to build networks outside of your classroom that later can be used to help bring resources back to your students.

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

The biggest piece of advice for someone interested in becoming a connected educator is to join and participate in multiple teacher networks.  Network membership is like a gym membership.  It is only as good as you make it.  Be involved in the discussion.  I also suggest being in multiple networks because each network has their own perspective and it is important that leaders are open minded and hear a wide range of ideas.

Bio:

Matthew B. Courtney is the Founder and Executive Director of the Bluegrass Center for Teacher Quality.  Before creating the Bluegrass Center for Teacher Quality (BCTQ), Matthew worked as an elementary music educator at Mayfield Elementary in Richmond, KY.  After spending several years watching his friends and collegues struggle to meet their professional learning goals, Matthew created BCTQ with the mission of providing high quality, research based professional learning opportunities to teachers; free of charge.  In his role as Executive Director, Matthew works with teachers to ensure that they have the professional knowledge and skills they need to be successful in a wide variety of situations.  He is also engaged in researching professional learning techniques and travels to speak about the importance of teacher leadership in professional development.