Kentucky Connected Educator Kip Hottman

Kip Hottman Spanish Teacher Oldham County

In what ways are you a connected educator?

During the 2013-2014 school year I became aware of the importance of being a connected educator in as many ways as possible.  Throughout the first ten years of teaching my only connections were in my department, my school, and networking at an occasional Kentucky World Language Association (KWLA) conference.  Stepping outside of the classroom has truly transformed my philosophy of what it means to be a teacher.  Initially, I became connected by taking a chance and applying for a fellowship with the Hope Street Group (HSG) here in Kentucky.

After becoming a Hope Street Group fellow, I immediately recognized the importance of Twitter.  It was absolutely life changing!  I was introduced to a new and exciting world of which I previously knew nothing about.  I saw the same names connecting daily and I quickly engaged these professionals through daily collaboration.

Through the HSG and Twitter, I learned of important organizations throughout KY that advocate for education.  I was able to connect with the Center for Teaching Quality (CTQ) and become trained as a Virtual Community Organizer (VCO).  This extended my virtual network to two different platforms (HSG Virtual Engagement Platform and CTQ Collaboratory) where I currently meet to discuss deeper issues surrounding policy and other educational issues outside of Twitter.

I joined a committee through The Fund for Transforming Education in KY and helped write a grant in order to host a regional Elevating and Celebrating Effective Teachers and Teaching (ECET2) conference in Louisville.  It was an amazing experience because I was finally able to reach out to all of my connections from Twitter, CTQ, and the HSG and help plan an extremely productive Professional Development.  I reached out to the connections that I had made throughout the school year and invited some fantastic speakers to the ECET2.  Before the 2013-2014 school year I would not have been able to do this which, in my eyes, reinforces the importance of taking a chance and stepping outside of the classroom.

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

The main way that being connected impacts my classroom is through the never-ending collaboration in which I am now involved.  After participating in one #kyedchat, I realized that @mrpiercEy (Donnie Piercy) had opened a new world that allowed KY teachers instant Professional Learning from any location.  The old PD of the past was gone, replaced with a new and innovative manner of collaboration.  

How this connection directly impacts my classroom is best explained through one of my lessons this past year.  I was trying a new app with my first block class in March and my lesson “crashed and burned”!  I needed some advice, and immediately reached out to Twitter (#kyedchat) with a question about best practice.  I received three responses within 15 minutes and was able to tweak my lesson for my third block class, so powerful!

I also need to include that as a World Language Teacher, connecting globally is of utmost importance, and our WL department works directly with an impoverished school in San Juan Alotenango in Guatemala.  We have led a fundraiser every year since 2010 helping to fund rent, food, electricity, teacher pay, and various supplies that the students need.  This connection impacts my students by developing their cultural sensitivity and awareness which is often difficult to authentically create in the classroom.

How does being connected impact you as a professional?  

Being connected as a professional allows me to advocate for the teaching profession and search for solutions-focused ways to help elevate teacher voice.  For example, I made my first connection to legislation because of the HSG this past January.  I traveled to the capitol during one of our many snow days with the director of education and mobilization for the HSG and another fellow for a legislative lesson.  Upon arrival, I witnessed Senate Bill 16 (Computer Programming as a World Language) being introduced and saw the lack of teacher voice as the bill passed within 7 minutes.  Because of the HSG, I had been working on forming a Professional Learning Network (PLN) throughout the state, and one of my PLNs was a group of about one hundred World Language Teachers.  I was able to connect within two hours after learning about SB16 and start some conversation around the topic with teacher voice.

Because of becoming a connected educator, I was invited to serve as a member of the Teaching Advisory Council for the Gates Foundation.  The invitation was an honor and it provided me the opportunity of stepping outside of KY to work with a group of Teacher Leaders from around the country face to face twice a year.  Because these teachers are Teacher Leaders, we continue the conversation and connect virtually focusing on educational issues through blogging, edchats, conference calls and webinars.

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

I would recommend first finding your passion.  What is it about education that moves you?  Is it policy, technology, teacher voice, professional learning, etc…?  Once you find your passion, look for as many ways to become connected.  I recommend starting with Twitter and other Virtual Engagement Platforms (i.e., Hope Street Group VEP or CTQ Collaboratory) because you will quickly connect with others who share your same passion.

Learn what organizations exist in your state (and nationally) in which you can become involved to learn more about your passion.  There are fabulous educators at all corners of the state advocating for education and educators.  These groups want to hear your voice and they want you to become involved.

Move up the ladder of engagement and don’t settle for forming a couple of connections.  Reach out and continue the conversation in a deeper more meaningful manner.  Share what you learn and motivate others to believe in their voice.  Persuade them to become involved by sharing your story and your passion.

Finally, believe that becoming connected and using your voice can create positive change directly impacting what you love.  I read the following quote last year and it immediately reinforced why I need to be involved and continue to connect locally, nationally, and globally.  Let me know what you think….

“I always wondered why someone didn’t do something about that.  Then I realized that I am someone.”


Want to participate in Connected Educator Month? Consider: 

• Following our blog daily where we will highlight a different educator each day in October
• Adding tips and resources to a shared Google folder

Kentucky Connected Educator Day 24

Digital Citizenship Week takes us across the globe via Kentucky e-learning...

El khdar Abdelmoula

Kentucky-e-Learning Educator

Youssef Ben Tachfin High School

Khouribga, Morocco

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

I’m always connected or looking for better ways to be connected. ‘Connected’ means that I belong to a global world. I’m connected when I establish collaborative works with other schools through virtual platforms to share and exchanges ideas and projects. I also connect when I participate in virtual professional training courses that bear tremendous effects on my teaching profession and academic pursuit.

How does being connected impact your practice? 

Being connected makes me believe that I belong to a flat world where frontiers are compressed and distances are mitigated. The power I invest in my teaching comes from the incentives that I get from the power of connection. I learn every single day that I’m not alone when I face troubles. I hear people’s stories and build on them. When I’m connected I adopt success and dispel failure. I build scaffolds for my creative ideas and usher them towards the end of the tunnel. Dreams grow into schemes and new horizons appear on the limitless sky of my universe.

One concrete example is when I took some PD courses with Kentucky Virtual School, I learnt much and invested that learning in my actual teaching. I had become better. One time we even had an online collaboration with a class from Kentucky; our students shared cultural insights regardless of distances and had much fun and importantly knew in their hearts that people can have the same dreams and aspirations regardless of their language and the ample materials they have. We all play in a field which is being leveled and we can see each other from a big distance, virtually but truly!

How does being connected impact you as a professional?

I believe in the notion of self-made man as suggested by Benjamin Franklin. The idea of being connected helps me achieve this value of independency to improve my professional life and the life of people around me.  Independency doesn’t mean I don’t interact with other people. It just means I can do whatever they can do but need much room for thinking and unconditional motivational push. I strive everyday to be better person.  I also use other models for success to build on their strengths and avoid their pitfalls. Even when I fail, it is often a good sign that I’ve really tried hard.

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

“Go for it”.  We learn when we are involved. Being connected is the shortcut to being involved. The world has changed tremendously and one needs to move beyond ones’ comfort zone. The only comfort in this busy life is when you know that there are other people just in the other corner listening to you attentively and compassionately.

Abdel was one of several Moroccan teachers who participated in online professional learning courses offered through the eLearning Ky grant. He participated in courses facilitated by Melissa Ferrell and they have stayed in touch over the years.

Kentucky Connected Educator Day 20

James Allen

Library Media Specialist

Oldham County

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

Although we teach in the same building, services like Twitter, Edmodo, and SharePoint help me stay connected to my own OCHS teachers. Facebook, and Instagram help us reach out to our students and parents. I also stay connected at a district level with our other Oldham County librarians and school technology coordinators through daily Lync conversations and monthly face to face meetings. Additionally we have a larger district-level cadre of like-minded educators interested in harnessing the power of educational technology (OCTI). Participating in listservs is another method I use to connect to librarians and teachers, not only in Kentucky, but across the country. Finally, and most powerfully, Twitter has helped me to connect not only to my local PLN, but to educators all over the world.

How does being connected impact your practice? 

Staying connected creates opportunities for learning about new and innovative tools, methods, and lessons, which can ultimately support our students. Smore, a digital flyer creation site, is a recent example where following well-connected and informed educators allowed me to learn about an awesome resource that I was able to immediately use to help our students and teachers. Learning about the creative and innovative uses of Google Drive is another example where connectivity really keeps my educational practice as a school librarian fluid and flexible.

How does being connected impact you as a professional?

My relatively new and growing PLN has offered me new perspectives, renewed my enthusiasm for education in general, and has increased my desire to expand upon my connections. I suspect this increased excitement comes directly from the act of connecting on a new level with colleagues, often strangers, but still colleagues that are tirelessly willing to share their ideas and help. I believe these new connections have also given me added confidence to reach out to others in our field and to take more professional risks. School librarianship can be a truly lonely boat ride at times, but usually right when I need it, my network reminds me I am far from alone in my efforts.

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

I got my start in being “connected” when I opened my Flickr account nearly ten years ago. The feeling of community, shared interest, and a place for free support was awesome to discover. I’ve applied my experiences with Flickr to my more recent social media interactions. First… do not be afraid. Everyone on Twitter was a new user at some point. Start small and follow just a few users that you find interesting and observe their interactions. Become comfortable with the tools and environment by participating in chat sessions. A few of my favorites are #TLChat, #KyLChat, and #KYEdChat. When you are ready for more use Flipboard, Scoop.it!, or another service to organize content that matters to you and your students. Lastly, share your knowledge, your experience, your expertise, and your unique perspective.

James Allen is a Librarian and School Technology Coordinator at Oldham County High School in his eleventh year of teaching. He enjoys computers and technology, but is especially interested in tools that can genuinely support student learning. James also loves promoting reading and believes that the school library should be a haven of student inquiry and discovery. The moments he is not playing, fiddling, reading, or learning on some type of computer-like device… he enjoys time with his family, practicing photography, and making music.

Twitter: @TLJamesA

Blog: http://ochslibrary.wordpress.com/

Ways for KY Teachers to stay Connected!

By: Karen Handlos

The principal characteristic of teacher leadership is that it is completely informal. Teacher leaders don't gain their authority through an assigned role or position; rather, they earn it through their work with both their students and their colleagues. Teacher leaders play a highly significant role in the work of the school and in school improvement efforts. Precisely because of its informal and voluntary nature, teacher leadership represents the highest level of professionalism. Teacher leaders are not being paid to do their work; they go the extra mile out of a commitment to the students they serve (Danielson 2006).

The Fund presents great opportunities for teachers to become those leaders within their schools and/or districts. We have partnered with The Center for Teaching Quality and Hope Street Group in an effort to build online forums for teachers to share their resources, ideas and expertise across the state.

The Center for Teaching Quality will be working with teacher leaders throughout the state who are interested in sharing and improving their knowledge of the Common Core standards and who would like to engage with other teachers in a virtual community.  This project will focus on Common Core policies and practice, with the end goal of creating a strong network of Kentucky teachers who will be ready to inform district- and state-level planning for effective, integrated implementation of Common Core.  Teachers involved in this project will have the opportunity to engage virtually both in the Collaboratory (www.teachingquality.org) and also through interactive webinars.  Also, teachers will have access to an online "lesson library" containing reflections, teaching materials, unit plans, and videos that showcase Common Core-aligned resources (such as MDC and LDC tools), vetted by National Board Certified teachers.

Hope Street Group recognizes the powerful role that effective teachers play in increasing student success. As a result, their vision is to spread the implementation of relevant and robust teacher evaluation systems that are built with the involvement and input of teachers and accepted by all major stakeholders. Hope Street Group (www.hopestreetgroup.org) has selected several teachers “fellows” across the state to lead in this work. These teacher fellows will take policy to practice with teachers on the ground and virtually, gather feedback from crowd-source convenings, translating into usable recommendations, implementation adjustments or scaling opportunities, and provide expertise to document and disseminate all work efforts.

The Fund encourages all teachers to find ways to elevate their voices, get connected, and transform education in Kentucky!