Embracing a "pay it forward" mentality

Years ago, I followed what I still consider to be the best professional advice that I've ever received; my teaching internship mentor advised me to join the OMNI Mentor Network's science email listserv. My primary NYS Regents course being Earth Science, I quickly learned that the ESPRIT network of educators was a wealth of knowlege. (I wonder how many cumulative years of teaching the hundreds of participating educators have??)

Over time, I've built my Earth science curriculum by begging and borrowing from fellow ESPRIT participants. I've come to recognize the names and work of the list's "experts" without ever having met them face-to-face (every once in a while I've made a random connection at a science conference, which is a neat experience). These educators from across New York (and now farther!) selflessly offer advice, share lesson plans, and collaborate on some pretty complex learning opportunities, all as an online community. Sometimes I've been enough of an expert myself to give back and contribute to the conversation. But mostly, I listen and learn and absorb the hundreds of years worth of knowledge being shared. 

These listserv communities, and the ever-increasing professional development teachers can find within the Twitterverse, are an excellent example of having a "pay it forward" mentality. Educators post and share resources with no expectation of personal repayment. We do it because it's what's best for our profession and, in turn, for our students. It's professional development at its best; it does not take long to realize that by putting yourself out there, you are really getting "repaid" tenfold.

Why then, are so many educators excited to share with a virtual personal learning network, with folks who don't even know each other personally, but are reluctant to do so within their own schools? Maybe we walk into professional development with the expectation that it's going to be poorly managed or of little value (guilty!). Maybe we are too comfortable with each other and don't think there is anything else we can share. Maybe we are overwhelmed just keeping up with our own schedule and don't feel that there is time during the day to network. Maybe we don't recognize that a teacher's expertise in a different subject and grade level really can be worthwhile for our classroom, too.

I ran across a Huffington Post article recently about paying it forward in the business world. Author Tammy Leigh Kahn presented four common roadblocks that are entirely applicable in education as well:

"I believe we can all embrace the “pay it forward” mentality, no matter what phase of business or life we are in, provided we can get past a few roadblocks that stand in our way. 

1. My neighbor’s success somehow makes me a failure.  

2. I don’t have anything to pay forward. 

3. The world doesn’t care about me. 

4. I feel guilty for my success." 

When it comes to professional development, we don't always need to pay an expert, take a course, or look online. We simply need to accept that another teacher's expertise does not undermine our own. Think of how much can happen if you consciously listen and learn and absorb the hundreds of years of experience right in your own building.

Lastly, have the expectation that your time and knowledge are valuable to others as well. Put yourself out there before someone even has to ask for help. Embrace the pay it forward mentality and prepare to reap the rewards. We relish the times when our students finally recognize our generosity; why not set ourselves up to feel the same with our colleagues? The feeling of communal success is better than the individual any day, and it's contagious.

 

Summer Snapshots... #3 - Grow your social network

Think for a minute about the types of professional development available within your school, or perhaps your larger regional network (BOCES districts for us NYers). Is it more like a delivery system or collaborative network?

In a large district, there might be the luxury of having multiple teachers per grade level or subject discipline. Schools might employ their own curriculum coordinators, instructional technology coaches or department chairs tasked to organize professional learning teams/networks (PLT's / PLN's). A collaborative network like this requires a critical mass of educators all working together toward common goals; if not, the "delivery system" method of PD is what we tend to experience.

In the North Country, we need to broaden our reach outside of our local buildings and collaborate regionally. One easy start is to enhance our own professional development by building an online professional learning network. Because it's done virtually, this requires taking a leap - often an uncomfortable one - into the world of social media.

Here's a great post about using social media for professional development (as well as the etiquette and housekeeping involved in doing so).

Start small; Google+ and Twitter are easy to get started with. If the thought of posting and commenting scare you, it's OK to remain a "listener" as you gather up others' great ideas.

Google+ (Google Plus)



If you've never explored this social network, now would be a great time, because there is a great local upstate NY presence.

Google+ Communities are moderated groups of people all gathered around common interests. Currently, over 300 upstate NY educators connect with each other on Google Plus. All you have to do (once logged in) is request to join this local community (GEG Capital Region Upstate New York). Not only do they have great EdTech ideas, they often advertise local events, workshops, and conferences. It's nice to hear what other educators are doing in our area.

Google+ Collections are posts curated about a topic all by one person, and you can request to "follow" the collection. There is a great GAfE Collection by Michael Fricano II, an EdTech educator from Hawaii (also follow him personally for other EdTech collections and ideas - +Michael Fricano II)

Twitter

New to Twitter? Not sure if you know your #hashtags from your @mentions? Twitter can seem confusing to a novice, but you can use it completely anonymously for a while until you get used to the way it works. You can follow other educators and groups on Twitter (I've also included some Google+ links for those who are on both sites) and search hashtags by subject without ever having to post a tweet of your own. Once you get comfortable with that, start "liking" or "retweeting" posts and you will build yourself a nice stream of information that you can easily refer back to.



Follow other educators and groups on Twitter (often also on Google+):

Carol LaRow @larowc +Carol LaRow
Alice Keeler @AliceKeeler +Alice Keeler
Matt Miller @jmattmiller +Matt Miller
Brad Currie @bradmcurrie +Brad Currie
Christine Pinto @PintoBeanz11 (also #GAfEforlittles - especially for primary education)

Google for Education  @GoogleForEdu (also #gafe) +Google for Education
GAfE Help @GafeHelp

Hashtags sort and link all of the posts that are related to the topic following the # (hashtag). Just enter the hashtag in Twitter's searchbar and check out all the recent posts. There are some pretty popular ones used in the education community and some even have specific "chat" times where people will all tweet and discuss resources at a given time (you don't have to actively tweet, just view the posts). #edtech, #edtechchat, #gafe, #gafesummit are just a few; here's a comprehensive list (start exploring by your subject/grade/content level, too!).

So jump in; what are you waiting for? The best part of a professional learning network is that you don't have to be the expert all the time (you're too busy for that, anyway!). Be a curator of good things: the tips, tricks, and new ideas you want to try in your classroom. In the back of your mind, remember that the ultimate goal with building your digital PLN is that you'll begin to pull in other educators in your school and region. Wouldn't it be great to have a North Country Google Educators Group someday??

Staying connected: professional networking with a twist of technology

The following article will appear in the Summer 2016 newsletter for the Northeastern section of STANYS (Science Teachers Association of NYS).

I am a lover of all things related to educational technology and have spent countless hours poring over websites and clicking on blog posts, trying to keep up with the latest-and-greatest. I'm a dive-right-in kind of teacher when it comes to technology and willing to try anything that might be engaging to my students, but often feel that as a North Country teacher there are few people to rescue me (or at least coach me through with a more reasonable approach to technology integration). Many of our smaller schools, especially, have a limited number of "human resources" dedicated to technology, and those folks are often stretched to their capacity trying to maintain infrastructure, manage student accounts, and handle the administrative aspects of running a network. On top of that, content-area departments are often only two or three people and there may likely be only one teacher per grade at the elementary level. We work in these small and often rural schools because of the supportive, community-like environment, but while each person is an expert in their own right it's often difficult to get together to network, problem-solve, and move forward with common educational technology goals because everyone needs to move in different directions. The number-one professional development request from teachers in our schools seems to be that they need the time to investigate and implement good strategies; this is especially true with new edtech tools. Being connected to a professional network with the goal of supporting each other's use of technology can help ensure that our time is used in the most efficient way possible.

I started blogging earlier this past school year as a way to get my ideas (and their successes or failures) down in a format that I could refer back to when networking with colleagues at conferences. It's nice to be able to reflect on the educational choices that I make in the classroom and have someone else potentially learn from them. Likewise, it's a great way to compile and share those countless resources that might spark ideas further down the line. In a region like the North Country with its unique geography, it helps me feel more connected to other educators, either regionally or within the blogosphere.

This spring I was further inspired by a post on Edutopia by Emile Ferlisi, "What is the greatest edtech tool?" (http://www.edutopia.org/discussion/whats-greatest-edtech-tool) It turns out that he was able to put the positive feeling I was getting from blogging and online networking into words:

Ironically, the greatest edtech tool isn't available on your tablet, smartphone, laptop or desktop. The greatest edtech tool is informed, inspired teacher leadership complemented by a culture of collaboration and risk taking. It's not about the technology, it's about the people and their commitment to meaningful learning.

In the North Country, the culture and community extends beyond the walls of our school districts, by necessity. Collaboration happens within our schools, yes, but the true power and inspiration can come from building regional networks both within content areas and to support educational technology. As a science teacher I would encourage you to increase your connections with STANYS and other professional organizations, especially as we adopt the New York State Science Learning Standards (NYSSLS) over the next few years. And as our schools shift more curriculum and instruction toward the integration of educational technology, build up your professional network virtually as well. Have an online presence via Twitter, connect with other educators such as Google Educator Groups, and find a way to share your own successes and failures. In the meantime, check out my own blog (http://northcountryedtech.blogspot.com/) and help me build its resources for all of us to use.