I have been mulling over what has changed my practice.

I have given a lot of thought to how I became the teacher that I am today. 

Thinking back to events that have shaped me as an educator, I can think of 5 that have played a pivotal role.

1. Having the chance to work in district where I had the autonomy to take risks.
2. Taking a graduate class with a professor who introduced me to integrating technology.
3. Working for a Curriculum Director / Assistant Superintendent who took a chance on training me as a Responsive Classroom Consultant.
4. Working closely with other educators who take risks and push the status quo.
5. Using social media to connect with educators across the globe.

All of these have shaped my practice. In some way, they have shaped my beliefs about teaching, learning, and children. 

Most of those events ended at some point, they continue to play a role in how I teach.

The One Pivotal Tool

The one that continues to shape my practice is social media. 

Twitter, entered my career back in 2010. I was immediately struck by what I could learn on Twitter.

Immediately after joining Twitter, I learned about spelling tools, student blogging, video creation tools, and so much more.

I learned, tried, stumbled, asked questions, and refined.

The educators on Twitter made it easy to learn and grow. Their eagerness to share was something that I did not regularly experience with my building colleagues.

In all of my time on Facebook leading up to 2010, I never imagined that social media had any of that potential. 

Fast forward to becoming a media specialist.

Even though I am no longer in the classroom, I continue to turn to social media to grow as a professional.

I have expanded to other platforms like Instagram. The mix of educators I follow on both platforms continue to fuel my passion for teaching. 

Instant access to professional development and I get to control how I grow as a professional. 

Why Am I Telling You This?

I know that you, like most other people, are already using social media.

There are a great number of educators using social media to gain professional knowledge. Still, there are a number of educators that acknowledge they have yet to take the plunge online.

Frequently, I hear educators say that they want to start using social media to share about their teaching. Librarians who want to use social media to promote their programs to students.

There is one question that I frequently hear educators ask about social media. This question has been asked repeatedly in the 10 years that I have helped educators build their PLN.

Why Do I Need Social Media?

Yes, why does an educator, need social media?

Welp, there are a bunch of reasons. These are what drove me to and keep me on platforms as a professional. If you:

• feel isolated, misunderstood, or bored. 
• want to stay current with education trends or issues.
• are wanting to share the great stuff that’s happening in your space.
• seek to collaborate with an educator outside of your building or district.
• want to connect your students to other parts of the world or experts.

Social media can do all of that for you.

Knowing where to begin to make all of this magic happen can feel a bit overwhelming.

If you have been using social media to connect with friends and family it can feel like a change. If you are brand new to social media, it can be difficult to determine where to begin.

That’s why I created the 5 day challenge Social Media Inventory for Educators. The challenge breaks all of that down for you.

During the Social Media Inventory for Educators 5 Day Challenge, you will:

• learn the benefits of using social media as a professional.
• identify the ways in which you currently use social media and how to build upon that.
• get tips for designing a professional profile. 
• strategies for connecting with other educators. 
• ideas for getting your professional profile up and running.

By the end of the 5 days you will develop an account that you can use for professional purposes. Whatever your purpose may be. 

There are no limits to what we can accomplish when we control our professional growth.

I want you to reap those benefits. 

I’m Already Using Social Media Professionally

WAHOO!

I am so excited that you are already using social media for your own professional purposes!

Perhaps, you have a colleague who isn’t. If you think that s/he would benefit from or be interested in a challenge like this, please share!

Just click the button below to share the unique link wit them.

With everything that educators cannot control, it is necessary that we do what we can.

The great news is that there is an entire of community of like minded individuals out there ready to share their experiences and help others do and be their very best. Tap into that now!