The Connected Teacher, Part 2 (Presentation at the Beginning Teachers Institute)

Green Acres' David Darefsky and I gave this presentation today as part of Independent Education's Beginning Teachers Institute. Our foundation rests on the premise that teachers and administrators need to embrace technology and social networking sites like Twitter and other Web 2.0 tools in order to advance their own professional growth, and to enhance their curriculum. As one participant mentioned during the session, the lack of an online presence dooms one to irrelevance in today's world. Virtual identities are now just as real as the identity you wear in your physical space every day. In my last post, I wrote about this same topic of the connected teacher, and how I came to the realization late last year that any conversation around 21st century skills must first begin with getting teachers connected to and using 21st century tools. This is a key criterion to becoming an effective educator today (a "bold" teacher).

In essence, the world isn't simply changing; it has changed.

[slideshare id=12595021&doc=connectedlearner-120418170841-phpapp02]