7 Ways to Learn & Practice Twitter for Personal Professional Learning at #e3Tech

 

Begin learning how to maximize Twitter as the number one personal professional learning tool for educators while at #e3Tech!

1. Share your learning w/ others by tweeting using the hashtag: #e3Tech.
2. Read, favorite, and retweet your fellow #e3Tech attendees' tweets.
3. Follow and interact w/ #e3Tech conference attendees who are tweeting.
4. Attend Twitter 101 Monday at 10:30am - 11:30am w/  @LorindaKline.
5. Attend Twitter 102 Tuesday at 10:30am - 11:30am w/ @LorindaKline. 
6. Attend #chat Tuesday at 2:00pm - 3:00pm w/ @maestraschemmer.
7. Participate in the special #WCSmission "e3Tech Conference Twitter Chat"  led by the @WCS_District Twitter Chat team of @ColtsCubs @StephanieAbbitt                @maestraschemmer & @LorindaKline on Tuesday from 8:30pm -  9:30pm!

 
Graphic by @maestraschemmer

Grow Your Character & Your Culture

"... discipline among followers mirrors the discipline demonstrated by leaders."  - Michael Fullan

Let's make even more good things happen in 2015-2016 by modelling the qualities of character we hope to cultivate in our students and staffs and in our learning culture!

Here are two exercises to move your district, school, or classroom closer to where you want to be next year.

 1. List five attributes you would most want in each employee or student. Self-assess: how do you rate in living up to these five qualities? Choose one attribute to grow intentionally in yourself and share your focus with an accountability partner.

2. If  you had a visitor to the educational setting where you are a leader, what three characteristics of the culture would you most hope they would observe? Determine one quality to intentionally grow and make a plan to foster this characteristic where you lead.

Dr. Richard Curwin shares a sample plan to foster hope in  Cynicism Is Contagious; So Is Hope.  Curwin lists Five Strategies to Help Teachers Stop Cynical Feelings. One strategy is to remind yourself and other educators often why they became a teacher. "It was and is to help children." Michael Fullan challenges to keep the "Moral Purpose" front and center. Placing "helping children" at the forefront of conversations reminds us of our purpose and motivates us to persevere. Our purpose is noble; our purpose is worthy. Another strategy? "Adopt a cynical teacher". Look for the good. Pray for them. Point out the gifts you see in them. Ask the person for help in an area of your own vulnerability. Together, adopt a student who seems to have lost hope. Curwin's article for Edutopia reinforces Michael Fullan's personal characteristics of an effective leader: energy, hope, and enthusiasm. Our attitude as a leader is contagious and sets the tone for those we lead.

We can change a culture from cynical to hopeful, and it starts with our own mindset. We teach who we are, so our mindset and character are the most important leadership factors to discipline and grow. Do we inspire energy, hope, and enthusiasm in others? Indiana State University professor, Todd Whitaker, once tweeted, "One goal of every faculty meeting is to make sure teachers are more excited about teaching tomorrow than they were today." Someone replied: "That's an ambitious goal!" Dr. Whitaker responded, "That is a minimum goal." Leaders of districts, schools, and classrooms set the tone and bear the responsibility for leading toward the community they wish to build. Let us begin by looking in the mirror to grow a better character to serve others.

I see you for the miracle you are & the gifts you have to give.

There are 7 billion people in the world and 6,999,999,999 of them are not me.

Who are these people?

They are miracles. Each and every one.
What if we saw each and every person as a miracle?
How would we speak, how would we listen, how would we act?
What if part of our own miracle is that our impact is much bigger than we ever imagined even in a world of 7 billion people? What if we didn't dismiss our impact? What if we owned it? What if we were aware and realized how much our words and actions mattered? What if each positive influence nudge helps a person become who they were meant to be?

What if we embraced the fact that we matter?

Educator Angela Maiers (@AngelaMaiers) reminds us of the power of the words: "You matter." in her TEDxTalk:  Angela Maiers: TEDxDesMoines - You Matter

Principal Salome Thomas-EL(@Principal_EL) speaks to our influence in terms of leadership: "Leadership is about inspiring others to find worth in themselves."

We are all leaders; all 7 billion of us because we all have influence.
You matter. Your work matters. Your impact matters. How you view others matters.
Let's see each other for the miracles we are and the gifts we have to give the world.

Thank you to Angela Maiers and Salome Thomas-EL for your inspiration and leadership. You matter.

Don't Let Your Perfectionism Get in the Way of Your Progress

The right words from the right people have the power to inspire us... challenge us to risk and grow. 

At the beginning of 2014 a valued Twitter colleague, Rosa Isiah (@RosaIsiah), responded to an inspire-challenge from speaker and author Tom Hierck (@thierck) to begin blogging. Rosa responded and in her first blog "tagged" me to begin to blog as well. This invitation sat with me for half of 2014 - dormant. Beginning is difficult... in the beginning you are a "non-expert."
The work will not be perfect; there will need to be learning, growing, stretching, and sustaining.
It's surprising we begin anything. 

When we find ourselves with a new challenge and assume the role of a non-beginner, a non-starter, we often don't get out of the blocks because we are afraid we won't measure up. But as Tom Hierck says in his TedxTalk "I am the Future," he is not perfect; he is still a work in progress. We are all "works in progress." How would our words and actions change if we viewed our students and each other with this growth mindset... if we saw each other as works in progress? 

A year after listening to Tom's "I am the Future" talk and 6 months after Rosa's challenge, the inspiration comes full circle. I realize part of my "non-starting" as a blogger was due to a fight with perfectionism. I need to see myself as a work in progress and begin where I am.

Who might you encourage today to take on a new challenge or continue the one they have started?
Encouragement matters.

What learning journey might you risk to begin or sustain today?
Don't let your perfectionism get in the way of your progress.
Educator Robert Eaker says, we must "Get started and then get better!"

I encourage you to watch Tom Hierck's TedxTalk "I am the Future':  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFNi0jKyTyU 

Thank you to Rosa and Tom!

And for your continued belief and encouragement, thank you to two members of my professional learning network who are much closer to home: mentor and husband, Tom Kline (@tklinetom), and dear friend and colleague, Nancy Rooker (@NancyRooker1).