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Leadership Day Challenge: Connect, Curate and Contribute

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 Leadership Day Challenge 2014: Connect, Curate and Contribute | Shake Up Learning | www.shakeuplearning.com
Leadership Day 2014 


The Challenge: Connect, Curate and Contribute!
I’m very excited to take part in Leadership Day 2014! I feel it is important to consider all types of educational leaders, from classroom to campus level, from campus level to district level, and everyone in between. Our number one goal as educators should always be our students, and finding ways to support, engage, improve and transform the learning experience. Below are three challenges I have have for educational leaders.

Challenge #1: Connect with Other Educational Leaders

We live in a world where sharing is caring, and it’s done so easily. There are so many ways to connect and collaborate with other educational leaders. Just pick one. You don’t have to be a social media maven to cultivate a personal learning network. You just have to start.

Here are four ways to start connecting with other educational leaders online:

1. Twitter: Find and follow some of the best digital leaders. Here are just a few to get your started.


2. Join a Twitter Chat! 
#EdChat is a great twitter chat for any educator, covering a wide variety of topics. Edchat is every Tuesday at 12pm EDT/11pm CDT. Plus, the hashtag is so popular, you can follow it all week for great ideas and resources.

For more Twitter chats, explore this great list of 13 Great Twitter Chats Every Educator Should Check Out from THE Journal.

Here is a complete schedule of educational Twitter chats from CybraryMan. Don’t be intimidated! Everyone has their first twitter chat and something wonderful to share.

3. Google+ Communities: G+ is the fastest growing social network, and a playground for digital leaders. Join a community to connect and learn together. Here are 5 Reasons Educators Should Use Google Plus.

Join Eric Sheninger’s Digital Leadership Community! Even if you haven’t read his book yet, join this community to connect with other digital leaders. Be sure to put this phenomenal book on your wish list: Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times.

Join one of the many Google Educator Groups (GEG) to connect with other educators using Google Apps for Education. Find one near you!

Here is a great list of 10 Google Plus Educational Communities Every Teacher Should Know from Educational Technology and Mobile Learning. Or search Google+ Communities on your own to find other educational communities to fit your needs.

4. Read and Comment on Educational Blogs. There are some wonderful educational bloggers out there with tons of tips and advice for leaders. Get involved in the conversation and leave a comment. Here are some blogs to follow:

Digital Leadership Blogs:

Digital Learning Blogs and Organizations:

Looking for other ways to cultivate a Personal Learning Network? Here are some great resources:

Challenge #2: Curate Educational Resources

Information is everywhere and available to most of us 24/7. How do you save and share great resources for you and your staff? Have you tried curating resources with digital tools like Pinterest, Diigo, Delicious, EdShelf, Scoopit, or Zite?

Again, just pick one. Pinterest is particularly popular with educators. Here is a list 35 Educators You Should Follow on Pinterest. You can curate resources for your teachers and staff, or even start a collaborative board for your campus or district! New to Pinterest? Check out this short presentation on Pinterest for Educators.

Diigo and Delicious are both social bookmarking tools that allow you to find, bookmark and share online resources. Both offer great tools for educators! New to social bookmarking? Below is a video to get your started.

Challenge #3: Contribute Original Content

EVERYONE has something to share. Don’t be fooled into the self-deprecating notion that you have nothing original to contribute. Your experiences are unique! Share original content, reflect openly, model something great for your teachers and staff!

Blogging: Blogging has transformed my career, and connected me with phenomenal educators across the globe. Take a chance and put yourself out there.  Still not convinced? Here is a great blog post by George Couros: 5 Reasons Educators Should Blog.

Ready to get started? Here is a great article from Edudemic, “4 Free Ways to Start Your Own Blog.”

There are many other ways to contribute content, but a blog will give you a digital home and allow others to subscribe to your updates. Be sure to share across all your networks, whichever you choose. Sharing valuable content is something digital leaders should model for their students and staff!

Will you accept the challenge? How will you connect, curate and contribute? Please share your favorite tools, blogs, and educational leaders in the comments below.

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