Teacher as Leader
"Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't make them all yourself.”
~ Usher
Educators seek out opportunities for leadership to support student empowerment and success and to improve teaching and learning. Educators:
2a: Shape, advance and accelerate a shared vision for empowered learning with technology by engaging with education stakeholders.
2b: Advocate for equitable access to educational technology, digital content and learning opportunities to meet the diverse needs of all students.
2c: Model for colleagues the identification, exploration, evaluation, curation and adoption of new digital resources and tools for learning.
2A & C: Advance a Shared Vision for Empowered Learning and Model for Colleagues
Have you ever heard of the fire hydrant effect? It's a feeling many people report feeling with the increased number of media outlets--both from media companies and via all the news and opinions that are more easily made and distributed by social and new media.
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Like a curator at a museum, a digital curator fills, filters, documents, manages, displays, synthesizes, and frames or contextualizes a collection. This is a much needed practice--for teachers and students--in a world full of information, communication, and possible connections. Watch this video overview that dives into digital content curation.
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Then check out John Spencer's more detailed explanation of curation in "Getting Started with Content Curation in the Classroom" and the article Thing 8: Digital Curation Tools that has more resources, tools, and discussion about curation in education. Once you have a better understanding of curation and some of the tools available for curation, listen to Jennifer Gonzalez's podcast and read the accompanying blog post "To Boost Higher-Order Thinking, Try Curation" to learn ways you might use curation in your teaching.
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2B: Advocate for Equitable Access
One of the hallmarks of leadership is ensuring the inclusion of all voices. Although there is a lot of concern about access--and equitable access is a thorny educational problem, technology can also play a role in making learning more equitable for all students. In "Exploring Digital Literacy Practices in an Inclusive Classroom," Detra Price-Dennis, Kathlene Holmes, and Emily Smith describe an inclusive classroom that uses digital tools to make learning more equitable. And in "Equity Isn’t Just About Technology. It’s About Supporting Students and Families," Stephen Noonoo interviews Nicol Howard, Patricia J. Brown, and Matt Highfield to explore equity during online learning. On Social Media, or in person share your thoughts, questions, or even a quote that resonated. Use #TCH401, #DigitalEquity if you are on social. Consider tagging the authors if you tweet about their piece.