Derek L. McCoy

There are several opportunities this month for educators to get connected to global learning and connectivity. Connected Educator’s month is about the realization that we are greater together. This is an opportunity to grow professionally and personally. I’m sure that anyone new to getting connected/diving into PLNs can ask anyone who has been connected for a while and hear firsthand of the growth power of getting connected.

#ncadmin Chat
#ncadmin is a local Twitter chat for North Carolina administrators and school leaders. Craig Smith [@csmithgoblue] and I talked about the need to get NC education  leaders connected and start sharing some on some topics all pertinent to educators in North Carolina but often beneficial to all school leaders. Using this hashtag on your Twitter feed will keep you up to date with all the information NC education leaders are sharing.

Great Tools
If you are starting your dive in getting connected, its important to use the right tools to help your experience. The right tools make a huge difference in gathering information and time management. My staples for Twitter chats are Tweetdeck and Hootsuite – both of these allow you to create different columns that stream very specific information. There is no limit to the types of information you can target or stream [in fact, this is a major part part of your growing in your PLN] but for a Twitter chat like #ncadmin, I primarily use columns:

• Mentions – this is column is for when people who send messages to you that aren’t private
• Direct Messages – these are private messages
• Search topic, #ncadmin chat – This column will stream all the Tweets that people post with that hashtag.

It takes a some adjustment to managing multiple columns but you get adjusted very quickly. Any choice is great, its all about deciding to join.

We are encouraging everyone to get connected to this inaugural chat! This chat begins at 7:00 pm but if there is anyone who needs help getting started, Craig and I will be around an hour early to help with any finer points.

This will be a great month to get connected, to learn and grow and share this experience! We grow together!