Chapter 2 of “The Connected Educator” was very insightful on the importance of technology in the classroom. It provides information on how an educator that is “close-minded” may be thinking inside of the box when only using colleagues, popular media, and their local community as resources. The Connected Teacher Network demonstrates that an educator can be much more well rounded when referring to all sorts of websites, social media, special interest groups, photos, etc. as well. A professional learning community is a crucial resource as well. They are used for teachers/ administrators to “learn together with the goal of improving student achievement” (Nussbbaum-Beach/ Hall, pg. 29).
I believe this quote from the chapter has the most correlation to my major, Communications and to my aspiring profession, social media marketer. As a matter of fact, a ton of information from Chapter 2 applies to this occupation as everything is technology based. A social media marketer may have to interact with every form of social media every single day depending on the job or client, so being a connected educator is a MUST. The quote refers to connecting with colleagues to produce better engagement for the audience. This is exactly the job for a social media marketer. Trials and errors are made along the way, but the journey is corrected for better results, whether that be student achievement or higher engagement on social media.
I think the overlap between the chapter and a social media marketer proves that the Connected Learning Model can be applied to so many different occupations. Whether it be a literal teacher or something on the complete opposite side of the spectrum, there is something everybody can take away from the ideals of a connected educator. The idea of using as many online resources as possible is brilliant, as our world is always changing and we need to change with it, especially when it comes to adapting to new technology.
