# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Reaping the Benefits of Being a Connected Educator (1)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Being a Connected Educator: The Power of a PLN by EduCreativity

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Being a Connected Educator: The Power of a PLN by EduCreativity

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Join me as I invite my #4OCFPLN friends onto the podcast! Today we will discuss the power in being connected.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In January 2018, approximately 100 educators came together using the Voxer app for a book study of my book The Four O'Clock Faculty. The book study was organized by NJ Educator Matt Larson and was intended to last approximately four weeks.

I was excited to be able to participate with so many wonderful educators and share critical discussion about one of my favorite topics: Professional Development. Using Voxer turned out to be the right tool! From the get-go, participants were able to connect and share their experiences, and the audio messages allowed for conversation to continue throughout the day.

As the group approached the four week mark, many realized that the discussion needed to continue because everyone participating was experiencing tremendous growth as educators.

"Should we continue this group beyond the book study to talk about other education topics?"

The question was asked and answered quickly. The majority of the group wanted to move forward. The next question revolved around whether we should change the name of the group.

I'm honored that the group decided to move forward as the #4OCFPLN.

Discussion continued well beyond those four weeks. The discussions became more intense and more personal. The discussions started early in the morning (for those on the East Coast) and ended early in the morning (for those on the West Coast)! The #4OCFPLN became a #PLF - a Professional Learning Family!

There was no topic in education that was off-limits. Status quo was challenged. Opinions were challenged. Even though difficult questions were asked, the group remained collaborative, supportive and positive! In fact, the positivity and support is what has allowed the group to continue sharing and learning together, almost a year and a half later. The discussion is still vital and continues to push everyone in the group.

As we speak, I have more than 9,000 unread and unheard messages. The group is prolific. They can't stop being passionate about education, after all.

Of course, participants have come and gone, although there are many who have joined because of the impassioned spirit that everyone in the group shares. As a participant in the group, I quickly began to "fall behind" in discussions. I don't participate on a regular basis anymore, but check in when I am able to. There have been several mini get-togethers, and I was fortunate to join several of the #4OCFPLN members for dinner last year.

The reason that I write this post is to talk about the ROGUEs. The group of passionate educators known as the #4OCFPLN continues to challenge each other every day. In the Four O'Clock Faculty, I introduced the idea of the Relevant Organized Group of Underground Educators (ROGUE). I suggested finding one's ROGUE friends - those who would stretch your thinking and challenge you to become a better educator. The #4OCFPLN are the ultimate definition of going ROGUE.

This summer will mark a special occasion for the #4OCFPLN. On Wednesday, June 26th, at the ISTE conference in Philadelphia, 17 members of the group will share their story about how they took charge of their own professional learning. When I first started writing the #4OCF book, one of my goals was that educators did exactly this - took the ideals and spirit of the #4OCF and changed professional learning for themselves and others.

To the #4OCFPLN, I want to express my gratitude for caring so much about your own learning, for keeping the spirit of the #4OCF alive, and for being a part of my #PLF.

Thank you.

Can't wait to see you in Philly in June!

Rich (@RACzyz)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In January 2018, approximately 100 educators came together using the Voxer app for a book study of my book The Four O'Clock Faculty . The book study was organized by NJ Educator Matt Larson and was intended to last approximately four weeks.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
One of my first lessons in the professional world focused on the value of time management and R.O.T. I. (Return On Time Invested.) With time being one the most precious commodities in our personal and professional lives, I am careful about where I invest my time. When it came to social media, my initial experience led me to believe it yielded a small return and I chose not to invest my time or energy.

However, a week ago, I joined the #4OCFPLN on Voxer and discovered that with the right format and the right people, social media can enrich one's professional and personal life. Here are my reflections on my first week exploring and how it led to a week full of discovery, creativity and community family.

A plethora of topics: Want to explore a topic, just throw it out there...in one week we explored everything from the importance of knowing our 'Why', when to introduce writing line's to students, Social Emotional Learning, the rising trend of anxiety, PBIS, Restorative Justice, there was even some silliness involving waffles and male entertainers (you have to have been there 😉 ), then there is the occasional grunt and growl, which is both therapeutic as well as entertaining. This is just a small sample of the wide range of topics. (I attempted to catalog all of them but after about 33+ I gave up).

A wide variety of viewpoints: The group includes K-12 teachers, principals, district administrators, authors, presenters, instructional coaches, tech coaches, etc., from across the country and at various stages of experiences.

Flexibility: The Voxer format allows you to access the app on any device that has internet access and all you to access the feed at a time/place that is convenient for you.

A range of tools: Voxer allows participants to share via voice recording, text, links, emoji's, and GIF's

Discover:

Community Family: My purpose in joining this group was to find a community of educators who would help me grow. What I discovered is that it is more than a community, it goes deeper, it is a family of people who share a fire, a passion for educating young people, a group that models respect and integrity in their lives and professions, who are devoted to excellence and to family and a group that genuinely care about and love each other professionally and personally.

Innovative Creators: Some people consume in social media, others self-promote, then there are the naysayers or sarcastic downers. #4OCFPLN is filled with creators and innovators! Creating PD, presentations, videos, meme's, authoring books, giving feedback, helping each other with slide presentations, challenging each other to blog, even challenging one another in Fitbit and health challenges. In each case, there are words and expressions of support and encouragement.

Humanity: An unexpected discovery was using technology to experience the best of humanity. From the first day, I was greeted with friendly, warm voices of cheer and welcome. With each passing day, the Voxes/message were filled with words of encouragement, support, advice, questions, laughter, and sarcasm between each and every member. I am hooked. I didn't realize the need I had for this, how siloed I had become and how refreshingly invigorating it can be to belong, to feel safe, to have fun and be accepted and respected.

Create:

Learner vs. Lurker: This has been a positive experience for me because I chose to engage, take a risk and dive into conversations. I wanted to be a learner and not a lurker (someone who watches but does not participate).

Call to Action: The #4OCFPLN is active (they are chatting from 4am - 10pm.I am not exaggerating). When negative memes about the start of school started to appear on Twitter - there was a 'call to action' to fill Twitter with positive meme's and BAM within an hour there were half a dozen meme's posted. When someone was curious about SEL texts BAM the next hour the feed was filled with numerous suggestions. When someone wanted help with a tech problem they were having for a presentation they were giving the next day...you guessed it, BAM a number of people offered their help.

Deeper Understanding: A consistent theme that runs through this group is understanding our Why? for everything we do. So while it is a group that supports each other they also challenge one another to go deeper in their understanding and apply sound and relevant research and best practices.

Next steps...?

If you have tried social media and found it was not useful. If you feel like you are siloed and looking for positive educators to connect with, I encourage you to give social media another try. Find the medium that fits your personality, your style. Take a risk and either join and participate in an existing group or create your own. I personally invite you to join the #4OCFPLN, but be forewarned it is exhilarating and addicting and a taste of what is the best in education and humanity.
Click here to learn more about the #4OCFPLN

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Revisiting Social Media: Reflecting on my first week with #4OCFPLN

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
One of my first lessons in the professional world focused on the value of time management and R.O.T. I. (Return On Time Invested.) With time being one the most precious commodities in our personal and professional lives, I am careful about where I invest my time. When it came to social media, my initial...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Our editorial calendar theme for July is Lifelong Learning and Professional Development, which often brings to mind professional learning networks (PLN) for many educators. Thanks to our ever-expanding global networks, for the first time in history educators are able to "meet" colleagues around the world who share similar thoughts, goals and enthusiasm about education to discuss new and innovative approaches to teaching today's students.

If you are just getting started building a PLN, or trying to expand what you already have, it can seem like a daunting task. Here are 10 resources that provide opportunities to help grow your professional connections even further.

1. Voxer. This free app was created in response to its founder's frustration with the walkie-talkies he used serving in the military, where messages were being cut off or garbled as more than one person tried to speak. Now educators everywhere use this app to turn their phone into a walkie-talkie that enables them to carry around conversations and resource sharing from your PLN through both real-time AND recorded voice, text, video and photo messaging.

So if you can't listen to a Vox from one of your favorite educator friends immediately because you are with your students, no worries. The voice message will be waiting for you when do you have a chance to listen. It's easy to record and send messages at any time, like on the way to work or if you have a few quiet moments in between classes. Check out this comprehensive list of Voxer education communities you can join compiled by the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education.

2. Google Hangouts. With group text chats, voice calls and video conferencing options (for up to 10 users at a time), educators can use this free messaging tool for both one-on-one and group peer tutorials, or even to just hang out and give moral support to their network of education colleagues. You can sync chats between your devices, keeping in touch via Android, iOS or the web throughout the day.

Maybe it's the screen share option that syncs seamlessly with Drive or maybe it's the ability to join education-related communities easily ( like this community where educators who use Google Hangouts in the classroom can connect and share best practices and ideas), but Google Hangouts is quickly becoming an essential tool for all connected educators.

3. Doodle. It's hard to get a group of teachers together, period. When you have physical distance and multiple time zones working against you as well, it can be practically impossible. But there's an app for that! Google Hangouts has a scheduler for events and planning hangouts, but Doodle is a good first step that allows you to send an invite to all the participants with multiple date and time choices, making it a one-stop shop for first finding what works for everyone and then making a Hangout happen.

4. Lino. Think of it like the cork board you have in your school's teacher lounge where everyone pins up announcements, articles, invites, etc. Only it's no longer the ancient version on the wall-it's the 2.0 virtual version online. Through "stickies" and photo sharing you can start a board around any topic, invite your PLN members and have conversations, share ideas and even post files. You can use it both on your computer and on your smartphone, so sharing thoughts can happen whenever it's convenient for you.

5. Book Club. Since your PLN is already comprised of people who have similar tastes to yours, why not create a book club to share your favorite professional development selections (or really any books you've enjoyed)? Book Club by Book Movement was the first app built specifically for creating book clubs and is used by groups everywhere. The app helps you organize meeting details, book selections, vote anonymously on suggestions and RSVP for your club meetups. You can even see what other clubs are reading and their reviews. The only hard part is deciding what book you all want to read together (and, of course, actually finding the time to read during the school year).

6. Touchcast TeamTime. This is one of the most advanced video conferencing platform you'll experience and is both mobile and desktop ready. With Smart Video at its core, there are so many options for users to explore: collaborate with your entire team on a digital whiteboard where anyone can write or draw; share files, documents and presentations with participants during each session; bring in videos, photos and web pages; choose to stream live for your PLN or the world, or record and archive any discussion. This is a great tool to use to create and share practices that can really inform and deepen your connection with the members of your PLN.

7. Classroom 2.0. This social network is for those educators interested in discussing Web 2.0, Social Media and Participative Technologies in the classroom. With over 80,000 members from 200 countries, the site offers video presentations from education leaders, events you can participate in online, a plethora of discussions on a variety of topics in the forum from members and specific groups you can join within the community itself. Many opportunities to connect and grow, whether you are a new or veteran educator.

8. EdWeb.net. EdWeb offers educators, associations, legislators, community leaders and education companies (who can join as sponsors) a place to break down traditional communication barriers in order to promote broader collaboration in education. It provides members with opportunities to connect with peers, create communities, share information and best practices, spread innovative ideas and provide professional development. The edWeb platform includes blogs, discussions, file sharing, shared calendars, wikis, live chats, messaging and polling.

9. The Teaching Channel. The Teaching Channel offers free video resources that focus on teachers' classroom practices so educators can learn from and provide feedback to peers in their profession. The site also gives teachers a place to share lesson ideas and strategies on a fairly broad range of subjects and grade levels, and it's online Q&A forum allows teachers to communicate with fellow teachers from all over the world.

10. The Educator's PLN. A ning site featuring some great resources for educators such as downloadable podcasts with EdLeaders, a place to upload and download videos, discussion groups, links to relevant blogs, resource lists and special events.

Have any additional resources you use to build your PLN? Please share in the comments below!

For more, see:
Stay in-the-know with all things EdTech and innovations in learning by signing up to receive the weekly Smart Update

Catherine is a communication specialist. Follow her on Twitter at @C_Wedgwood.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
10 Resources For Connecting Educators | Getting Smart

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our editorial calendar theme for July is Lifelong Learning and Professional Development, which often brings to mind professional learning networks (PLN) for many educators. Thanks to our ever-expanding global networks, for the first time in history educators are able to "meet" colleagues around the world who share similar thoughts, goals and enthusiasm about education to discuss new and innovative approaches to teaching today's students.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Do you remember when Sprint announced its "push to talk" technology? Everyone wanted to use their phones as walkie talkies (even if they didn't know how to keep the volume low enough so everyone in the room wouldn't hear!).

Voxer has made that concept new again, turning iOS, Android and Windows phone devices (and more!) into free walkie talkies. When communicating in this app, users can send instant voice messages, text messages (with clickable links) or photos through the app. Leave a Voxer conversation open on your device and you'll hear voice messages come in as they happen, making almost-real-time communication.

I'm still a Voxer rookie (even though one person claims Voxer is "so last year"), as are many others, I believe. I first used it several years ago to connect with a friend I met in Mexico City on a mission trip. We both spoke each other's languages pretty well, but if there was a communication breakdown, it was nice to be able to switch from voice conversation to text and vice versa. Plus, Voxing was much cheaper (free!) than calling on the phone.

I had touched bases with colleagues from time to time in Voxer, and the thing I loved about it was the ability to hear their voices. In social media, we're so tied to the written word. Hearing other people's comments in their own voice is so personal. You can hear the nuance of their voice, the background noise and other audible clues that go unnoticed when reading.

Recently, I decided to try a Voxer chat. (Actually, I decided to try three of them, which may have been overdoing it! That's kind of my style, unfortunately.) There are several public Voxer chats anyone can join (check out the list at http://bit.ly/eduvoxlist). These are conversations that many people are a part of and can add comments to at any time. These are really cool because you can have participation from people all over the country and world.

Some of my experiences with Voxing:

I had a hard time keeping up at first. (OK, I still have trouble keeping up.) People add new messages in Voxer chats all the time. It's kind of like Twitter or Facebook in a way because it keeps going even when you're not connected. The difference is that Voxer reminds you of how many messages you've missed, making me feel like a Voxer slacker! Heather Guack suggested that Voxer chatters not feel guilty if they don't hear every message. It's OK to tap "Mark all played", removing the notification saying how many messages you haven't seen/heard. "At first I was like, I've got to listen to every single one," she said. "Then I realized, 'Nope, if I'm too busy, just hit 'Mark all read' and just move on with your day.'" (Click here to hear Heather say that on Voxer!)

Hearing people's voices excited me and creeped me out a bit. This might make me weird, but I caught myself delaying checking my Voxer feeds because I would hear other people's voices. (That's strange because it's one part of Voxer I really love!) I felt self conscious listening in front of others if it was playing out loud on the speaker. (Would this bother you? Let me know in a comment below!) I got over that by switching to listening through my phone's earpiece or by using headphones. Becca Bailey of the EduMatch Voxer chat said she could sympathize but has changed. "I love being able to play my Voxer and know whose voice I'm hearing without having to watch the screen," she said. "There's something about that connection that you can have with the educators that you're talking and collaborating with and you can hear the influection (in their voice)." (Click here to hear Becca say that on Voxer!)

It took a lot of time to keep up with - until I figured it out. Part of my problem was listening to every vox all the way through. And I was listening to them in regular speed. Sarah Brown of SatChat, EduMatch (and practically every other public Voxer chat out there!) suggested I play them at 3x speed. Since then, I can hurry through lots of voxes in no time.

I'm still not an expert at using Voxer. I only post (via text or my voice) occasionally and do a lot more listening than talking. I'm hoping that if I keep with it, I'll get better at it, develop some relationships and find a new dimension in professional learning and sharing.

Some great links for anyone interested in trying Voxer:

Have you tried Voxer? What were your experiences? If you haven't, why will you or won't you? Please share in a comment below!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Trying professional development "walkie-talkie style" with Voxer

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Do you remember when Sprint announced its "push to talk" technology? Everyone wanted to use their phones as walkie talkies (even if they didn't know how to keep the volume low enough so everyone in the room wouldn't hear!). Voxer has made that concept new again, turning iOS, Android and Windows phone devices (and more!)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
21 things PLN: Join an education Voxer group.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
21 things teachers can do to grow their PLN: Join an education voxer group.

# data[].attributes.body
FOLLOWINGATWITTERCHAT

Twitter chats take some getting use to. Rather than a linear conversation with one person speaking at a time, picture them as one large gathering with many conversations flowing simultaneously.  Be prepared to “miss things” and be willing to move in between various conversations, even at the same time.

If you are new to Twitter Chats, give yourself the permission to lurk and get the hang of the chat. Even reading the posts will add to your personal learning around the topic. Feel free to lurk for awhile, but set a goal to jump in and add your thoughts. Your thoughts matter!

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/12/40-educational-tweeters-every-teacher.html

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0986155527?keywords=your%20school%20rocks%20so%20tell%20people&qid=1456291923&ref_=sr_1_1&s=books&sr=1-1

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blog-posts/meghan-everette/twitter-teachers-beginners-guide-getting-started/

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.nea.org/home/32641.htm

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.teachhub.com/50-ways-use-twitter-classroom

# data[].attributes.body
https://thejournal.com/articles/2013/09/23/13-twitter-chats-for-educators.aspx

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.edudemic.com/guides/guide-to-twitter/