Better together - Preservice teacher edition

I decided to write a follow up post based upon Jacqueline Goodburn's original guest post #BetterTogether featured on this blog. I infused some strategies to help preservice teachers stay connected with each other and professionals in the field during their college career. In this post you will find Jacqueline's suggestions in quotes and italics, you will see my follow up focused towards preservice teachers in the comments to follow.

What can we do to stay connected and be educators of excellence?

• "Share your great ideas/strategies/successes on social media, in the teacher's lounge, anywhere! Shout it from the roof tops!" - Jaqueline Goodburn. Preservice teachers you have a voice that needs to be amplified. Share your ideas, techniques, tools, strategies using social media like Instagram or Twitter. You have ideas that are fantastic and the world needs to hear them. You have a fresh perspective on techniques and strategies and we want to know about them. Share them widely!

• "Take time to talk with your colleagues" - Jaqueline Goodburn. Yes, you are in college to learn about content, techniques, methodology, pedagogy, theories, strategies, tools, etc. But, don't forget to take time to connect with your peers in your classes and around you. Make connections with others face to face and online. You never know where a conversation or connection may lead.

• "If you attend an experience with someone from your district, resist the urge to stick together. You are more likely to encounter new points of view by exposing yourself to new perspectives." - Jaqueline Goodburn. I enjoy attending conferences with preservice teachers. We usually attend different sessions and have a shared document where we can put our notes, ideas, and resources from our sessions. This is a great tool to have access to because it is like we attended 3 sessions for the price of 1! We come away with so many ideas, techniques, and tools. Best of all, we learn from one another. My friends, if you attend a professional development workshop or conference with someone from your department or college resist the urge to stick together. Choose sessions that are going to fit your needs and where you want to grow as an educator. Don't just go to a session because your bestie is going there. Select sessions that are going to help you grow and learn or a session that is going to challenge you. Workshops are fantastic places to strike up a conversation with a practicing teacher or administrator. You never know who is sitting beside you. Besides you can meet up with your friends for coffee or lunch after the sessions are share what you learned about in your sessions. Car rides home are my favorite time to share big takeaways.

• "Expand your personal learning community using technology. Connect with educators from around the globe using Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. Make connections and open your classroom up to the world. " - Jaqueline Goodburn. Guys, this is SO important. Make connections with classrooms, educators, and administrators from around the world. Get connected now! Start by signing up for Twitter or Instagram and create an account for you to share about what you are learning about or ideas you have in the field of education. Engage with your audience ask questions, share strategies, collaborate, and problem solve. You need to be connected - it's the 21st century!