Special #FF Special Request

This last year has been good to me. In three weeks I will celebrate the one year anniversary of accepting my current position. Being in a district where I can support teachers and students and help make a difference is truly more exciting than I ever imagined it could be. The other fantastic part of my year was attending the Google Teacher Academy back in December. Both of these experiences had a profound impact on me.

As part of the Google Teacher Academy I was required to develop a plan to do something great in my district. It was my 10x plan also known as my moonshot. My moonshot plan involved two distinct parts. The first part involved assembling a group of visionary teachers from across the district who were willing to reach out and connect with the other members of their group. (I call them the Moonshot cohort.) I have also asked them to dip their toes into the Twitter waters and get connected so they can get ideas about great lessons they can implement in their own classrooms. If each teacher in the Moonshot group does just one really amazing thing this year and it inspires just one other teacher to do something new and exciting eventually we will reach the tipping point and EVERYONE in my district will be inspired to try something new and exciting. 

The other part of my plan involves the administrators from my district. I am a firm believer that nothing will change in education unless administrators are out from leading their teachers in the direction they want them to go. Jessica Johnson wrote a post about the importance of being the lead learner where she explains how the role of the building principal has shifted. My ultimate goal is to get all of the principals in my district connected to other educators from outside of our district and to get them to contribute to a group leadership blog as a way to share what they are learning as well as a place to reflect. 

Now for my special request. Please make some room in your PLN to connect with my colleagues. Follow them. Tweet them. Encourage them. And please be patient and forgive them if they don't reply right away. A few of them are Twitter pros but others are just getting started. It takes a while to get Twitter and that the more we interact the more likely we are to realize the power of Twitter. Please help me give this fantastic group of educators a reason to stick around.  

Moonshot Teachers - On a List 

 

Jennifer Schwartz @schwartz0815

Fifth Grade Teacher and Co-Founder of Team Ashtyn Foundation, a non-profit organization that offers magical moments for families who have a child with cancer

 

Pearl Johnson @PearlPjohnson

Science teacher at Gering High School. Love the mountains, hiking, snowshoeing, and walking.

 

Brett Moser @bulldogscispot

Physical science teacher. Love teaching. Love science. Love life.

 

Stanna Funk @StannaFunk

I'm a 4th grade teacher who wants to help her students learn.

 

Angie Brester @angdawn456
4th grade teacher

 

Lisa Hadenfeldt @lhadenfeldt

English/journalism teacher at Gering Freshman Academy.

 

Mandy Hadenfeldt @mandy_proppaj
Middle school math teacher. 

 

tes25teach @tes25teach

Sixth grade teacher for Gering Public Schools. Coordinator of weekend backpack program--puppacks

 

Jessica Boswell @BoswellsAlgebra

Junior High Math Teacher and Gering High School Girls Golf Coach 

 

Allison Wagner @AllisonJwagner

I am a 6th grade teacher at Northfield Elementary. I love working with my students and witnessing their growth!

 

Jen Bohnsack @jjbohnsack

I teach Kindergarten and love my job. After 16 years, I want to make sure I am still innovative and student focused.

 

Tyler Thompson @TheOnlyThompson

Gentleman, conservative, political junkie, teacher, coach, avid Husker fan, and life-long Nebraskan.

 

Dail Eastman @DailSoule

I am a mom to a wonderful little boy and wife to a fabulous husband. I am an elementary teacher and love my job! I am passionate about technology!

 

Kelly Tofflemire @ktofflem

Husband, father of 4, elementary teacher, computer teacher, fan of football, toys, tech, and sci fi.

Moonshot Administrators - On a List 

1. Mary Kay Haun @mkhaun

   Elementary Principal at Gering Public Schools.Educator in Gering Public Schools for 36 years. Married to Allen and mother of Nicholas.
2.  

   Terri Martin @DirectorTerri

   Director. Educator. Mother. Grandma. Golfer. Kidney Transplant Recipient
3.  

   Dora Olivares @doramolivares
   Junior high principal.
4.  

   Shawn Seiler @SeilerShawn

   Life Long Educator and Learner, focused on bringing out the best in Teachers and Students!
5.  

   Kraig Weyrich @kweyrich1 
   Freshman Academy assistant principal. 
6.  

   Pam Barker @PamSBarker

   Lincoln Elementary Principal in Gering, Nebraska
7.  

   Bob Hastings @BasicBobH

   Husband of Traci. Dad of Jon, Jenna, and Jonah. Saved by His grace. Superintendent in Gering. Love my family, technology, the #Huskers & #Royals.
8.  

   Eldon Hubbard @ehubb54

Suggested List of People to Follow

One of the things I am most excited about in my new position of Innovative Teaching and Learning Specialist for Gering Public Schools is helping teachers and administrators build their own personal learning networks. I have been on Twitter for exactly six years. During this time I have made more connections with educators from around the world and learned more than I ever thought was possible. Learning how to tweet is fairly easy, but figuring out who to follow is not always easy. Twitter is only as valuable as the people you follow. If you are only following celebrities or other Nebraskans then you are missing out on some AMAZING opportunities to learn and connect. 

I have put together a list of around 100 people to help get you going. I love lists because it allows users to group people together and follow them more closely, but at the same time I always fear I will leave someone off. The nice thing about following a list is that you are not following the people on the list. This allows you to preview people and see what they tweet about before you follow them. 

I included a wide variety of people on this list from kindergarten teachers to college professors. I included teachers, administrators,  and consultants from all over the place. Most are from the United States, but a few are international. A few are from Nebraska, but most are from other states. While we have our share of phenomenal educators in our state, I cannot express how important it is to connect with people from outside of our region as well. I'm not trying to discourage you from connecting with fellow educators from across the state. Local and regional connections are meaningful and valuable, but don't underestimate the value of connecting with people beyond Nebraska as well. 

The one thing that all of the people on my list have in common is that each one of them is a valuable member of my personal learning network. I included a few people that I do not necessarily see eye to eye with because those tend to be the people who teach me the most. 

As you grow your personal learning network I can promise that you will discover that it is a wealth of information. And if you invest some time in it you will make some great connections as well. Happy tweeting!