Book Review: The Connected Educator

The Connected Educator: Learning and Leading in a Digital Age was recommended by me to one of my colleagues during her presentation on developing teacher leadership.  Over the past few months, I’ve been gradually working my way through it, trying to soak up as much from it along the way as I could.  Here’s my review from Goodreads:

This was an excellent book and I think that all educators should read it.  I’ve been a teacher librarian for four years, and I’ve always known that technology was important in my profession.  But I didn’t realize just how powerful social networking was.  This book, along with the help and encouragement of my colleagues, has revolutionized my professional development.  If you’ve ever wondered (or had a colleague who wondered) how Twitter, social bookmarking sites, and blogs could possibly help you in your career, this book will make a strong case as to why.  It emphasizes the importance of being a globally connected educator.  By using social networks to connect with other educators and build our personal learning networks,  our focus shifts.  We must first be learners if we are to be effective teachers.  If you are new to social media as a professional tool, this book will walk you through the steps to get started, including setting up your accounts, finding who to follow, and using it to improve professional development at your school.  The exercises at the end of each chapter give you excellent new opportunities to practice the tools you’re learning about.  If you do not see yourself as a connected educator and a leader among your peers, this book will help you to get there.