Connected or Just "Lurking"?

So, October is Connected Educator Month and I find myself asking, Am I a connected educator? I understand that connectedness begins with collaboration and in the past collaboration was held back by restraints of time and space unlike today with the use of technology collaboration has no such restraints and takes place pretty much 24/7 all over the globe. This is quite exciting when you think about it! The ability to connect with just about anyone at any time...the possibilities are limitless!

But the question for me still lingers...Am I a connected educator? An edutopia post titled The Connected Educator: It Begins with Collaboration states that, " The idea of collaboration requires a mindset of believeing there is room to learn and grow. It is also a belief that we are smarter collectively than individually." When I read this I think yes, that is me and I do seek opportunities to collaborate for my own growth and learning as well as the growth and learning of others. I agree that collaboration provides a great deal of transparency in education and that is always a good thing! But does a mindset make me connected?

I think about my journey toward connectedness which has been a slow and gradual process starting with the infamous Facebook page. Prompted by close friends and family I created my profile, well after most of my own children had moved on to other social media platforms that I am still trying to figure out :) My initial interaction with fb was mostly looking, reading, and "liking" which my daughter informed me is called "creeping" so I began to become more actively engaged with posting status, pictures, and commenting...making myself known instead of just creeping. Shortly after fb I started a LinkedIn profile followed by a Twitter account and now I use Pinterest and LiveBinder very regularly as well as Instagram. I have a blog (or two) a webpage and I participate regularly in webinars but I am more of a listener than an active participant. I am pretty good at communicating, curating, and collaborating to a certain degree but think that I have yet to cross the threshold of "allowing my voice to surface, connect, and collaborate on issues of importance" as Carol Varsalona  points out in The Connected Educator: All About Connectedness but I'm working on that!

It has been said that "A connected educator is as much a learner as a teacher" and that I am! So with that being said I think that yes, I am on the connected educator continuum with lots of room to learn and grow!