Connected leaders for connected learners

Craig Kemp from Stamford American International School looks at building connected classrooms via social media

Posted by Adam Omar | September 09, 2016 | Events

• #craig-kemp
• #stamford-american-international-school
• #social-media
• #connected-classrooms
• #edutech-asia

Even with so much going on in the digital space, one can’t ignore the fact that today social media has transformed the way we share, talk and communicate. And ahead of the curve in leveraging this platform to the maximum are our ‘star educators’.

Social Media has changed my life as an educator. It has opened up numerous doors and broken down the four walls of my classroom. It has allowed me to grow more as an educator, a leader, and a person and has helped me progress my career more than any other professional development I have been involved with.

Over the years, I have been lucky enough to work with educators in countries all over the world, both in person and virtually. Social Media has allowed me to be connected with the best of the best. Through Social Media, these educators are making learning engaging and real for the students in their classrooms.

Here are my favorite 3 examples of how educators are using Social Media to enhance learning in 2016:

Social Success 1
Ed-Chats and Blogs – Teachers are engaging in online chats through Social Media tools such as Twitter. During these focused online chat sessions, educators from all over the globe come together to learn about a topic, sharing resources, articles, links and upskilling. This learning gets transferred directly into their learning environment and spread to improve student learning opportunities. Click here for some of my favorite Twitter Ed-Chats.

Social Success 2
Bringing in the Experts – Teachers frequently connect & engage with experts from all over the world in order to engage students in real learning experiences. From astronauts to meteorologists my students get to speak to an expert when they need to learn about something I can’t help them with – I always tell them “I don’t know, but let’s go find out”. These connections come from Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or through Microsoft for Education. 

Social Success 3
Global Collaborative Projects – Global Collaborative Projects are diverse and available for just about any learning opportunity you can think of. The Global Read Aloud program is one example of using Social Media to improve student learning. Over a 6-week period, classes all over the world read the same book and using Twitter, Skype, WriteAbout, Edmodo and many other tools, they connect and engage with students to discuss the book from every corner of the globe. 

Using Social Media has improved the way I learn and the opportunities my students have to learn. By being a globally connected educator I break down the four walls of classrooms and allow students and staff to connect and engage with experts and classrooms all over the world. These opportunities are not possible without the power of a professional social learning network.

Craig Kemp is Head of Elementary Educational Technology at Stamford American International School. Craig will be sharing his insights on being “Connected Leaders for Connected Learners” at EduTECH Asia, taking place at the Suntec Convention Centre, Singapore on the 9th-10th November 2016.

Providing an opportunity to get first-hand knowledge and in-depth insights, EduTECH Asia will comprise of inspirational keynotes from across the world, pioneering educators already changing education in their classrooms and technology leaders from education and innovative technology companies. The conference is for those serious about delivering education that is relevant in the 21st century. For more information and to book your place, visit EduTECH Asia.