Love Learning and Leadership
- May 1, 2016
- 3 min read
“Be passionate, fall madly in love with life. Be passionate about some part of the natural and/or human worlds and take risks on its behalf, no matter how vulnerable they make you.” … “Offer yourself to the world — your energies, your gifts, your visions, your heart — with open-hearted generosity.” – Parker Palmer
What has love got to do with it? EVERYTHING
As educators it is so important that students know and see that we love our jobs. I use the term job loosely as I know many of us see our career as a calling. At #edcampyyc I got to share the love and passion I have for what I have done every school year for the past thirty six years. I am so grateful to be presenting at #edcampyyc and I also use the term presenting loosely because edcamps are different and make PD so much different and I think better than it has ever been . Edcamps are about choice … eliciting the best kind of leadership. Shared leadership where everyone in the room gets to have a voice and so today I am thankful that I got to learn along with you.
3 years ago in March I became a digital leader. I made a choice to jump into Edtech because of #etmooc and it transformed the way I learn as well as the way I assist students
PASSION
The culture of a school moves when you do! I believe it is never too late to be a leader and especially a digital leader. Don’t wait to be asked to be a leader ACT AS IF you already are and it will impact everything you do. All of us can make a difference online and off . When you take on a leadership role, sometimes fear gets in the way and if it does I say jump right in like I did in ETMOOC and your fears will subside. Educators are very supportive especially online when they are helping others learn. I am extremely grateful to all those who help me online every day to grow and learn.
Presence
Your presence on line is important. If students see you being a good digital citizen or being a good citizen period the they too will model what they see. They will learn how to share appropriately and by you developing your online presence you will recognize how creating a digital footprint takes time and collaboration on many levels.
Purpose
Because we want to be good digital leaders we look at what our students need. Having a purpose where we want to impact every student in our whole school through the use of technology drives how we help our students . We research what will be most helpful and curate and or create resources that will help them.
At our school we continue to look at what will be most helpful in our Student services department . We want to reach the whole school so here are a few resouces we have collaborated on to assist students. Here are a few of our favourites we love using to disseminate information, livebinders and smores.
Check out our Post Secondary and Personal Wellness Livebinders here:
If you have never been to an edcamp then jump in the next time one is offered in your area. Below you can view the Haiku Deck that I used to get the conversation going. Everyone in your school can be a leader from the caretaker , to the secretary , to the aide that supports a student with special needs . I agree with Eric Sheninger Titles Don’t Make Leaders . Look for the leaders and celebrate them often!
The students are definitely why we do what we do . Thanks #edcampyyc for connecting educators and letting them lead with their feet , by choosing sessions that were important to them. Check out the #edcampyyc hashtag for more inspiration. So many great sessions with amazing educators who are passionate leaders who love what they do. Please share why you love what you do because together we are definitely better!
If you decide to pay it forward consider contributing to the Mario Couros Bursary , a great way to help another future educator as well as a way to honour those who give so much to education worldwide.
