"What Connected Education Looks Like"

The New York Times Learning Network asked this question of me and 27 other educators to kick off Connected Educator Month:

What might “connected teaching” or “connected learning” — that is, using technology to build communities and share knowledge — look like in practice?

Describe one recent example, small or large, from your own classroom or organization, or from work you have heard or read about, and tell us why you chose it.

I used the opportunity to talk about my experience with this past summer’s National Writing Project-fueled MOOC, Making Learning Connected (aka CLMOOC). In particular, I mentioned the various ways in which educators connected to create a remixable, open-content project called Tube Map Me, using Mozilla’s Webmaker tools.

The MOOC, which attracted over 1,000 educators from around the world, including the person whose idea formed the genesis of Tube Map me, Sara Green, of the UK, led to an array of amazing connections and networked learning due, in my opinion, to the constructivist and connectivist ethos that went into the design and facilitation of the experience, and which the participants championed.

Other educators in the New York Times Learning Network post discussed using Twitter with students, connecting youth to mathematicians via social media, and supporting young people to create journalistic media pieces about issues that matter to them that air on public radio.

Take a look for yourself at these examples of connected teaching and connected learning.