Go. See. Connect.

CC licensed photo shared by creativecommoners via Flickr

Connecting with others through social media? Good.

Getting too comfortable in the same circle of colleagues and not taking the time to branch out into new networks or interact with new members of the virtual community? Bad.

Over the past few weeks I had the privilege to meet, face-to-face (what a luxury!) some new friends at Pete & C, #ntcamp Burlington, and Teach Meet NJ… I’ve also connected with some pretty amazing folks on Twitter as of late, and I would like to share the wealth.

You may already know and love many of the people on this list, and I can imagine that to be true, because of the fantastic work they’re doing for kids. I regret I can’t spend more time listing the names of the hundreds of educators that influence me daily!

Mary Ann Reilly – one of my biggest regrets leaving TMNJ is that I didn’t get to meet Mary Ann. I enjoy reading her blog, engaging in discussions with her, most recently our #FocusASCD discussions about Schmoker’s new book, and she develops and shares the most fabulously detailed lists of global books for kids.

Chris Lindholm – Chris is an assistant superintendent from Minnesota. He blogs about many facets of leadership and is a great supporter of the resources and ideas shared on #cpchat!

Corrie Kelly – Corrie has been quick to respond to many of my queries about integrating technology into our classroom activities with elementary students. She is a valuable resource!

Pete Rodrigues – Pete is, first and foremost, a great sport who allows me to bust on him several times per week on Twitter. Great sense of humor aside, he is an aspiring administrator who shares meaningful thoughts about learning through his posts and virtual conversations. And at one point in his life, he built a suit of armor. #enoughsaid

M.E. Steele-Pierce – M.E. is an incredibly talented assistant superintendent of schools in Ohio. I enjoyed meeting her at Educon and recently have had the chance to work more closely with her for our contributions to Powerful Learning Practice‘s Voices for the Learning Revolution blog.

Ryan Bretag– Ryan’s blog, Metanoia, is a must-read for me. I am always impressed with his well-articulated ideas and his continual focus on student learning. Sometimes his posts make me think so hard my brain hurts. In a good way.

Kimberly Moritz – Kim is a very inspiring superintendent from New York. I had the chance to meet her at Educon and respect her tireless efforts for kids and her thoughtful blog posts.

Justin Stortz – Justin is sparking “new fires” of thought in everyone that encounters his tweets and reads his posts. I enjoy his contributions, particularly the discussions several of us had over clarity vs. content in student blogging.

Lesley Cameron – Lesley is a third grade teacher from Alberta, Canada, who shares her wonderful ideas and classroom happenings on her blog here. I appreciate her positivity, her willingness to take risks, and her dedication to her students. She clearly is becoming quite a leader in her school and beyond.

Marc Siegel – Marc was a participant in the session at #tmnj11 that I co-presented with Eric Sheninger. He was vocal in sharing his concerns about how to best influence his school and district administrators to move in a positive direction with change. Marc seemed genuinely invested in his students and helping make a difference in their lives. Check out his blog, too.

Greg Stickel – wins the positivity award. He is very supportive, comments regularly, shares resources freely, and is a great contributor to our virtual conversations. Hoping he starts to blog soon. 🙂

Again, there are many people here I didn’t highlight… but I’m thinking this may be a regular post topic…. who has been adding to your learning lately? Share with us!

9 Replies to “Go. See. Connect.”

  1. Thank you for this honor. It was fantastic to listen to all of the great things you and Eric had to share. I was so energized after #tmnj11 that I am still on a high. I hope to have a chance to talk with you again soon.

  2. Well, that’s the nicest thing anyone had said about me all day!! I am honored to be included!! Thank you so much!

  3. Thank you so much for the kind words and for sharing this list of great connections. There are a number of people on here that I’ve not connected with but I’m eager to begin learning from them as you have.

    More importantly, thank you for your ideas and challenges. You’ve been an exceptional connection that continues to move me forward. For that, I thank you!

  4. Lyn,
    I am a classroom teacher who aspires to take on more of a leadership role. I must say I have been on Twitter for only a few months, and in that few months you have given me so many fantastic ideas to share and implement. You positivity is refreshing as a leader, in what many perceive as a very serious time in education.
    Thanks for the connections and fantastic ideas!

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