10 Things Connected Educators Must Not Do

October is Connected Educators Month. It's nice to finally see educators connecting in the physical and virtual world. The sharing, reflecting, and collaborating ultimately impacts the success of all students. Personally, I have been a connected educator for the past 4 years. I thank Eric Sheninger for showing me the power of social media as a way to expand my personal learning network way back in 2011. I have met and learned from so many people because of my connectedness. So many ideas have shaped my thinking and help move my school forward in ways I never thought could happen. There is no doubt that I am in a better place because of utilizing tools like Twitter to connect with some of the best minds in the business. Unfortunately, during my time as a connected educator I have seen some negative things happen that have no place in the educational world. Here is a short list of how connected educators can put a damper on one of the most exciting times in education...

1. Act like as the supreme ruler of education and that anyone you interact with must think the way you do.
2. Take cheap shots at people who are just trying to share best practices and help out others.
3. Think that you own a hashtag because we all know that you really can't.
4. Look down upon the disconnected instead of lifting them up.
5. Give people a hard time for how they act, think, or dress. 
6. Forget where you came from and not think about what's best for kids.
7. Think that you are bigger than education.
8. Take yourself too seriously. Humor is a huge part of remaining sane. 
9. Act as a celebrity and totally ignore people at conferences.
10. Share only your work and thoughts more than others. 

​Brad Currie is the author of All Hands on Deck: Tools for Connecting Educators, Parents, and Communities and the newly released Personalized PD: Flipping Your Professional Development. He is one of the founding partners of Evolving Educators LLC. Brad is a 2014 ASCD Emerging Leader and Google Certified Trainer. Brad currently serves as a K-8 Supervisor of Instruction and Dean of Students for the Chester School District in Chester, NJ. He is a Google Certified Trainer and speaks nationally about tech integration. Learn more about Brad by following him on Twitter @bradmcurrie or visiting his website at www.bradcurrie.net.