Spreading the Word - Kenneth Headley

Every now and then, we haphazardly run into someone or something that changes our life for the better. Just two weeks ago, during our #CAedChat, I was struck by the responses that Kenneth Headley was putting out.  It wasn't part of an echo chamber, from a quote book, or bland.  It also wasn't angry, ill-directed, or negative.  From everything that I could see, Kenneth was speaking truth from his experiences and his heart.  And I like those things.

Lately, I've been trying to share out some of the newer people I've started following.  Not just their twitter accounts, but their blogs.  See, I can already tell that Kenneth is passionate about what he does from Twitter responses, but there's more and more every day that gets me excited about being an educator:

A2: I show my my care for students by coaching, running after-school programs, by watching their extra-curricular interests #resiliencechat

— Kenneth Headley1 (@KennethHeadley) August 26, 2014

As a teacher, I loved going to students' extra-curricular activities, whether they were school sponsored or not.  Some kids found it weird at first that a teacher would want to go to a karate event or a play, but I was proud to see those kids perform.  Kenneth provided that little reminder that I needed.

I've recently started following Kenneth's blog, TEACHING AND LEARNING - A PARADOXICAL PROCESS, and it's a good reminder of how we are using (or misusing) technology in the classroom.  A couple points from his latest post:

- If I am going to use technology, it will have be in a meaningful way besides homework, essays and class projects.
...
- If they are going to integrate technology in their work, it will have to be in a meaningful way, not just as a presentation or to take notes.  Eg. Skype with guest speakers and other students from around the world.

As a technology coach, my job is to ensure that teachers are using technology to positively affect student learning and not just as a pacifier or a reward for good behavior.  I'll be keeping an eye on Kenneth's blog for more reminders of the way things are supposed to be in regards to education and technology and, well, teaching in general.  

Happy Fishing (and sharing)

Feel free to tell me about someone who you know is blogging about their journey with mathematics, education, or technology.  I'm interested in getting smarter, so thank you in advance.