Connected Educator Chapter Four

 Throughout the pages of Chapter Four in The Connected Educator: Learning and Leading in a Digital Age, it is simply clear that it discusses about the significance of building a collaborative culture and a mindset that supports connected learning. In the beginning of the chapter, the authors point out something that I think is very important to know. Nussbaum-Beach and Ritter Hall state "changing values, norms, beliefs may be necessary in order to support connected learning" and "shared vision, shared values, a belief in learning for all, a collaborative environment, opportunities for inquiry, reflection, and norms of continuous learning and improvement encourage culture of collaboration". I think this is really important in any type of job because I think it will provide the best work. For example, my future career as a music journalist, I think that having this knowledge in my head will benefit me while I am working with others in a working space. I feel that it is important to have shared visions and values because it will push each other to work harder. Another thing that I think is important that the authors mentioned is that "collaboration grows from relationships in which trust, collegiality, shared vision, and group development flourish". 

In the section titled "Put Relationships First", I completely agree with the authors when they say that "fostering, nurturing, and maintaining positive congenial relationships is the first step toward building collaborative culture". I feel like it is significant for music journalists to do this because it will benefit them as they work. For example, music journalists tend to have interviews with artists and to have the interview go the way you want it to go, you have to have a positive mindset and lead with questions that make the interviewee feel worthy and important. Building relationships with not only the person you are interviewing, but your colleagues around you as well, are essential. Something that caught my attention in this section is when the authors stated that "the secret to creating deep and trusting relationships is providing opportunities to share" and "when we participate, we connect, and from those connections come opportunities to collaborate around shared passions". I think that every profession needs to know this because trust is a big factor in a workplace. I feel that you need to trust your coworkers in order to provide your best work. I understand that numerous people may experience trust issues but I think it is important to work your way around it. 

One thing that I found important is in the section called "Transparency is Important". From reading this, I have learned that every individual in a work environment has a distinctive perspective. Many people learn something new everyday no matter how familiar they are with that type of work. I believe that connected co-learning has to be transparent and that sharing insights is critical to yourself and others to accomplish what needs to be done. 

Moving onto the section titled "Fostering Collegiality", I think that this was really interesting to learn about. I liked it because I never really knew anything about this and now I understand why it is important to any profession. Nussbaum-Beach and Ritter Hall talk about how "face-to-face professional learning communities use organizational norms that nurture and support collegial dialogue" and "they exchange ideas, debate issues, and cooperate rather than compete". These two things really stuck with me because in any job, I feel like most people think it is a competition but it is not the case. I think it is important to show each other that they are all part of a team and they have one mission to accomplish. With that, I wish most people encouraged others to do their best instead of trying to win at something. 

Furthermore, in "Creating a Shared Vision" this section discusses how sharing visions expresses our aspirations for the future of learning. For example, our instincts are not only to hope to move forward and become successful, but also motivate us to go beyond the work and move us toward a transformation that we are happy about. Being a future music journalist, I think throughout the process of developing a shared vision for the future, I need to share to others about how reality is instead of thinking about the expectations. It is important to know that things take time especially when you put in so much work. I am a firm believer of talking and opening up to others about your deepest hopes and dreams for the future. I think sharing that with others is important because they can support you and encourage you to get to that place that will make you happy and successful. 

In "Put People's Needs at the Forefront", there was something introduced to me that I did not realize before. In this section, the authors mention that in learning communities, grieving can trigger unfamiliar emotions and behaviors and with that, it can be managed with an approach that is shared. The authors clearly want to inform the readers that it is crucial to make time for members of your learning community to talk through and adjust to change initiatives and the transformation taking place. 

This whole chapter had numerous information that is helpful to my future career as a music journalist, as it is to every other profession. I think that this chapter has taught me a lot about collaboration and how it can be represented in the work community.