Tom Whitby @tomwhitby has wrote many times:

“Connected educators are the worst advocates for becoming connected.  Too often they are so enthusiastic at how, as well as how much they are learning through being connected, that they tend to overwhelm the uninitiated, inexperienced, and unconnected educator with a deluge of information that both intimidates and literally scares them.”  At the same time, sharing what you’ve learned through your experiences is what connected educators tell you to do in order to expose the non-connected to the connected world.  Too often I find myself walking on egg shells avoiding offending anyone.  The experience of learning and trying to grow connected educators who engage in sharing, learning, and reflecting just becomes a sour one.

I’m not an administrator in a position where modeling to staff is a critical role.  Leaders of school staff must model these new learning behaviors to develop a culture of growth within their buildings.  What then do teachers do who teach in a predominately un-connected school system where educators are patiently awaiting the next professional development opportunity to learn something new?  How do teachers like me initiate sustainable change in their school buildings?