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• Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback
• Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition
• Cooperative Learning
• Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers
• Nonlinguistic Representations
• Summarizing and Note Taking
• Assigning Homework and Providing Practice
• Identifying Similarities and Differences
• Generating and Testing Hypotheses

• Word Processing Applications
• Organizing and Brainstorming Software
• Data Collection and Analysis Tools
• Communication and Collaboration Software
• Instructional Media (Learner as Consumer)
• Multimedia Creation (Learner as Producer)
• Instructional Interactives
• Database and Reference Resources
• Kinesthetic Technology

Nussbaum-Beach and Hall begin by defining what a connected educator is. According to these authors, a connected educator has these characteristics:

• Connected educators are "do-it-yourself learners." They don't wait for someone to deliver professional development to them. They seek out professional development and learning that meets their individual needs.
• Connected educators have a "network of collective wisdom" to turn to when information and knowledge is needed. Educators who are connected have fostered and developed, over time, a network of other professionals to turn to for professional knowledge needs.
• Connected educators are "collaborative learners." They rely on others to help provide learning and they contribute to the learning of those in their personal learning network.
• Connected educators have moved away from the "paradigm of isolation and closed doors" to sharing a strong commitment with other educators to learn and understand more and more about teaching and learning. The educator who is connected no longer closes their classroom door and carries on teaching. They actively enlist the help of others and offer their help in return.
• Connected educators have leveraged online networks to solve their instructional problems through crowdsourcing and relying on the wisdom of the crowd for resources on teaching and learning. The educator who is connected does not hesitate to engage others in the face of the issues and problems of teaching. They use the crowd to learn more about the craft of teaching.

• Google Docs: Google Docs’ sharing feature makes the act of copying and distributing a document of any kind, whether wordprocessing, spreadsheet, or presentation, just plain sinful. For example, if you want to provide your faculty with agenda, why not share a a Google Document version of it with them? Then, just send them an email invite. Or, if you want them to have a copy of a professional development presentation, send them an email invite to it as well. There’s little need to provide staff with copies of documents any more. Of course, the administrator has to be willing to allow staff to use their technology during meetings, but what 21st century school leader is going to ban staff or meeting participants from using technology? Might as well have your meetings in the dark.

• Email: Of course email is considered just a bit passé by many, but there is no better tool that allows you to put directions and information in writing to your staff. For example, if you need to get procedures to your staff regarding an up-coming open house, send it to them by email. If you need to get a parent message to a teacher, send it by email too. The amazing but simple thing about email is you have a written record of what you sent so there can be no dispute about what was said. But what about the teacher who does not read his email regularly? Sorry, but he wouldn’t survive in my school, and probably not in my district. Perhaps he needs to find a job in the jungle somewhere, away from the 21st century world of technology.
• Dropbox: Dropbox is another one of those tools that can make school administration paperless. While sharing single documents through Google Docs works well, occasionally there are multiple, lengthy documents or media that I want to share more efficiently. With Dropbox, I can place all those items in a folder and share that folder with whichever staff members need access. For example, I created an accreditation folder in Dropbox that contained all of the data and documents the accreditation team needed and invited them to share that folder. There was no need to make piles of copies of data and documents and place them in folders or notebooks. They had access to everything electronically. Dropbox makes making copies of any major documents an anachronism.

• Evernote: I don’t even have a yellow legal pad in my possession any more. Evernote’s abilities to give the user a platform to take notes makes tablets (not the electronic kind) a total waste of money. For example, while sitting in a meeting, I can take notes on those proceedings. The features that make Evernote most useful for this are: 1) instant access on any of my technological devices and 2) ability to share the resulting document with anyone else. Evernote has apps for the desktop, smartphones, and all tablets, so getting to your notes is even quicker than digging them out of your briefcase. Being able to share those notes with others either through social media or through email means no trips to the copier when you want to share them. Evernote is the most versatile piece of software in a battle against using paper for adminstrative purposes.

• Diigo: I only recently began using Diigo more in my role as administrator. I have always shared resources and interesting ideas with staff, but often it was done through either a handout or by email. Email will keep you paperless, but when it comes to sharing links to web resources, Diigo does so much better. I have set up Diigo groups geared to specific staff members and invited them to join. Now, I can post links to Web resources to those groups and because Diigo sends emails when those have been updated, my staff gets updates rather quickly. Diigo is an excellent way to share resources quickly and easily with staff members and even parents.

• Skype or Google Talk:  Because our entire staff has Skype accounts and is logged in immediately in the mornings, Skype has become an excellent way to share out information even more quickly. For example, if I need to announce a procedural change for an event later in the day, I can get that out instantaneously by sending it out by Skype. Staff can just as quickly ask for clarification too. Google Talk functions in the same manner of course, except it messages individuals rather than groups. Both these tools take away the need to write short notes or memos. These are more tools to keep me away from the copier or from reaching for the notepad.
• Blogger (Or Other Blog Platform): Having a school newsletter on paper is another anachronistic habit. There are so many ways to create and distribute information in a newsletter-format, it makes no sense to print them any more. Blogging, however, is one of the easiest ways to provide newsletter-like information to staff or parents. A blog gives administrators the ability to share school news with constituent groups quickly and easily, and students can’t lose them on the way home to school. Blogs also allow for the delivery of multimedia content too. That’s something you can’t deliver through a paper copy.

• Use and understand cloud-based applications: With so many of our school functions moving to cloud-based applications, administrators need to understand what the cloud really is, what it means for data, and how to use cloud-based applications to enhance educational initiatives. There should never be an administrator who asks, “What’s this cloud they keep talking about?”
• Use and understand social media platforms: Instead of giving in to fear and trying to find ways to limit access and use of social media platforms by educators, 21st century administrators need to be engaged heavily in the use of these platforms to both promote their educational organizations and to communicate with stakeholders.
• Subscribe to RSS feeds: While there are fewer options for engaging in following RSS feeds, it still is one of the best ways to mine the information morass on a daily basis. Using a feed reader allows an administrator to be more selective in both information sources and in the amount of information they have to sift through to stay current professionally and personally.
• Use web platforms to post information and communicate with stakeholders: Being able to engage in communicating with others in a cyber-environment is a must for 21st century administrators. To really be able to take advantage of the cyber-media, administrators need to be able to understand its intricacies and quirks. They need to be able to take advantage of its features. This means being able to engage in effective 21st century communication.

• Evernote: This is a note taking and Web collection tool. It has both web and desktop applications and a premium version that can be obtained at low costs. http://www.evernote.com/
• Diigo: Diigo is a social bookmarking site. With its tools,  the administrator can share 21st century information and tools with staff and others. It is also an excellent way to share notes too. It is a collection tool too, just like Evernote, but its sharing ability makes it more of a collaborative tool. http://www.diigo.com/
• Dropbox: Dropbox is a way to get to rid of the need to use flash drives. It is the easiest way yet to store files online and access them with any device. It is also an easy way to share files too.  http://www.dropbox.com/
• Edmodo:  Edmodo is the premier social classroom environment. It is an easy way to engage with others in a social, cyber environment. http://www.edmodo.com/
• Engrade: This is one of the simplest to-use online gradebooks I’ve found. It allows administrators to access student grades, and parents too. A few added features like online quizzes and flashcards make it even more useful. http://www.engrade.com/
• Google Reader: This is one of the easiest to use RSS feed readers. Google reader allows users to bring what they want to know to their desktop. www.google.com/reader
• Google +: Google + is relatively new, online social media environment. It allows users to connect synchronously and asynchronously. It is also possible to organize those you communicate with into circles which are groups. https://plus.google.com/
• Google Apps (Email, Calendar, Google Sites, Google Docs): This collection of apps only get more and more powerful. Users can also engage in real-time collaboration with these tools.  http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/edu/
• Twitter: Twitter is a most used microblogging website on the web. Tweeting out information in 140 character bursts are the norm. http://twitter.com
• Facebook: You have to have been living in a cave lately to not have heard of Facebook. I include this one on the list because administrators need to both learn how to use it and understand it. Too often it is being banned and thrown out because of the bad things that have happened with its use. http://www.facebook.com/
• Blogger (Or another blogging platform): Blogging is an essential way to connect with others and to disseminate ideas and information. In my opinion, administrators need to be bloggers to see its true potential as a provider of authentic writing experiences. www.blogger.com
• Kindle E-Readers and Nook E-Readers (All Devices):  Being able to engage and use an E-reader by all educators is a 21st century must-have skill. Download the free Kindle apps here: Free Kindle Apps. Download the free Nook apps here: Free Nook Apps.
• Wikispaces (or other wiki platform of preference):  Being able to engage in the use of wikis, no matter which product, is a must for the 21st century educator. Understanding how to use them helps administrators see their educational applications. Also, there are collaborative administrative tasks that could also be carried out using a wiki. http://www.wikispaces.com/
• Prezi: Prezi is a presentation application alternative to PowerPoint and other slide-oriented presentation programs. http://prezi.com/

• Symbaloo:  A personal Desktop sharing tool. Can be used to share links or bookmarks with others.  http://www.symbaloo.com/
• Springpad: Another note taking and task management application. http://springpadit.com/home
• Wall Wisher: A presentation program of sorts that allows users to post notes on a virtual wall. It is fully collaborative too.  http://www.wallwisher.com/
• Wordle: A tool that allows users to create appealing representations using text and words.These are called word clouds.  http://www.wordle.net/

• Office Suite Programs (Whether MS Office, Open Office, or Libre Office) Obviously, all 21st educators need to be able to engage in the most common software tools found in an office suite. http://www.openoffice.org/ and  http://www.libreoffice.org/
• Photo-Editing Software (I Use Picasa 3): Being able to edit photos and alter them using editing software is a must. My tool of choice is currently Picasa. It’s free.  http://picasa.google.com
• Inspiration: I consider this one of the best buys in educational and productivity software. Inspiration allows users to create informational maps or outlines. http://www.inspiration.com/

• Basics of Smartphone Technologies: Being able to use and understand these devices as a 21st century administrator is a must.
• iPads and other Tablets: Administrators still fighting to keep these devices out of their schools are already fossils. Administrators need to know how to use these devices and be leading the way in exploring how to use them instructionally.
• Smartboard Technology: Understanding smartboard technology is paramount. Too often administrators see these devices and immediately think they need one for every classroom. If administrators were more knowledgeable, they would perhaps see that having one in every classroom isn’t necessary.

• Treat improper contact and communication with social media the same way we would improper text messages or phone calls. Do we ban text messaging of students because a teacher sends an improper message to a student? Do we forbid teachers from calling students because a teacher uses the phone to engage in an improper conversation with a student? When a teacher engages in an improper and unprofessional conversation with a student, it is the interaction that is the problem, not the medium on which that interaction took place. Banning the medium might take away one of the avenues for that interaction, but it ultimately fails to address the problem.
• Focus on the real problem. Policies that focus on the medium rather than the real problem are doomed to failure. In some ways, those who push social media bans do so because they can appease their conscience. They did something. Never mind that the actions they took fail to address the real problem which is: we hire and have individuals in our schools who seek improper relationships with our children. Perhaps instead of stamping out social media in the schools, we need to look closely for warning signs that there are individuals in our schools who abuse the role of educator to prey upon children. Maybe we need to pay closer attention to our screening processes. Social media isn't the problem. It's a fabricated boogeyman that deflects administrators from taking on the real difficult problem of shepherding those out of our schools who engage in inappropriate relationships with our students.
• Pay attention to warning signs. Those who seek improper relationships with children often indirectly and directly broadcast those intentions through their interactions with the children they teach. While we certainly do not want to make teacher-student relationships absolutely sterile, we can, as administrators, scrutinize those who are in our schools, and who seem to cross the line between being a professional and being too-familiar with students. For example, a teacher that might be crossing the line might be spending an inordinate amount of time with a student, or they might be speaking with a student at a level that is too familiar. Administrators can do a great deal at preventing inappropriate relationships by being observant regarding the interactions teachers and staff have with students.
• Educate Staff. This is especially important for young staff; those closer to the ages of the students they teach. They need to understand the importance of teacher-student boundaries and the severe consequences of crossing those boundaries. Staff needs to understand that social media, if used to maintain a professional relationship with students, can be used effectively. They need to know what it looks like to be too familiar with students, and what a professional relationship looks like.

Simplenote Web Interface

• unlimited third party app usage (allows use of apps such as the Android apps)
• Dropbox syncing
• creation of notes by email
• read notes or share them as RSS feed

iPad Simplenote Interface

• Select Sharing: The Google Circles idea is genius. Users can set up groups called circles and place whomever they wish in each of the circles. The potential for this feature is obvious: for example, an administrator could place teachers within an individual circle, guidance department within a circle, and so on. With Google+, selective sharing is fantastically easy. Unlike Facebook, with Google+, you don't have to make everything you share public.
• Simple User Interface: This is actually a plus as well. There isn't a lot of clutter within Google+'s screens. Its buttons are simple to use, and navigating through each of the screens is quite simple.
• Lot's of Unexplored Possibilities: Haven't yet begun to use all of Google+'s features, but I can already see where it has great potential as the social media environment for educators.I can hardly wait to explore all of its possibilites.

"Twitter is for old people, is the attitude of many young people."

"Twitter allows users to connect with people anywhere in the world, and carry on a conversation."

"Trying to get to the dis-information on social media networks is problematic. Individuals or companies can create false identities to communicate information." 

"Interesting period of time when social media is losing its innocence."

"Use common sense about who you follow on Twitter. If they have a 'Jack-the-Ripper' avatar, it's probably not a good idea to follow them."