Follow Steven on Twitter
Follow Steven on Twitter.
Biography
Steven Anderson holds a Bachelor of Science in middle grades mathematics and science education from Western Carolina University and a Master of Arts in Education in instructional technology from East Carolina University. Steven began teaching in 2003. Currently he is a district instructional technologist, working with district and school administrators on how to harness the power of technology to enhance learning.
Steven has been a presenter at several area technology conferences and meetings including NCTIES, North Carolina's largest educational technology conference. Most recently he was selected to be a panelist at the 140 Characters Conference (#140conf) in Los Angeles, organized by Vonage founder Jeff Pulver, where he discussed the impact of Twitter and other social media on education. As part of the conference, he was one of the first recipients of the NOW Award, recognizing the "Movers and Shakers" in the world of social media. He returned to the #140 Conference in 2010 as a featured speaker, this time in New York City. Also in 2009, Steven was voted the Best Individual Tweeter as part of the annual Edublog Awards and was a corecipient of the Most Influential Tweet Series award for his part in helping to create #edchat, a weekly education discussion on Twitter that boasts over 500 weekly participants. Steven also maintains a blog, Blogging About the Web 2.0 Connected Classroom.
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In His Own Words: A Leadership Reflection
What has led to your development as a leader?
My journey to leadership and leadership positions began early on in my career as an educator. I started teaching in an urban school, the complete opposite of where I had done my student teaching. I worked with students who where more than two years off the grade level where they should be. It was tough. But those students taught me how to listen and how really special it can be when we allow students to lead.
Taking what I learned from those students, I went to another middle school where, during my time there I was a team leader, grade level chairman, and chair of our School Improvement Team. In each of these positions, I was able to use the skills my student taught me in my first year to make changes in our school.
Still today, working at the district level, as I am talking to educators in various places I stress how important it is for all school leaders to take a step back and consider students. How do they lead? How are students involved in our decision-making processes? What opportunities are we giving our students to take leadership roles in our schools?
What leadership article has inspired you?
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