Précis

"Unity is strength... when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved." - Mattie Stepanek

While I really like the above quote, there are two others that come to mind for this standard: a) "Work smarter, not harder."

b) "Don't reinvent the wheel, realign it."

There is an absolute strength in numbers and I enjoy the imaginative flow of ideas generated when collaborating with colleagues. Finding out what works (and what doesn't) helps save valuable time and being able to 'riff' on someone's proven formula enables our instruction to improve by leaps and bounds.

It was my pleasure to work as a technology coach at my high school for two years; I was in charge of monthly PD on technology as well as helping integrate it into everyday instruction.I have felt that we have a duty to our peers to share information in a way that lets one choose what they want to view or use. I take copious notes at any conference that I attend and then post the information online in wikis. Now I'm the department chair for ELA and am still sharing: links, resources, sample lessons, guest blog, etc.

Frankly, I think that it's a disgrace that this isn't a norm within most education circles.