Educators are experts at understanding the value of collaboration. Generous teacher websites and blogs are packed with tips and tricks for running a fun and engaging classroom. It’s simple math: two heads are better than one.
Recent technology and Learning Innovative Leader Award winners Jeni Long and Sallee Clark, who together form a unique and inspiring partnership Jenalleehave taken collaboration to the next level through their mission to “evangelize” the use of educational technology.
The birth of “Jenallee”
Perhaps the first step to forming a perfect partnership begins with being open to connecting with others.
“We met on our first day on the job seven years ago,” says Jeni Long, educational technology consultant, author and speaker. “It was an instant connection. We knew we had a lot in common and were destined to be best friends, but we had no idea where that friendship would take us!
Connecting as friends with mutual respect and a similar mindset and attitude became a great first step in creating a powerful professional team.
“As we began to get to know each other, we realized that each of our individual visions for implementing the use of technology in the classroom were aligned and that we had similar passions and beliefs regarding technology,” says Sallee Clark, consultant educational technology, author and spokesperson. “My brain always works better when I brainstorm and learn alongside someone. “The power of educators working together to solve problems and meet the needs of scholars has a huge impact on the world of education.”
The benefits of a dynamic duo
“We always say, ‘Two brains are better than one,'” Long says. “Different perspectives are important and we believe it is best to work together to produce a more powerful result.”
In fact, dividing tasks and making the most of disparate skill sets doubles the resources available to achieve the highest level of success. Jenallee’s first step in getting the most out of her partnership was determining who could shine best in each area.
“We completed a Strengths Finders survey, which revealed a lot about who we are as educators and partner teachers,” Clark says. “There were some challenges when we first collaborated and worked together. Most of the time we wanted to be like everyone else. The Strengths Finders survey taught us that we can trust each other and leverage our unique strengths to work more effectively in serving educators. For example, we discovered that Jeni is good at organizing content, communicating, and courting people. Although I am strong in ideation, strategy and connection with people. Our strengths complemented each other very well. “When we started leveraging these different strengths, we were able to create content to help teachers much more efficiently and offer them a better product.”
Knowledge is powerful. Instead of causing division, understanding their innate talents strengthened both the friendship and the working relationship.
Five Steps to Creating and Maintaining a Partnership, According to Jenallee
- Communicate: Learn about each other’s passions, vision, and goals.
- Trust: Treat each other with respect, listen to each other, and encourage each other.
- Know each other’s strengths: Take advantage of each other’s strengths to be efficient and produce a better result together.
- Checklists: “We love checklists,” says Jenallee. “It helps us stay on track, communicate and make sure all of our goals are met.”
- Have fun: This is key! “Having fun is what makes learning a reality for us,” Jenallee says. “We have fun learning, planning and creating together.”
Globalization for innovation
What started as a friendship with common professional goals quickly became an innovation-driven mission to shine a spotlight on educational technology and what it could do in the classroom.
“When Jeni and I started sharing tips and tricks about educational technology, we realized that a lot of teachers had the same questions on different campuses,” Clark says. “She made us realize that we needed a way to share this information with all of our teachers because we saw that if one teacher had a question, another teacher probably did too. So he Jenallee’s YouTube Channel born. We loved how it served our community of teachers and also the greater community of teachers around the world.”
The success of Jenallee’s content on YouTube quickly expanded to webinars, videos, social media posts, live talks, blogs, and even books.
“Our ultimate goal is to create an accessible and FUN learning experience for educators and students alike,” says Long. “We firmly believe that when students are engaged in their learning, they are more likely to retain information. Making learning fun is an effective way to achieve this.”
The duo loves sharing content, ideas, and solutions with a global community of educators. Taking professional development to the next level by offering resources that are easy to understand and implement immediately is key.
“The tutorials are short, but helpful,” says Clark. “We hope to empower educators with practical videos and ideas to make learning fun and accessible, tools they can use in their classrooms tomorrow. “We have seen tears of happiness fall because educators have found solutions that help every student succeed in their classrooms.”
“We were overwhelmed by the positive comments,” says Long. “Teachers constantly express how helpful our resources have been. This is our passion: your satisfaction is what brings us joy!”
