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The Right Way is Your Way

Posted by Unknown Kamis, 03 Januari 2013 0 komentar

I have read some very thought-provoking posts and associated commentary over the past couple of weeks focusing on how particular educators use social media. What I have found interesting is the powerful opinions as to how one should use social media. I think it is great that so many people have focused opinions on what social media should, could, or should not be with a considerable emphasis on specific do's and dont's. These specific methods and techniques work for them and it is important that all of us have some sense as to the why and how when it comes to our own social media use. It is these opinions that always force me to reflect on my own use, objectives, and goals.

Image credit: http://www.somema.org/the-10-ds-of-creating-a-social-media-use-policy/

To make things clear there is no guidebook out there that educators must abide by when it comes to using social media. Social media is like the "Wild West" in that there are no overbearing rules, which is why I love it so much. I can be brief if I want to. I can comment on a post or tweet if I want to. I can share something if and when I want to. I can follow or unfollow whoever I want at any time. I can recommend educators to follow if I want to. Heck, I can post pictures of my kids if I want to. The only firm rule I would encourage all educators to follow is to use common sense when posting to the Internet and always remember your role as an educator in the community you serve. Everything else is basically up to you and your specific preferences.

This has led me to think about how I use a myriad of social media tools with Twitter being my main go to resource. To put it simply here is how I use social media as an educational administrator and learner:

Acquire, share, and curate resources
Discussion forum and engage in conversations of professional interest
Elicit feedback on ideas and initiatives I launch at my school
Support
Ask questions and receive answers
Track conferences
Digital newspaper
Connect with practitioners as well as experts in the field of education
Build, cultivate,and interact with a Personal Learning Community (PLN) to grow professionally and do what I do better
Promote my work and the work of others
Share the great things my students and teachers are doing
Public relations
Enhance communications

Is there a right or wrong way to use social media? I personally don't think so. The beauty and power of social media is that it is adaptable to fit our particular needs and goals at a given time. As our goals and needs change our use of social media will evolve. My point here is that any way an educator decides to use social media is the right way. What are your thoughts on this? Should there be specific rules or guidelines for educators to follow in online spaces?

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Twitter Reducing Some Tweets to Just 117 Characters

Posted by Unknown Sabtu, 08 Desember 2012 0 komentar

Think 140 characters isn’t enough to say what you want in a tweet? Get ready for 117.
Starting in February, tweets that contain URLs will be reduced to 118 characters, 117 for https links. While that may seem like a huge drop, the change represents a two-character drop per tweet from what you are currently able to send when a hyperlink is involved.
Announced Thursday on Twitter's developer blog, the adjustment is due to some upcoming changes in Twitter’s t.co link wrapper. The revision extends the maximum length of t.co wrapped links from 20 to 22 characters for non-https URLs and from 21 to 23 characters for https URLs.

What that means: When you tweet out hyperlinks that Twitter shortens, those links will now take up a little more space, reducing the content you'll be able to add to the message.
The announcement this week was meant as a heads up for developers, in order to give them time to update their applications before the change takes place.
Twitter users won’t see the switch go into effect until Feb. 20, 2013.

Do you think the two-character loss will make a difference in how you tweet?

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Jumping on the Bandwagon

Posted by Unknown Rabu, 15 Agustus 2012 0 komentar

I have been engaged with social media for over three and a half years now. As I often reflect on my journey, I can’t help but think about the early days and months after I first began to use Twitter and some other tools. There were many times during this early period that I questioned the value of the time I was putting in, or the actual impact any of this was having on teaching, learning, school culture, and leadership. Add in all of the weird looks and ignorant comments I received, it is a miracle that I made it through the early adoption stage to full, blown-out social media fanatic.

Image credit: http://www.netstrategies.com/blog/social-media/use-social-media-to-cross-promote

Obviously I stuck with it and my life as a principal has never been the same. Social media has become embedded in virtually all facets of my professional practice as an educational leader. It is so gratifying to see more educators locally, nationally, and globally begin to experience what social media has to offer on a professional level. However, as much as I and others tout the many ways in which social media can improve communications, form a foundation for positive public relations, increase student engagement, enhance the teaching and learning process, discover opportunity, and lead to authentic pathways to grow professionally, I still find that many educators are skeptical about embracing this dynamic, multi-dimensional tool.

At this point in my career, I cannot picture performing my duties as a Principal without social media playing some sort of role. I truly believe that it has made me a more effective school leader by enhancing a variety of skill sets essential to the position. The network of colleagues and friends I have developed has now become priceless. As we prepare to begin another school year, it is important that we reflect on the impact social media has had and all make a commitment to encouraging, supporting, and modeling its effective use amongst our staff, stakeholders, and other educators. I already know that this is tops on my agenda when we start up school again in September.

It is my hope that this post will serve as a catalyst for a greater discussion on how we can empower more educators to embrace social media, become connected, and utilize this tool to help do what they do more effective. In recent weeks and months I have seen a dramatic rise of educators in my home state of New Jersey who have embraced social media as a legitimate professional tool. I have also been proud to witness the evolution of the #NJED hash tag and #SatChat. On this Leadership Day 2012 I would like to remind all school leaders and educators that it is never too late to jump on the bandwagon.

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Twitter: A Tool For All

Posted by Unknown Rabu, 23 Mei 2012 0 komentar

For those of you who regularly read my blog you know how passionate I am about Twitter and its positive impact on my professional practice as a school leader. I am constantly advocating for other school leaders and educators to embrace this powerful tool to improve communications, enhance public relations, establish a positive brand presence, grow professionally through the formation of a Personal Learning Network (PLN), increase student engagement, and discover a world of opportunity. Currently I manage two separate Twitter accounts (@NMHS_Principal and @NewMilfordHS) to meet the objectives stated above.

Image credit: http://professorjosh.wordpress.com/2011/05/31/austin-tx-watch-out-nisod-millennials-social-media-and-education-presentation/

My message is plain and simple - Twitter should be a tool utilized by all educators. I recently did a webinar for the Bucks County Intermediate Unit #22 in Pennsylvania. Check out the archive HERE and learn how you can easily and freely harness the power of Twitter. Below is a brief description of the webinar:

Whether you are a teacher, administrator or classroom assistant, Twitter is an excellent resource to connect with other educators, follow experts in a particular field, share and exchange ideas, and learn from others at your own pace. Join us for an exciting session about Twitter and its impact on education.

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Putting What I Learned Into Practice: Getting People on the Bandwagon.

Posted by Unknown Kamis, 15 Maret 2012 0 komentar

One of my goals when I present on leadership, change, and transformation is to inspire other school leaders to begin to blog. I remember years ago my initial hesitation to blog until Ken Royal encouraged me to submit a guest post on his blog at the time almost three years ago. With that being said please welcome Paul Vieira, Principal of East Bridgewater High School (MA), to the blogosphere. Below is his first blog post as an educator.

I have been inspired by what I learned at the NASSP Annual Conference last week, a recent blog post by Carrie Jackson, and my conversations with Eric Sheninger and Patrick Larkin to write my first blog about getting administrators in East Bridgewater on Twitter.

Image credit: http://tpreskett.blogspot.com/2011/10/in-post-social-media-supporting-teacher.html

I joined Twitter this summer because I wanted to see what the buzz was all about. I tinkered with it, followed a few people, and re-posted some tweets over the next few months. It wasn’t until this fall that I started following the right people and the right hash tags. I began to see the power of Twitter as a professional development tool. I was able to learn from other educators and ask questions for things that I wanted to learn more about. Currently we are piloting the iPad with a small group of teachers. We hope to roll out a 1:1 initiative during the 2013-2014 school year. Twitter has served as a great resource to learn about 1:1 initiatives, how to roll them out, and how they can improve student engagement and learning. It also has been very helpful in obtaining information on useful apps to share with staff to help them use the iPad in their classes. Last month Pat Larkin was kind enough to put together a 4 hour PD day at his school for us to learn from him and his teachers. This was free PD and one that was made possible through a relationship that was fostered on Twitter.

This October I put together a one hour introductory Twitter lesson, with the help of my assistant principal, for teachers. We went over the basics of Twitter and how teachers can use it to learn as educators, expand the walls of their classrooms, and share information with students. A few teachers joined Twitter after that session. It wasn’t until my Faculty Meeting in February that I really started to see Twitter begin to gain some momentum in my school. I asked a few teachers that use Twitter to explain to the staff how they use it in school and this started a very brief discussion on the power of Twitter. The real excitement happened over the next few weeks when I saw more and more teachers begin to join Twitter and follow each other. They have joined the bandwagon and we have started to have discussions in school about Twitter. I never thought I would hear people say, “Hey, I saw you on Twitter last night.” “ ”I saw that article you reposted.” Or “Wow, you were really busy last night on Twitter, you reposted 15 articles.” We are learning from each other and Twitter is making us better educators and teachers.

Now the next step for me is to get my district level administrators and colleagues on board. I was going to use the same PowerPoint I used with teachers last fall but I decided against it when I realized it was awful. And it was only awful in the sense that I have learned so much since I first created it. My knowledge of Twitter and what it can do has grown so much in the past few months that I needed to create a new one. Using information that I learned from Eric Sheninger's presentation this weekend and Carrie Jackson's post from earlier this week, I will highlight the 4 reasons to join the conversation today: “Free Professional Development, Sharing Ideas and Getting Feedback, Telling your Story, and a Personal Reflection Tool” (Thanks again Carrie) and get them on board. My hope by the end of this presentation and the end of this year is that people are not asking the question why should I Tweet? But asking telling people why wouldn’t you Tweet.

I will let you know how it goes.....

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Twitter: A Resource For All

Posted by Unknown Rabu, 01 Februari 2012 0 komentar

Everyone that knows me is well aware of my professional affinity for Twitter. As I have previously mentioned many times on this blog, it was Twitter back in March of 2009 that served as a catalyst for my transformation into the leader that I am today. Prior to delving into this 140 character world I utilized traditional mediums for communication and professional development, had no idea what Web 2.0 was, and adamantly believed social media had absolutely no place in education. I would say things have changed a bit.

This past December I was honored to have Scholastic visit my school. They were led here, after all, by Twitter. The video below details my thoughts on this game-changing resource that is available for free to all educators.

Video credit: http://www.scholastic.com/administrator/

On this, the first Digital Learning Day, I have some questions for those of you reading this post. Why do you use Twitter? If you don't, what are your reasons? Finally, how can we move more schools to embrace social media in general as a valuable educational tool?

(You can view the entire winter Scholastic Administrator magazine HERE).

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Positive Impact

Posted by Unknown Rabu, 24 Agustus 2011 0 komentar

Earlier this month I was fortunate to speak at #140edu in New York City. The title of my 15 minute presentation was "School Improvement One Character at a Time." I used this opportunity to discuss the positive impact that social media has had on the culture of my school and professional growth as a school leader. Here are 6 ways I am using social media in education to improve teaching, learning, and leading:

Communication

Public Relations

Branding

Professional Growth/Development

Student Engagement

Opportunity

The video of my presentation below describes each of the categories above in more detail.

Is social media having a positive impact on your work as an educator? If so how?

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A Tweet For Your Thoughts

Posted by Unknown Rabu, 24 November 2010 0 komentar

Large classrooms can make students feel anonymous, and as a result, many may feel less compelled to actively participate or pay attention during class. Whether it is in primary or secondary school, or in a college classroom, getting students to become engaged in the materials being presented can be a frustrating battle. This is especially true now that students can become distracted during class by a number of things, including the Internet and technology. Yet, teachers can use these very same things to bring the interests of students back to the classroom, such as is the case in some classroom experiments with educational Twitter accounts.

Twitter fosters critical thought in the classroom because it removes the element of self-consciousness from the equation. Those who do not actively participate in class or ask questions when they are confused often fail to do so because they do not want to speak up. This is why in most classrooms, only the same handful of students seem to participate time after time while the rest remain silent. Twitter allows for even the shyest individual to reach out and expand on the topic discussed, as it allows students to get their queries answered without being afraid of classmate judgment. In fact, a professor at the University of Texas at Dallas has a fully Twitter-integrated class, which allows for students to tweet their thoughts and questions to the professor while class is being conducted, according to an article published on Mashable. The professor and the class teaching assistants regularly look over these tweets and respond accordingly, whether through Twitter or live during the lecture. Classroom participation has increased since this tool was first introduced.

In addition, Twitter allows for students to continue thinking about a topic long after the class has ended, thereby encouraging critical thought even outside of class. Students may formulate new thoughts on classroom lectures after mulling over the information for longer than a single class period would allow, and once they have a new question or epiphany about the topic, they can tweet about it and receive responses from other classmates or from the instructor. Students in the class can all set up a Twitter account even a separate one solely for educational purposes and "follow" their instructors and fellow classmates. This way, they will receive updates each time something new is posted about the class. Instructors can keep the information on Twitter organized as well, using hashtags to label different classroom topics.

While Twitter is not without its flaws after all, each "tweet" can only be 140 characters long, which can make sharing thoughts on a complex topic challenging it certainly holds promise when it comes to inspiring students to put their thoughts and interests back into their classes.

References Cited:

http://mashable.com/2010/03/01/twitter-classroom/

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Social Media in Education

Posted by Unknown Kamis, 30 September 2010 0 komentar

The other day Bill Ferriter told me that he was working on an article for ASCD and asked if I would answer a few questions. Of course I obliged as we are working on a book together for Solution Tree Press and I have come to know and greatly respect him as a member of my PLN. He is the author of The Tempered Radical. If you have never read his blog I highly suggest you do! My answers to Bill's questions provide a snapshot of my social media in education journey. They also provide some great tips for administrators willing and eager to take the plunge.

What made you interested in using social media to reach out to your school community? Was it something that you decided to do on your own? Was it something that your community asked you to do?

In early March of 2009, I was reading my local newspaper, The Staten Island Advance, and came across an article on Twitter. Now I had heard of this social network before, but only viewed it as a means for celebrities and other people to send meaningless messages about things they were doing. As I read the article I learned more about Twitter and its capabilities. Suddenly the light bulb went off in my head that I could utilize this to greatly enhance school communications. Best of all was the fact that this service was free and stakeholders could receive information on school events, news, student accomplishments, and innovations in the classroom on their mobile devices. So I created an account (@NMHS_Principal) and off I went, experimenting and learning on my own. For me, Twitter opened the door to the world of social media. About 6 months later my community did confront me in a positive fashion about Twitter. At a PTO meeting a parent basically told me that the educational information I was sending out on Twitter was great, but 6-7 tweets or more a day was way too much. This conversation led to the creation of a Twitter account exclusively for New Milford High School (@NewMilfordHS). My students took notice of my affinity for Twitter and during a meeting with members of student government they opened up to me about their thoughts on social media. In a nutshell, they conveyed that Facebook was a more appropriate medium to reach them and disseminate the same information that I was sending out on Twitter. After this meeting in late March of 2010, I created a Facebook page for New Milford High School. I became so fascinated with social media as a communications and public relations tool that it eventually led to the creation of a blog, something that I swore I was never going to do because I was not the least bit confident in my writing ability. Low and behold though, not only do I now like to write, but I love being able to share the great things going on at my school in more detail than Twitter and Facebook allow.

How successful have your efforts to reach out to stakeholders in social media spaces been? Do you think that you're reaching people better now than when you relied on traditional communication tools? How do you know? Can you give a tangible example of something you've done with social media spaces that you wouldn't have been able to do without them?

My efforts to reach stakeholders using social media has not only been successful, but has also exceeded my expectations. The New Milford community now has consistent access to school information. Unlike traditional forms of communication such as snail mail and press releases, I can now provide updates in real time as they happen. Since society as a whole is actively using social media in their homes and through their mobile devices, it only makes sense now to connect with my community through these means. Not only have I reached stakeholders in New Milford, NJ, but also those that have a vested interest in education from all over the world. I know it has been effective and successful through the amount of followers, fans, and feedback that I have received from countless community members, students, staff, and educators. One thing that I was never able to do before, that I can do now, is share examples of student work (i.e. art) and other accomplishments instantaneously such as videos and pictures.

Were/are your efforts supported at the district level? Did you feel you were taking any risks by using social media tools to reach out to your stakeholders? What did you do to minimize those risks?

My efforts have been enthusiastically supported and embraced at the District level. Initially, I felt, and was reminded by many, that I needed to be careful about using social media in an educational setting. What turned out to be a risk in the beginning has translated into a great reward. To minimize risks, everything I share with social media is professional and related to either the field of education or my school. A media waiver that includes all forms of social media is given to students at the beginning of the year to take home and have their parents sign.

What steps would you recommend a principal new to social media take in order to move forward responsibly and safely? Should they dive right in? Check with their supervisors? Are there any obvious pitfalls to avoid?

The first step is to lurk and learn. Watch what other principals are doing with social media to get a good idea of information and content being shared with stakeholders. Begin to establish a vision and some goals as to what you want to accomplish using social media. I do not suggest diving right in. As you become more comfortable, begin to gradually share information relating to your school, students, staff, and the education profession. As with any new endeavor communicate with the appropriate supervisors to elicit their support. Finally, keep it professional. Avoid sharing personal information.

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Reflecting on the 140 Conference

Posted by Unknown Kamis, 22 April 2010 0 komentar

On Wednesday April 21, I had the honor of speaking at the 140 Characters Conference in New York City with Steve Anderson, Tom Whitby, and Kyle Pace. This conference looks at the effects of Twitter on a variety of topics. The topic of our panel discussion was the effects of the real-time web on education with an emphasis on Twitter. Each of us spoke with passion and conviction as the discussion addressed how each of us utilize Twitter/social media in our respective positions and the implications it has on catalyzing change. Our entire discussion can be viewed below:

All four of us would love to hear your thoughts on our panel discussion. I also feel that it is prudent to share some advice of my own that I have formulated after actively learning about social media for the past year. Administrators and teachers need to begin to embrace the effective use of social media for their own professional growth, to create authentic learning environments that engage students, and to utilize the expertise of professionals in a variety of content areas. The one thing that Twitter and social media have taught me is that people truly want to share their ideas, knowledge, and experiences for the collective good. From an administrative perspective I can list a variety of reasons why all Principals and Superintendents should utilize social media:

1. Change: We can no longer settle for learning environments that are stagnant, students are not challenged to be creative, critical thinkers, and free technology is blocked as a result of misinformation and/or philosophical differences.

2. Innovation: This ties into the change process. Can you be innovative without social media? Of course you can. My point here is that tools such as Twitter can assist in the development of innovative ideas, programs, and learning activities that are meaningful.

3. Branding: Clearly articulate what it means to be a student at your school, the type of education one is to receive, and share these success stories with as many stakeholders as possible. There is no better way to do this than with the free tools that are available (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr). Take it a step further and establish your brand as a professional educator by using LinkedIn or setting up your own website (click here to visit mine). It’s my hope that the New Milford High School principal will always be sharing in Twitter and Facebook, building on the presence that I’m currently creating in both spaces. However, I also want to create a professional presence for myself that I can take with me when I move into new roles.

4. Professional Growth: Create your own unique Personal Learning Network (PLN) and be driven by intrinsic motivation to learn at your convenience. A great place to start is at The Educator's PLN.

5. Public Relations: Since becoming active in the use Twitter to disseminate information to the NMHS community this past November, my school has been featured in over 14 news stories by CBS, 1010 WINS, The Global Post, and numerous local newspapers. This exposure is directly correlated to my use of social media and networking tools.

6. Opportunity: From local/national exposure to the acquisition of free technology and resources, social media/networking opens the door like never before.

Stop the excuses, take risks, and open your eyes and mind to limitless possibilities that are now before you. We live in exciting times, don’t miss out on this opportunity to initiate change and evolve into an innovative leader. As Jeff Pulver, creator of the 140 Conference says, everyone has a voice and can make a difference in as little as 140 characters.

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