Social Media at its Best

Image Credit: http://megpaige.deviantart.com/art/Work-n-Progress-Lion-Crayon-Art-331602297

Much like a crayon or magic marker, Social Media mirrors the thinking and creativity of the user.  Some people can take a few simple crayons and create astonishing works of art! There are others that may choose to use the crayons in less appropriate ways. For example, I’ve seen crayons used in creative ways on playground equipment. As an elementary principal, I’m pleased to share that the overwhelming majority of time our students are using tools like crayons and markers to do really inspiring work.

The take-away for this story is that more often than not, crayons are used to spread joy and beauty. They inspire creativity and sometimes their messages even touch the soul.  I think the same can be true of Social Media.  If we begin to cultivate digital citizenship in our students at a very young age, there will be no limit to the positive impact they can have on the world.

One way to cultivate digital citizenship is via conversation. Talk early and often with children about online tools and communication. Help kids learn to leverage Social Media to make a positive mark on the world through modeling.  A great example of Social Media at its best is the Ice Bucket Challenge.  The challenge has gone viral…and for good reasons:

1.) The Ice Bucket Challenge gives us the ability to connect to a cause bigger than ourselves (ALS).

2.) Social Media is being used to connect people to each other’s “story.” The resulting communication I’ve observed has been fun-loving and authentic.

3.) The Ice Bucket Challenge and its inherent link to Social Media has helped us collectively create, communicate, and make a difference. The possibilities for self-expression and citizenship/service are very powerful.

4.) Most importantly, the Ice Bucket Challenge and sharing via Social Media have served as a catalyst for deeper conversations about ALS, service and real people that are hurting.

My wife’s uncle has been battling ALS for years. We’re hopeful that the awareness, energy, and funds being generated by the Ice Bucket Challenge leave a positive and lasting mark on a dreaded disease.

As an educator I’m also committed to teaching students responsible use and digital citizenship so that they can change the world and leave a positive mark. I don’t see this as optional anymore, and our kids are counting on us to learn, engage, and model for them so they have the capacity to thrive in a digital age.

Leadership for Today

Image Credit: pinterest.com

When we think about leadership we often reflect upon timeless characteristics like integrity, vision, communication and servanthood (Maxwell, 1999). Each of these traits enhances a leader’s ability to deliver on a company mission, brand or promise.  However, school leaders are called to prepare students for their future and if we’re truly serving our kids we must embrace a digital leadership lens now! All the charisma and integrity in the world will not provide our students the opportunities made possible in this digital age. We must own the fact that our students are counting on us to lead with integrity while also learning to model and cultivate skills for a digital age. Digital leadership is a non-negotiable.

Did you know that nearly 70 educators from multiple states and countries have all signed up for a personalized PD experience to learn and grow as digital leaders? You can too! We’ve embarked on a year-long “Digital Leadership Challenge” using the 11 challenges below. Each challenge is comprised of three mini-challenges designed to stretch and grow your digital leadership. The challenges were created by several connected educators across the country, and based on Eric Sheninger’s book, Digital Leadership. Consider this journey a PD choose-your-own-adventure!

You can join us by signing up HERE. Begin to interact with the challenges and choose the activities that will help impact your practice. Our kids are counting on us to provide leadership for today!

Sign-up via the shared Google Drive link & feel free to tweet  questions to the hashtag #DigiLeadChal

Challenge I: A School Communication Vehicle

Created by Brad Gustafson, Elementary Principal, MN

@GustafsonBrad on Twitter

• 1 “Badge” Point: Create a professional Twitter account and follow each of the eleven challenge submitters from this article.  Observe how they collaborate with their personal learning network (PLN).
• 2 “Badge” Points: Create a separate school Twitter account strictly for school Tweets.  Post one Tweet about your school each week for an entire year.  Share pictures and insights about the amazing work being done in your classroom or school.

 

Challenge 2: Make Your Commute a Learning Experience

Curt Rees, Elementary Principal, WI

@CurtRees on Twitter

• 1 “Badge” Point: Subscribe to an educational podcast.  There are many platforms to do this, but iTunes, Pod-o-matic, and Stitcher are the most popular.  I recommend these fine podcasts: EduAllstars, PrincipalCast, and Techlandia.
• 2 “Badge” Points: Share a podcast you enjoy with your colleagues.  Find an interesting episode and then tell your staff what you learned.  Model continuous learning by letting them know what you listen to in the car or as you run.
• 3 “Badge” Points: Record your own podcast or videocast for your school community.  It doesn’t need a lot of time or production.  Take your school newsletter and simply record yourself talking about upcoming events.  Audioboo makes it easy to record, upload, and share your voice.  YouTube Capture or TouchCast are all you need to send a video to your YouTube channel.

 

Challenge 3: A Window into your School

Patrick Glynn, Elementary Principal, MN

@GallyGopher on Twitter

• 1 “Badge” Point: Establish a Facebook page for your school.  Create one Facebook post each week describing student learning in action…and be sure to include photographs!
• 2 “Badge” Points: Market your Facebook page to families and collect 100 “Likes.”
• 3 “Badge” Points: Link your classroom or school’s Facebook page to your school Twitter account using Facebook’s setting options.  This will be a huge time saver and it will offer parents a window into your school.

 

Challenge 4: Public Relations in Overdrive

Jessica Johnson, Elementary Principal, WI

@PrincipalJ on Twitter

• 1 “Badge” Point: Start a UStream account at www.ustream.tv and explore how the site works.  Read this post or this post to get ideas about what types of school events you might broadcast.
• 2 “Badge” Points: Use your new UStream account to broadcast a school event. Set up the channel ahead of time and add a description. Advertise that the event will be broadcasted and provide your channel’s URL so parents know how to tune in.
• 3 “Badge” Points: Make broadcasting a regular school routine.  For example, if you want to increase engagement at PTO meetings, create a school PTO channel that will always broadcast the meetings. Then advertise this.  Share this as a tool for teachers to try with their classrooms to engage parents for special events like Readers Theater or other classroom activities.

 

Challenge 5: A 21^st Century Bumper Sticker

Tony Sinanis, Elementary Lead Learner, NY

Joe Sanfelippo, District Superintendent, WI

@TonySinanis & @Joesanfelippofc on Twitter

• 1 “Badge” Point: A twitter account is a wonderful way to tell your school’s story. Create a school or district hashtag and incorporate it into your school tweets. For example, every tweet Tony sends out about his school includes #Cantiague and when Joe tweets about his district he includes #GoCrickets! Tweet pictures of WHAT is happening in your space and explain the HOW and WHY too.
• 2 “Badge” Points: Encourage at least four (4) colleagues to join Twitter to tell the story of their students’ learning. It is imperative that the same hashtag is used throughout your organization to ensure that the brand is understood. When more than one member of the staff begins tweeting the WHATs, HOWs and WHYs of your organization, it becomes clear to the community that the brand promise matches the brand experience.
• 3 “Badge” Points: Provide at least one (1) new way to amplify your students’ voices so they can tell the story of their classroom or school. By doing so we are promoting critical thinking and communication skills while laying the foundation for students who will be college and career ready. Tony started doing video updates using the Touchcast app at #Cantiague. Students from each class are spotlighted every week. Give your students the microphone (or other communication tools) because they are the ones living the WHATs, HOWs, and WHYs of your learning organization. The goal of school branding is making everything about kids; that’s the perfect bumper sticker!

 

Challenge 6: Learner Engagement in the Fast Lane

Dwight Carter, HS Principal, OH

@Dwight_Carter on Twitter

• 1 “Badge” Point: Use TodaysMeet to create an engaging back-channel (real-time online conversation alongside a primary lesson, training, or event) in a class or at a staff meeting. Allow students/staff to post questions during a presentation or text-based discussion. Use the archive of the back-channel to assess learning and plan next steps.
• 2 “Badge” Points: Use at least three (3) monthly staff meetings as a platform for students and staff to share practical ways they integrate web 2.0 tools in the classroom to amplify student voice and increase engagement. Sample web 2.0 tools include Glogster, Edmodo, YouTube, Twitter, Skype, Polleverywhere.com, Socrative, and Facebook.
• 3 “Badge” Points: Use a current multimedia class or create a club to develop four (4) or more student-centered videos or Public Service Announcements (PSAs) that highlight learning experiences at your school. Post them to a school YouTube channel and share the link on your school Twitter and/or Facebook page. Collaborate with a teacher who is passionate about multimedia to guide the student group. Here’s an example!

 

Challenge 7: Increasing your Social Media Mileage

Dave Zukor, Integration Specialist, MN

@DZukor on Twitter

• 1 “Badge” Point: Your class can use Skype or Google Hangout to connect locally with another class somewhere else in your state.  Research information about classroom Mystery Skypes to learn about one engaging option.
• 2 “Badge” Points: Have your students work collaboratively online to create a cross-state project with students from another class in the United States. Use Google Docs, Skype, or any online tool.
• 3 “Badge” Points: Use a social media site to reach out to classrooms around the world.  Share your learning and build opportunities for your students to collaborate.  Start a classroom Twitter account, Google+, or another social media site.

 

Challenge 8: Fueling the Engine of Reflection

Rafranz Davis, Instructional Technology Specialist, TX

@RafranzDavis on Twitter

• 1 “Badge” Point: Create a professional blog site using a blogging tool like Blogger, WordPress or Weebly. Write your first post about what you hope to gain through blogging. Share your first post using a social media tool like Twitter.
• 2 “Badge” Points: Publish one (1) blog post per week for a month. Share reflections about the process, success and failures in your classroom or school. Share each of these posts using a social media tool like Twitter.
• 3 “Badge” Points: Connect with blogs written by other educators. Write six (6) blog postings reflecting on other educators’ posts.  Be sure to leave a comment in the original authors’ comment sections listing the URL to your related blog reflection/response. Share each of these posts using a social media tool like Twitter.

 

Challenge 9: Interstate Professional Development

Daisy Dyer Duerr, PreK – 12 Principal, AR

@DaisyDyerDuerr on Twitter

• 1 “Badge” Point: Join #ArkEdChat (Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. CST) or another great Educational Twitter Chat. Participate in online, on-demand, professional learning with educators across the globe through social media.
• 2 “Badge” Points: Participate in an Educational Twitter Chat three (3) weeks in a row; consistency will help build a PLN and give you an understanding of what to expect from the chat’s moderators.  Then, introduce two colleagues or “edufriends” to the world of online Twitter Chats for Professional Development.
• 3 “Badge” Points: Administrators: Formulate a plan allowing your teachers to use Educational Twitter Chats for Professional Development; e.g. credit for participation in existing chats or use of stand-alone chats within your school/district. Teachers: Bring an Administrator who has never participated in this type of Social Media Professional Development to an Educational Twitter Chat like #ArkEdChat (Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. CST).

 

Challenge 10: A Unique Space to Park

Terri Eichholz, Teacher of K – 5 Gifted Students, TX

@TerriEichholz on Twitter

• 1 “Badge” Point: Read the book Invent to Learn by Sylvia Libow Martinez & Gary Stager.  Then, explore the inventolearn.com website.
• 2 “Badge” Points: Read the following online blog posts:  “Make to Learn” by Laura Fleming,  “Making a Makerspace” by Robert Provonost, “Making a Makerspace – Two Weeks In” by Robert Provonost, and “Dive into the Maker Movement” by Adam Provost.  Then, visit a Maker Fair or Maker Space in your area.  One resource for finding local Maker Spaces is:http://makerspace.com/makerspace-directory
• 3 “Badge” Points: With the help of the Makerspace Playbook, and the resources above, identify a space in your school that could be used as a Makerspace, and develop a plan to make it happen!  Suggested areas to add Makerspaces include computer labs, Media Centers, empty classrooms, or multi-use areas.

 

Challenge 11: A Golden Opportunity for our Students

Eric Sheninger, High School Principal, NJ

@NMHS_Principal on Twitter

• 1 “Badge” Point: Leverage your social media connections to form at least one (1) strategic partnership that benefits your school (i.e. pilot Edtech program, unique professional development opportunity, guest speaker, authentic learning experience, donation, etc.).
• 2 “Badge” Points: Form at least two (2) strategic partnerships and write a school Twitter or Facebook post sharing the benefit to your school.
• 3 “Badge” Points: Form at least three strategic partnerships and present at a local, state, or national conference on school initiatives.  Write a blog post, media release, or website entry sharing the benefit to your school.

 

How to Earn Badges

15-29 points earn the Gearing Up Badge: Awarded to Digital Leaders for their collaborative efforts.

30-49 points earn the Road to Relevancy Badge: Awarded to Digital Leaders for outstanding efforts in collaboration and connectivity.

50-66 points earn the Spark Plug Badge: Awarded to Digital Leaders demonstrating innovation & exemplary 21st century practice while serving as agents of change.