District Administration - April 2012 - (Page 53)

Taking the Plunge resources and then gradually started sharing resources as well and participated in hashtag chats. He then began engaging in a chat, #edfocus, that is generally tagged for discussions on reforms and followed by principals and administrators. This connected him to Justin Tarte, assistant principal at Poplar Bluff Junior High School in Missouri. McCoy says he became deeply involved in book discussions geared toward administrators and reform movements on #edfocus, which led him and Tarte to organize a chat with education researcher Robert Marzano. “I couldn’t believe that I was going to have a chat with Marzano on his book,” says McCoy. “I really felt my Twitter experience had come alive. I’ve learned more about education leadership on Twitter than any PD in the world could have done. Once you develop your PLN, you can take that information to your schools.” Your PLN will take continuous refinement. Follow people and sources you find to be the most pertinent. Users are not notified when you unfollow them, so if they no longer provide you with relevant information, unfollow them and find others. Moreover, it is an efficient means to consumer news and information. “The character limits and the ability to customize the profiles I follow allow me to get exactly the news I want—everything from national resources like ASCD to my local chamber of commerce, to the teachers in the next room, all pushed to me in short, real-time snippets,” says Bridgette Wagoner, director of educational services in the suburban Waverly-Shell Rock (Iowa) Community Schools and sitting member of ASCD’s legislative committee. “Iowa educators are very active on Twitter, and I feel more informed and empowered than ever before because of this. For example, here is a major education reform bill being considered by our state legislators. On a Eric Williams Learn how to start tweeting today. There is A cATch phrAse Among eDucATors on TwiTTer: LurKing AnD learning. it’s used to describe the first steps an administrator or educator new to Twitter should take. According to Tom whitby, a retired english teacher turned education professor at st. Joseph’s college in new York, who helped create #edchat, by “lurking and learning,” searching for relevant people, and taking time to see how others engage on Twitter, the initial learning curve will gradually flatten out. Before getting your feet wet, it’s important to learn the nuances of Twitter. Try exploring different hashtag conversations and see how others reply and connect with one another. There are hundreds if not thousands of hashtag conversations, and exploring many of the popular conversations may lead you to sources that are relevant for you. The “@” symbol allows a user to reply or send a tweet directed at another user. when you see a link or resource that you deem important, try retweeting it, and try to contribute as much as you’re acquiring. most administrators say they try to balance their Twitter time in half between gaining information and sharing it. users can organize their followers into lists and follow others’ lists as well. Administrators, for instance, can create lists for all principals, teachers and administrators. There are a few tools to organize the Twitter feed, as well. For example, Tweet Deck is a dashboard application for desktop and mobile devices that allows you either to maintain multiple Twitter accounts at once or to organize your news feed into lists. For instance, you can see all tweets tagged with #edchat or just your principals’ list. eric williams, superintendent of York county (Va.) school Division, suggests administrators make small and tangible goals for themselves when first beginning on Twitter, such as spending 10 minutes each day reading resources shared on Twitter, retweeting five tweets, and contributing three times per week. “what’s great about Twitter is it’s an opportunity for people to contribute and check their titles at the door,” says williams. “it doesn’t matter if you’re the superintendent of a medium-sized district or a huge district; there isn’t a brick-and-mortar hierarchy. You’re open to communicate with anyone.” daily basis, I follow updates from lawmakers, get opinions from teachers and school leaders, and interact with our State Director of Education Jason Glassia.” Wagoner says her district used Twitter while it implemented a 1:1 iPad initiative. Through Twitter, they connected with a school in Scotland and a high school in Massachusetts going through a similar transition to share information, feedback and policies. “I recommend every educator get on Twitter,” says Wagoner. “The connections and resources I have constant access to have provided me with the best professional development.” Beware of the Digital Footprint Although exact numbers and percentages are unknown, there are fewer administrators on Twitter than teachers. Tarte believes this could be in part due to the fact that there are simply more teachers than administrators overall, or the generation gap. For those who do join the conversation—and Tarte feels there is a larger push for administrators to join—being aware of your social media presence and digital footprint is vital. “I’m very aware of my digital footprint, and I encourage my teachers and students to be aware as well,” says Scott Taylor, assisArne Duncan @ewilliams65 A Superintendent in Virginia promoting teaching and learning that engages students. http://promotingstudentengagement.blogspot.com/ @arneduncan The official Twitter page of the US Secretary of Education Washington D.C. www.ed.gov. www.DistrictAdministration.com April 2012 53 http://promotingstudentengagement.blogspot.com/ http://www.ed.gov http://www.DistrictAdministration.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - April 2012

District Administration - April 2012
Contents
From the Editor
News Update
Special Ed Update
Facilities Update
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Robust and Safe BYOD
Success Breeds Success
Funding Building Projects in a Tough Economy
Widening Participation to an IB Education
Why All the Chatter about #EdChat?
Supervisor’s Opinion
Going Mobile
New Directions
Crisis Response
Student Counsel
Product Focus
Online Edge

District Administration - April 2012