When I think of digital leadership in the perspective
addressed by our book, The Pillars of Digital Leadership, and the Secrets of
Change, I think of the impact that social media can have for schools,
districts, organizations, communities, and our students.
I believe that principals who are digital leaders embrace
and use social media to provide their staff with professional development by
connecting them with educators outside of their own district and comfort zone.
The ability to link your staff to resources, other educators, and educational
organizations both local and national is a viable and affordable way to provide
the staff you serve with consistent professional development regardless of what
your budget may allow.
I also believe that social media allows principals the
opportunity to put their stamp and brand on their school. Particularly if you
happen to serve in a school where you are trying to change the public
perception and culture surrounding your school, social media provides great digital
leaders a platform to control the messaging and have a say in determining the public
perception of their school.
When thinking about the use of social media, one caution
that I believe would be essential for a principal to consider is ensuring that you
are not over indulging in an unsustainable way with social media. In this
sense, my belief is that less is more and consistency is the key. I also
believe that ensuring that there is a clear boundary for yourself as a leader
to ensure that you can take time for yourself and maintain a professional
relationship with the families and students you serve.
In regards to the NETS-A standards, particularly with
respect to standard 4, I feel like social media hits on part (d) in that you
are working as a digital leader to establish strategic partnerships in your
work. These partnerships can help you gain community support for your school,
district bond and levy initiatives, athletics, and other community partnerships.
Overall, social media is a great way to share with your
community many of the great things that the students and staff in your building
are doing along with keeping your community informed and making your practices
transparent.
Chris, great point about the need for principals to show/model for their staff social media outlets to connect and engage with other educators and resources. At times it can feel like you're on an island, but with these outlets you can always be motivated and encouraged to learn and grow more. Also, the less is more point is key. While I know I am learning about a variety of tools, I need to examine the pros and cons to using them and which ones are essential and which ones I can place on the back burner for a while. Do you have any back burner tools yet from the ones we've learned?
ReplyDeleteI love your point about using social media to help your staff connect with the world too. When we talk about a 1:1 roll-out we focus almost exclusively on the kids, but reality is that there are many teachers (those Digital Immigrants) who are unfamiliar with these digital tools too. We can't leave them behind! If used properly by staff, social media is a great way to set up and connect with a PLN. Good work... interesting points!
ReplyDeleteStart small, go slow ...good plan.
ReplyDeleteStart small, go slow ...good plan.
ReplyDelete