Personal or Professional
• Were you more drawn to those posts with personal reflections or did
you prefer to read blogs in which the author focused on the issues
important to school leaders?
• What are your initial thoughts about the type of blog you would want
to maintain?
• How would this type of blog meet your administrative needs?
As you read the blogs in Activity 1, you may have noticed that the line between professional ideas and personal opinions became blurred. How do you think this kind of transparency affects the school community?
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed all of the blogs. All were very informative and spoke to the needs of their particular area. The blog by Chris Lehman spoke volumes. This is the type of transparency that’s needed from an administrator in light of what’s happening in society. He used is voice to point out racial disparities and thought about the African American students and faculty members in his school. He admitted it might not be the popular thing to do but it was necessary. This type of transparent leadership is needed in all communities. Ideas and opinions may become blurred and it depends on the audience being addressed. Some administrators may choose not to post ideas and personal opinions. It largely depends on the culture/climate of the school/community and how it will be received.
Were you more drawn to those posts with personal reflections or did you prefer to read blogs in which the author focused on the issues important to school leaders?
I was drawn to post in which the author focused on issues that was important to school leaders. It’s important for school leaders to share what’s going on within their buildings. The ultimate goal is to receive positive feedback from peers as they may share similar or dissimilar situations as school leaders. At the end of the day, it’s about growth.
What are your initial thoughts about the type of blog you would want to maintain?
The type of blog I would want to maintain as a school administrator would be to enhance communication among peers, provide networking opportunities, while using my platform to help administrators, teachers, and students.
How would this type of blog meet your administrative needs?
It’s all about growing and using your resources wisely. As the educational administrator in charge of leading your school, you’re constantly seeking new ideas for improving your school and helping your students learn better. Following blogs in the educational sector is an excellent way to learn about innovations, creative ideas and different methods of management that are being enacted by other administrators in the field. It’s also an ideal platform for exchanging ideas with your peers.
Twitter handle: @StevenMTarver
Peaceful Resolutions: Personal or Professional
DeletePeaceful Resolutions: Personal or Professional: .
Activity 2
As you read the blogs in Activity 1, you may have noticed that the line between professional ideas and personal opinions became blurred. How do you think this kind of transparency affects the school community?
I think the way this kind of transparency affects the school community is positive overall. Blogs provide a good way for administrators to be proactive in addressing issues that may be seen as controversial by the school community. By building an atmosphere of trust and goodwill administrators open an avenue for dialogue, discussion, and feedback from the school community. Blogs facilitate ongoing conversations between administrators and the school community in which multiple stakeholders can contribute their comments and opinions. By having a blend of professional ideas and personal opinions on the blogs, the school community would view the administrators as more human and be more comfortable expressing their comments and opinions and probably be more likely to share their comments and opinions.
Were you more drawn to those posts with personal reflections or did you prefer to read blogs in which the author focused on the issues important to school leaders?
When reading through our assigned list of blogs, I preferred the authors who focused on the issues important to school leaders rather than the authors who used personal reflections. This seemed to be more what I was interested in to help my school district. I thought the personal reflections of the authors were based more on their opinions rather than their research.
What are your initial thoughts about the type of blog you would want to maintain?
I think that the type of blog that I would want to maintain should contain several elements. My blog would be used to: 1) inform the school community of changes and reminders about school events; 2) update stakeholders on the progress of ongoing school activities; 3) facilitate interactive dialogue with the school community leaders; and 4) promote positive public relations.
How would this type of blog meet your administrative needs?
This type of blog would meet my administrative needs by: 1) providing transparency and accountability with the school community; 2) providing an efficient method for updating the school community about news and events; 3) costing less than paper communication; 4) building school community relations; and 5) updating those individuals who are advocates for the school.
Activity 3
My Twitter ID is @SusanMcSwean.
Activity 2:
ReplyDelete• As you read the blogs in Activity 1, you may have noticed that the line between professional ideas and personal opinions became blurred. How do you think this kind of transparency affects the school community?
As I read the blogs in Activity #1, I did notice a blend of professional ideas and personal opinions. I believe this kind of transparency can have negative effects on a school community. When a school leader opens up and is transparent with professional and personal opinions it can seem that school leaders are trying to push their personal opinions or beliefs on others. School leaders should be models of good digital citizenship for faculty, students, and parents. This does not mean that school leaders cannot have opinions and share them, but it does mean that they need to be mindful of what they are posting on the internet. When a school leader posts their personal opinion, it can have an impact on their career and the way they are perceived. That does not mean that they should shy away from posting, but it does mean that people may judge them based on how they appear or what opinions they express. I believe that a school leader should model good digital citizenship and remain professional in all digital tools that they use to communicate with stakeholders. When used thoughtfully, social media can enhance home-school communication, provide professional development opportunities, and allow learning to continue outside school hours. School leaders need to remember to model proper digital citizenship.
• Were you more drawn to those posts with personal reflections or did you prefer to read blogs in which the author focused on the issues important to school leaders?
I was more drawn to those posts in which the author discussed issues that were important to school leaders. When a school leader includes their personal opinions in their blogs, it can seem that they are trying to push their personal opinions on you. Also, if the school leader does not “filter” their comments, they can be hurtful.
• What are your initial thoughts about the type of blog you would want to maintain?
I would want to maintain a blog that contains my professional ideas but not my personal opinions. When blogging for professional purposes, it needs to stay professional. School leaders need to remember that they are modelling digital citizenship for their entire school community. If I wanted to share my own personal opinions, I would use a personal account not my professional one. Also, I would have my personal account (private) so that I could control who had access to it.
• How would this type of blog meet your administrative needs?
By maintaining a blog that focuses on professional ideas, I would meet my administrative needs because it would support a strong school community. It would also be helpful to colleagues. When sharing with colleagues, I would be mindful that my posts could be viewed by staff, parents, or students.
Activity 3:
This is the first time I have looked at Twitter, so I just set up an account. To be honest, I have not participated in much social media. It can be very time consuming and addicting if you are not careful. I believe we all need times when we disconnect and are not attached to a device. On the other hand, I do see the benefits of sharing information with stakeholders through social media, and I have learned a lot from reading these blogs and tweets.
My twitter ID is @HilaryHoover16.
Activity 2
ReplyDeleteAs you read the blogs in Activity 1, you may have noticed that the line between professional ideas and personal opinions became blurred. How do you think this kind of transparency affects the school community?
I found it interesting that some of the posts on the blogs were quite personal. I think a school leader would need to be careful about getting too personal on a blog. It can be a good thing for your school community to know that you are passionate about your job and your school, but a certain level of care also needs to be in place.
Were you more drawn to those posts with personal reflections or did you prefer to read blogs in which the author focused on the issues important to school leaders?
I was more drawn to the issues that are important to school leaders. School leaders face common issues throughout a school year, and I would be interested in how different school leaders in different areas of the state and country address and handle them.
What are your initial thoughts about the type of blog you would want to maintain?
I would lean toward a blog that is more informative for the shareholders of our school.
How would this type of blog meet your administrative needs?
Getting the tons of information out to the shareholders is a very important administrative need. From the lunch menu to school lists to upcoming events at the school, all of these could be done through a blog.
Activity 3
Twitter ID:@thecarverschool
At my school we are already using Facebook and Instagram to spread the word about activities and other important information. The ID for both of these is @thecarverschool.
Jason Blissett
Karen Hickman Activity 2 - How do you think this kind of transparency affects the school community?
ReplyDeleteI think Blogging can be a powerful tool. It gives school districts and administrators away of communicating various types of information to all stakeholders. Administrators can use blogs to take community surveys, discuss school safety or advertise upcoming events. Blogs give everyone a voice. When people feel like they are part of something they will support it. By blogging all stakeholders can take part in the educational process.
Were you more drawn to those posts with personal reflections or did you prefer to read blogs in which the author focused on the issues important to school leaders?
I am more drawn to post the focus on the important issues such as the blog “Practical Theory” by Chris Lehman or “A Principal’s Reflections” by Eric Sheninger. I like to read how other schools are dealing with problems such as Covid19, racism, or even school curriculum. I also like it when the writer of the blog backs up their thoughts by posting various articles to support their theories.
What are your initial thoughts about the type of blog you want to maintain?
I want a blog that is personal but conveys information to all stakeholders. I want a blog that would allow the community to take surveys or make comments on issues that are important to the educational process. I want a blog that would share important educational resources with teachers. Most schools have a web site where people can get information, but it does not allow others to make comments or share their thoughts. School communities are important, and I would want my blog to connect with the community by sharing educational information or explaining how I might deal with a problem and why. In the Article “Why Blog As An Administrator?” it listed 12 reasons one should blog. I have listed the five that I found most important. 1. Sharing news and events. 2. Status Alerts 3. Public Relations 4. Community Building 5. Thought leadership
How would this type of blog meet your administrative needs?
The number one way to stop confusion is communication. Blogging is a great way to communicate with all stakeholders. It is a place where an administrator can put teacher resources and other information. It is away of posting parental announcements or taking surveys. Blogging can be used to brag about your school’s achievements. I would want to use a blog, as a way, to inform the community, share important changes or announcements and praise the school, teachers, staff and students.
Activity 3 - Twitter account: Karen Hickman @kred61
Discussion Questions: Reflect on some of the biggest challenges you face as an administrator and discuss how blogging or microblogging could help you address some of these challenges.
As an administrator, I would think the biggest challenge one would face, is communicating with all the stakeholders. An administrator must deal with students, parents, teachers, school board member, the local community and the media and this can be a daunting task. One way to keep all the educational stakeholders informed is to blog or microblog. By Blogging, one can share school news, events, closings, and school reports. Administrator can use blogging to get the peoples response to topics like school safety and an increase in property taxes. Administrators can also use blogging to share educational articles and best practices with its teachers and staff members. Overall, blogging can be a tool that keeps all the stakeholders informed, as well as, gives them a voice. By having a blog, an administrator would be able to communicate quickly with everyone. Blogging is a good tool to use but administrators must be careful of what they post. A blog is a written record that all can see. Also, when allowing people to respond an administrator must be prepared for negative remarks. So, if blogging is a tool that you choose to use it has to be used responsibly.
ACTIVITY #2
ReplyDeleteThere is a major difference between a personal blog and a professional blog. I would NEVER put my personal beliefs on my professional blog, unless they lined up with whatever it is I am trying to convey. If my personal convictions contradict my professional obligations--I wouldn’t want my students or parents to see that! How will they ever feel that they can trust me? I like blogs that tell me what I can do to make things better. I want blogs to offer resolutions. If I had a blog, I would use it to address issues or offer resolutions to problems, or I might ask readers for solutions. I wouldn’t want to waste my readers’ time by writing fluff stuff.
ACTIVITY #3
I am already a Twitter user, but while Twitter is a great way to communicate, it has become a platform for people to literally scream their beliefs out and demean others who do not share in those beliefs. I DO NOT FOLLOW STUDENTS OR EVEN TELL THEM I HAVE A TWITTER. It is my own personal social media platform. I do not use it to follow my professional interests.
Twitter profile: @michelleabston
DISCUSSION QUESTION
Although I am not an administrator, I can most definitely talk about this from a parent, student, and teacher perspective. As a parent, I love it when my daughter’s principal uses his platforms to keep me informed about things that relate directly to her class. As a parent, his attention to detail makes us all feel important, like we matter. To me, that is important for an administrator to do--his stakeholders must feel like they MATTER. As a student, my youngest daughter is a member of several apps that I would consider “microblogs,” specifically the BAND app and the Group Me app. Her coaches have been using the Group Me app for years, and she has never missed a practice or a change of plans because she is alerted when these things happen. As a teacher, there are times when I MUST be able to contact a student, and I have found that they respond very quickly when I use forms of media that they find comfortable. I give my students my Instagram address, and any student who follows me will be followed back by me. I post school-related stuff on my Instagram, especially stuff that happens in our classroom. I can let students know about missed work, make-up work, or even “hey, you’re doing great.” Using apps means that my students are more likely to be available for communication. As a teacher and faculty member, I can say with authority that administrators need to make sure that they use their social platforms in such a way that does NOT annoy, anger, or aggravate their readers. This is highly detrimental to the morale within a faculty, school, or community; in addition, if messages such as this are sent into the community, it can cause such miscommunication between stakeholders that issues can form where none need be. Administrators must use care when choosing their words because the platform is so accessible by so many. While this overcomes a shortcoming of phones and automated phone call-outs, it can sometimes do more damage. Administrators must be careful to make sure that their own personal biases do NOT cloud their judgement on matters that pertain to school or the message that they are trying to send. Not everyone sees things in the same manner, and while I applaud anyone for standing up for what they believe in, sometimes the platform being used is not appropriate. As both a faculty member and a parent, I can understand that there are times when my personal opinions clash with what I know to be right professionally. And, there are times when I feel that I am compromising my own morals and values; HOWEVER, my school system does not pay me to use my status as an educator to tout my own personal beliefs--they pay me to educate my students.
As an English teacher, I have always been drawn to the idea of maintaining my own blog. It’s great for reflection and I’m kicking myself now that I didn’t write and journal more during my first few years of teaching because those sweet memories faded quickly. I’m one of the many who have kept journals throughout my lifetime so the composing part of it doesn’t bother me. I enjoy going back and reading them later and seeing how much I’ve grown in my thinking. I even tried my hand at online writing a few times when social media was still open to only college students by writing MySpace blogs and Facebook notes. I never committed to setting up a personal blog because when I think about strangers reading my thoughts, I get nervous. I never felt “important” enough to blog. However, as I read through the blogs of other campus leaders, I noticed a blurry line between personal and professional writings. I was drawn to the more personal topics because that’s where I got to see the educator’s heart. I’m sure their school followings are also drawn to those posts because of the transparency of their leaders.
ReplyDeleteI believe that a transparent leader connects more to staff, students, and stakeholders because it’s humbling to pour your heart out and I’m sure the readers appreciate getting to see their leader come down “off the pedestal” and appear more approachable. Some of the blog posts I read could take the place of courageous conversations that might be hard to have with so many different people. It’s easy to spread your message this way, but when you post it online, it’s there forever and everyone can see your stance so it makes it hard to flip-flop on your opinion. This could potentially open a door for mentoring, for respect, or for a challenge of opinions.
If I were to begin a blog of my own, I would actually want to create it more as a personal blog. I want to be a transparent leader so my top reason for posting would be thought leadership and reflection because I would be starting it at the same time I started my very first leadership position. I would use it more for connecting with other principals at first because I know there will be a learning curve to leadership. I would feel more comfortable using Twitter to give status updates and marketing/branding appeals for the school I’d be leading. The blog would be more of a tool for me to reflect on how I handled issues the first year, so that hopefully I could get stronger and better in the years to come.
Twitter handle- @HRoeSHS
Heather Roe
Sarah Owen
ReplyDelete• How do you think this kind of transparency affects the school community? The level of transparency may benefit the school culture, especially with the communication with stakeholders outside the school building. I think that many parents feel isolated from the school, often due to work schedules that prevent them from getting involved with school activities during the day, or from family obligations after school hours. Parents might read a blog quicker than a newsletter sent from the school through the child, as they can read during spare minutes as they spend more time using cell phones. A blog would appear more personal, as comments from the school administrators might be shared.
• Were you more drawn to those posts with personal reflections or did you prefer to read blogs in which the author focused on the issues important to school leaders? I prefer the blogs with more factual comments and information since as an administrator, I would hesitate to post my opinions and reflections on a topic, especially if it were a controversial issue that could start negative reactions from parents.
• What are your initial thoughts about the type of blog you would want to maintain? Any blog that I would begin as an administrator would be used to communicate factual information to stakeholders. Actually, I doubt that I would chose twitter over other forms of communication because the tone of the posts can be easily misinterpreted.
• How would this type of blog meet your administrative needs? A blog might relay information in a speedier manner, but I doubt that I would use it to relay anything important. If I wanted a survey of opinions, a blog might be a way to collect opinions. However, I would probably choose Survey Monkey to run a school survey. I honestly don't know how I would use a blog....since I do not involve with social media. The only beneficial way that I might use a blog in the future would be to engage those parents to hesitate to communicate through email or phone. I found while working with a Migrant summer school program, many parents didn't want to come to the schools because of the language barrier and because of feeling awkward in another country. If a computer could be set up in some community setting and parents could be trained to use a blog, those parents who feel they cannot voice their opinion, might use a blog anonymously.
I set up a new twitter account:
@edulit4
How do you think this kind of transparency affects the school community?
ReplyDeleteI believe that personal opinions should be kept to a minimum in professional settings. Particularly or especially if these personal opinions go against the beliefs of stakeholders. This is why it is important to have guidelines and procedures in professional environments so that personal proclivities are kept at bay and stakeholders know that decisions are made fairly and consistently.
• Were you more drawn to those posts with personal reflections or did you prefer to read blogs in which the author focused on the issues important to school leaders?
I found both rather interesting. However, I really enjoyed The Principal's blog, because the posts were relevant to education and fun. Principal's Reflection is relevant to education but more serious. Sometimes I just want to have light reading and not think about the pressing issues of the day for a few minutes.
• What are your initial thoughts about the type of blog you would want to maintain?
I would rather maintain a blog that is light reading that the audience would enjoy and look forward to reading each day. Something inspirational and has interesting and timely information.
• How would this type of blog meet your administrative needs?
A really good thing about blogs is that stakeholders can respond to posts therefore allowing administrators to know and understand their thought processes. This is helpful in understanding their communities and allows the chance to address concerns.
@valerie_p
How do you think this kind of transparency affects the school community?
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I think the blurred lines among professional and personal could affect the school community in both a negative and positive manner. The school community can be affected negatively because it may cause the community to loose focus on the essentials of what is to be addressed and taken care or in regards to academic goals within the school community. This negative impact could also cause unnecessary conflict that could cause hostility that can trickle down to the social behaviors and moral of students and staff members. The blurred lines among professional and personal could impact the school climate in a positive manner because relationship is a key component that needed to establish trust. I am a firm believe in orders to fully get to heart of educating children trust has to be there. Students and parents have to believe that the better good and welfare of their children are priority to administrators, teachers and other staff members within a school community.
• Were you more drawn to those posts with personal reflections or did you prefer to read blogs in which
the author focused on the issues important to school leaders?
Both, because I truly feel in order to build effective relationships whether they are personal or professional we must understand the mindset of individuals. I do believe that personal boundaries have to be set but it at some point when discrepancies and misunderstandings arise I glimpse into individuals mindsets are essential.
• What are your initial thoughts about the type of blog you would want to maintain?
The type of blogs I would like to maintain are community and family wellness. I would like to also maintain a share and take blog on at home academic challenges and highlights.
• How would this type of blog meet your administrative needs?
These type of blogs would meet my administrative needs because it would serve as a compass on how to professional develop my staff to socially and academically support our students, parents and community.
Twitter @s_teach2inspire
Twitter
ReplyDeleteYou can find me, Angelia Groves, on Twitter at noavgteacher1.
Activity 2
As I read the blogs in Activity 1, it was clear to me when the bloggers were sharing personal opinions versus professional ideas. Out of the suggested blogs, the difference in the presentation relied on the blogger's reason for writing. In the blog, Practical Theory, I read a mixture of professional and personal opinions, even though the subtitle of the blog was "A View From the Schoolhouse." I felt slightly mislead after reading the blogs, because I expected to read, only, about topics "from the schoolhouse." I fully enjoyed reading "The Principal Blog." The author's content was professional in nature, but I was drawn in by her informal tone. When I read the blog, "A Principal's Reflections," it was so professionally and formally written, I felt like I was reading information straight from a professional journal. It seemed like the information was highly researched before the blogger communicated about it. It seemed very trustworthy and reliable. "The 21st Century Principal" was built upon relevant opinions. It seemed like the author wrote this blog to reduce unnecessary technical problems. I thought he provided useful bits of information that could be helpful to a technology "explorer." I will subscribe this blog because I am not completely comfortable with technology and social media, but I want to learn so much more.
For highly trusted school leader, I don't think s/he would have problems with mixing professional and personal ideas about education on a blog. The problem would surface if a school did not have a thriving culture that would appreciate the professional / personal ideas of the leader.
Since I was prepared to read professional, educational blogs, I was more drawn to the posts in which the author focused on issues that may be important to school leaders. My favorite was "The Principal Blog" by Melinda Miller. In it, she shared practical experiences and ideas. I was eager to read one post after another, looking for ideas that could help me in my capacity as a Curriculum Coach. I will definitely subscribe to it.
Right now, I am not interested in blogging, but if I had to, I would blog about my cultural experiences as an educator. It would be purely opinion-based. The purpose would be to entertain my followers and share practical information about teaching in a large urban school district.
As an administrator, I would use this blog to share "who I am," "what I believe," and give tips on "how stakeholders can support" urban schools.
Discussion
As a Curriculum Coach, some of the problems that I face are: 1) Teachers complain that I send too many emails, and 2) Teachers don't want to read information from me on weekdays after 3:00 pm or on weekends. Blogging and micro-blogging could help me because I could post the information that I need the teachers to see for them to read at their own pace. I feel that I could actually provide some professional development through blogging. I could include graphics, diagrams, pictures, video, and text to support what I need to communicate to the teachers. Once the information is posted, I could always refer teachers to the blog if they need to refresh their memories about something. No more re-sending emails!
@taragbad2
ReplyDeleteAs I read the blogs, I was able to notice how quickly personal opinions blogs and professional idea blogs can become blurred. I could relate to both professional ideas and personal opinion blog entries. In the beginning, several of the personal opinion entries started off positive. As I read on, they took on a somewhat negative tone. I feel that an author being transparent may cause a reader to take on the same feelings as the author even though they may not have felt this way before reading the blog.
In my opinion, professional idea blogs are problem solving blogs. They are neutral. They state a problem and give readers ideas on how to solve these issues.
I was more drawn to the posts with personal reflections. In all honest, they were more entertaining for me. I was able to view others opinions even though I didn't necessarily agree with them. I was able to relate to what they were feeling and saying.
If I started a blog, I would want to maintain a blog that focuses on issues important to school leaders. This type of blog would meet administrative needs because I believe that administrators are problems solvers. A professional ideas blog would allow me to exchange strategies with other administrators around the globe.
Blurred Lines Professional ideas and Personal opinions
ReplyDeleteAs you read the blogs in Activity 1, you may have noticed that the line between professional ideas and personal opinions became blurred. How do you think this kind of transparency affects the school community?
I think that this kind of transparency has the potential to affect the school community in a positive way. When leading and working with people, relational trust is one of the most overlooked yet vital tools an administrator has. When the people you lead know that you will remain professional yet are human and can show some of what you stand for personally, it enables them to make an informed decision on whether to follow, or to challenge what may need adjustments. I think it all has a place, just done in a respectful and consistent manner.
• Were you more drawn to those posts with personal reflections or did you prefer to read blogs in which the author focused on the issues important to school leaders?
As it relates to the posts that I was more drawn to, I found I had an equal interest in both. In order to know why decisions are made and thoughts are derived, I allow the balance of focus on issues important to school leaders as well as personal reflections to pull me into seeing a complete picture.
• What are your initial thoughts about the type of blog you would want to maintain?
Initially, I think I would like to survey groups of people that I would like to reach. I then could see what is needed and how I could contribute the knowledge and experiences I have so that my blog could be relevant. So with that being said, and reflecting on data I have collected thus far, I would use a blog that is professional in nature that would reflect on effective instructional strategies in different teaching scenarios.
• How would this type of blog meet your administrative needs?
This would be beneficial for educators, other administrators, and curriculum specialists. I could include different modes of representations and embed hyperlinks to information and research.
My Twitter Account is @yourhonoratm
• As you read the blogs in Activity 1, you may have noticed that the line between professional ideas and personal opinions became blurred. How do you think this kind of transparency affects the school community?
ReplyDeleteWhen posting to where the entire World can see it (or those with the link) you have to be careful to keep your personal opinions off of this space. You should only stick to what is relevant to the viewers. Then you have to worry about what would affect who? One comment could be nothing to one person and mean a lot to another. I just don’t think a school blog is the place for these things. I would keep it strictly school related. For example, don’t post a blog about your trip to the beach and what you saw and did. Nope, not school related.
• Were you more drawn to those posts with personal reflections or did you prefer to read blogs in which the author focused on the issues important to school leaders?
I like to see a mixture of both. Maybe have the peer-reviewed facts in the blog and then have your or the school’s take on the concept. If the content is only for the school leaders then you’ve lost several of your audience members. Who is viewing? Cater to all.
• What are your initial thoughts about the type of blog you would want to maintain?
If I did a blog it would be more of a resource for others to learn things. Maybe blog about something I did in my classroom with pics. This way others could learn from it or comment and give me ideas to tweak it.
• How would this type of blog meet your administrative needs?
Not much personally, but could be useful for a substitute that came in. They could follow my lesson from an archived blog post. Also it could help my administrator with professional development or mentoring for a new teacher.