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During my eleven years as an educator, I have seen first-hand what excellent communication does for a school district. Each school has a unique story to tell and we must be the ones to tell it. Since the implementation of social media, many schools have found that communication is as easy as ever. While social media channels certainly help deliver the message to the intended party, I have discovered that it is the quality of the message we are sending that makes a more lasting impression. During my time in this program, I have sharpened my skills as an effective communicator. I have learned how to more effectively convey the message and story of my campus as well as maneuver between various social media channels to reach different audiences within my school organization.
Communication Through Blogging
Communication Through Blogging
One of the most effective ways of communicating with an audience is through blogging. I was introduced to blogging as a teenager and used it as an online diary. I never knew the power of of blogging for a purpose like I experienced in my Web 2.0 technologies class during my masters program. My course blog explored how different communication tools could grow a PLN or better communicate with parents. Our professor had us do a vanity search early in the classroom to show us that everything we posts lasts forever in the digital world. It was a huge eye opener for me and made me realize that my words have power.
The World Wide Web 2.0
The World Wide Web 2.0
Through my various experiences in creating blog posts , I discovered that we are in a new era of the internet. We no longer are just relying on the world wide web for seeking out new ideas. We are mainly using the internet to communicate our thoughts and ideas with one another. In my masters program for Education Technology and Leadership, I discussed how we communicate through the internet in my blog post about how YouTube and Twitter are changing the educational game. I remember back in early days of my teaching career having to write messages on teaching websites to get ideas or answers to a question I had. Now, with Twitter, I am able to ask a question or pose an idea and get immediate feedback from a member of my Peer Learning Network (PLN).
Another area of "Web 2.0" that I discovered for the first time was an Aggregating Page. My blog post discussing aggregating pages discusses what they are and which sites are better than others to use in various educational settings. During this class I was able to create a personalized protopage that included my YouTube channel, Twitter feed and various news outlets that I follow to technology news. I loved being able to create this page to give my readers an outlet into my daily life as well as grow my PLN with like-minded individuals. In addition to creating my own page, I was able to use my new-found knowledge of these pages to create a Symbaloo for Washington Elementary that allows my students to easily find links they use in the classroom on a daily basis. This has allowed my students, particularly the younger ones, to find the information they need quickly and easily.
While blogging about Edmodo I discoverd how a course managment system (CMS) can make it easier on the student and teacher when creating a digital classroom. My district is making the transition to a learning management system (LMS) this year and we decided to use Canvas to pilot for the next two years. The small sample class we are using to see results of using a LMS have been nothing short of remarkable and truly shows the power of creating a "hub" of information- all in one place.
By blogging about various technologies and resources, I have found my own unique voice. Communicating my ideas, thoughts, opinions, and passions have allowed me to create my own personal audience of educators. I have been fortunate in my opportunities within this program to have an outlet for my own unique voice and to put it out into the universe.
Blogging & Reflecting
Blogging & Reflecting
In addition to blogging about Web 2.0 technologies, I was able to experience the opportunity to blog in many of my technology classes throughout my graduate studies. I began to view my blogs as a moment of reflection and a way for me to share my opinions and experiences with my readers. Each blog that I have created for this program offered a different viewpoint and perspective of what we were learning at the time. Seeing my progression of what kind of an educator I was almost 4 years ago to today through reading my blogs over again has shown how much I have truly grown. My experiences in educational technology through my job, research and the activities in this graduate program have allowed me to transform into the educator I am today. I have included the links to my other classroom blogs below.
Blogging About Google Classroom
Blogging About Google Classroom
I am very passionate about using Google in the classroom. My journey through this program allowed me to become a Google certified educator level 1 and 2. On my blog post about Google classroom I discussed the huge advantage of using this in the classroom. Since my district became a Google Apps for Education (GAFE) district, we have seen a huge increase in a flipped classroom model. As I discussed in my blog post, using Google classroom, Edmodo, and Kahn Academy allow for students to use an inquiry-based model for instruction. They are able to find and create resources and shows incredible creativity!
Communication Through Social Media
Communication Through Social Media
Social media is a powerful tool in an educators arsenal. My social media presence has created a network of like minded educators in which I can share my original thoughts and ideas. One of the earliest experiences I had while creating my PLN was to create a professional twitter account. I had been a user of Twitter for a while before starting this program but didn't put any thought into using it professionally. Once I started participating in twitter chats, using #hashtags, and retweeting my favorite thought leaders I was amazed at how many followers I attained in such a short time.
In my blog post about social bookmarking I explained how Twitter and Diigo can allow users to share sites, ideas, pictures, etc. with their PLN's. Pinterest continues to be one of the most popular sites in the world to connect with PLN's and share educational ideas. One of my favorite ways to social bookmark is by creating an aggregate page. My personalized homepage I created in ETEC 526 offered my viewers a peek into my YouTube channel, my Twitter feed, a quick look at my blog posts, news I follow for technology ideas, and a way to leave a comment. It was a wonderful way to connect with my readers and share my technology vision. It has allowed me to grow my PLN and connect with like-minded educators passionate about technology leadership.
Another social media outlet I created to share my voice was my YouTube channel. Until this program I never truly understood the power of a personalized video. My school has benefited from using YouTube to share inspirational messages and parent information. One of the best things I learned from using YouTube is that your audience is more likely to watch a video of the information rather than read a long post.
I used what I have learned in this program to create a YouTube channel for my campus. My channel has original content and is a wonderful outlet to connect with our parents and community. One of the first videos I created was a "how to" on how to create an account for Wikispaces. My technology team at my campus utilized Wikispaces (before it closed down) as a way to share ideas and communicate with one another through asynchronous communication. By creating this "how-to" video on how to create an account and create the Wikispace page for my campus, we were communicating with one another more than ever before.
Communicating my Opinions: Technology Reviews
Communicating my Opinions: Technology Reviews
One area that I am working on finding my voice in is technology reviews. Reviewing any type of technology is challenging because what you don't like might be the thing that someone else loves.
In my first article review, I posed the question, "Who Cares About Technology?" I spoke about how teachers who have positive experiences with technology with their students are more likely to attempt to teach technology centered lessons in the future. In my second article review I spoke about using developmentally appropriate technology with young learners. Many parents allow their children to have access to social media at an incredibly young age, and this is having horrifying long-term effects to a child's self-esteem. I wanted to communicate to my readers the facts of an article I found and what the experts had to say about this important issue in today's society. In my third article review I explored how technology is taking over our colleges and universities. We are having to create an online portfolio as part of our graduation requirements, something that would not have existed 30 years ago! Technology, as well as communicating through technology, is changing the educational landscape of our educational programs across the country.
Finding my Voice
Finding my Voice
Being an instructional technology specialist has allowed me to find my own unique voice and create orginal content to share with my staff and students. One of my favorite ways to communicate to my staff is by sending out a weekly e-mail newsletter of information as well as useful tips and tricks. I had to find unique ways to train my staff when time to do embedded professional development wasn't available. I found that creating YouTube videos and screencastify videos are my preferred go-to method. During the implementation of our Digital Badge Site for Sherman ISD, I found that many of our teachers had no idea how to get started. I created a YouTube video explaining the process to my district. The feedback that I received from my teachers about how helpful it was to hear the directions, as well as see the visuals included, made me extremely proud. Effective communication is a game changer for educators!
Another example of how I used integrated communication with my staff is to introduce a "Tech Tip of the Week" in my weekly newsletter to my staff. In this tech tip I introduce how to use PDF Candy and why it is such a great resource to use for editing PDF documents. I include a video of myself in the corner so that my staff feels as though I am speaking to them face to face even though they are able to access the information on their own time table. By providing these weekly newsletters and helpful tips I have allowed my staff to be highly informed on everything related to technology.
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