Being a principal can be quite lonely and social networking is a fantastic way to connect with other principals who work in the same role regardless of geographic location.
I am currently part of a NZ Principals Closed Facebook group that has 317 members who are all current principals. This group provides useful information as well as a platform to ask questions of others with varying experiences in the role.
I also use Twitter as a platform to 'follow' educationists such as Michael Fullan and Andy Hargreaves who often tweet professional readings, latest news in education and other useful information.
This particular use of social media was highlighted in the research completed by Melhuish (2013) when participants felt the social media most successfully met their needs were the ability to explore topical issues and being able to connect with other colleagues.
As a principal I also monitor activity on such pages as NZ Teachers (Primary) page to gauge 'feelings' amongst teachers nationwide. Although I understand that not everything said is coming from teachers it provides information that they may not feel comfortable discussing with leadership.
The other major aspect I use social media for is for the employment of new staff members. I use their social media profiles to gain information about them. As mentioned in previous blog posts, teachers are on display more often than ever before and I need to ensure that they are going to enhance the positive the image the school displays.
This particular use of social media was highlighted in the research completed by Melhuish (2013) when participants felt the social media most successfully met their needs were the ability to explore topical issues and being able to connect with other colleagues.
As a principal I also monitor activity on such pages as NZ Teachers (Primary) page to gauge 'feelings' amongst teachers nationwide. Although I understand that not everything said is coming from teachers it provides information that they may not feel comfortable discussing with leadership.
The other major aspect I use social media for is for the employment of new staff members. I use their social media profiles to gain information about them. As mentioned in previous blog posts, teachers are on display more often than ever before and I need to ensure that they are going to enhance the positive the image the school displays.
As a school we proudly post information, notices and celebrations on our school Facebook page. These are well received and those who engage in comments and 'likes' are respectful and supportive of the school.
As a school we also inform and explicitly discuss the use of social media with our teachers and teacher aides. As we are a staff of varying ages, abilities and interests in the use of social media, nothing is assumed and providing support and guidance is part of our responsibility as employers.
As a school we also inform and explicitly discuss the use of social media with our teachers and teacher aides. As we are a staff of varying ages, abilities and interests in the use of social media, nothing is assumed and providing support and guidance is part of our responsibility as employers.
Social Media - Revenue
The opportunities for income through advertising in social media is extreme and in recent times I have been made aware of friends who with as little as 5000 followers on twitter are making $1500 a 'tweet'.
With education being such a competitive market in regards to businesses and schools in constant need for financial assistance, i'd be interested in exploring the possibility of companies paying to advertise within your social media platforms. This approach is not uncommon in other industries.
In recent times one post on our school Facebook page was viewed over 10,000 times and shared over 100 times.
Reference List
Melhuish, K. (2013). Online social networking and its impact on New Zealand educators' professional learning. Master Thesis. The University of Waikato. Retrieved from http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10289/8482/thesis.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y
No comments:
Post a Comment