This page will house a growing collection of resources that Bill is developing with Eric Sheninger and Jason Ramsden for a book titled Essentials for School Principals:  Social Media. 

Rubric for School Communication Plans

Handout_SMCommunicationsRubric.pdf

Researchers have shown time and again that highly effective principals are highly effective communicators, engaging their communities in ongoing conversations about teaching and learning. The challenge for today’s principal is that while the nature of our messages haven’t changed—parents still need to understand a school’s vision, community leaders still need to know how to best support our buildings, students still need to find connections between what they’re learning in school today and what they’ll need to be successful tomorrow—yesterday’s communication tools are ineffective. Consider using this rubric to evaluate the currency of your building’s communication plan.

School Communication Survey

SM_SchoolCommunicationsSurvey.pdf

One of the first challenges for schools interested in evaluating their communication efforts is collecting information from all interested stakeholders.  This survey is designed to help schools do just that.  Broken into sections focusing on message delivery and interaction, it can be administered to parents, students and other stakeholders. 

Exploring School-Based Social Media Efforts

SM_Handout_SchoolBasedSMEfforts.pdf

While using social media services to reach out to school communities was still a relatively novel practice in the fall of 2010, several buildings had already worked to create a presence in popular forums like Twitter and Facebook. One of the best ways to build confidence in your own social media communication plan is to explore their efforts. This handout can help you to track your reactions while exploring the social media efforts of three different schools and/or principals.

Top Ten Sources for Learning about Social Media

SM_Handout_LearningAboutSocialMedia.pdf

One of the first steps that principals interested in incorporating social media strategies into their communication and professional development plans can take is to read as much as they can about the role that new tools are playing in schools and businesses. The readings and resources included in this handout are good starting points for initial studies about the changing nature of communication, professional development and learning in a world dominated by social media spaces.

Tracking Learning in Social Media Spaces

SM_Handout_TrackingSMPD.pdf

Some of the best professional development opportunities for educators take place as a result of interactions in social media spaces. These interactions, however, rarely count towards requirements for license renewal simply because they are not carefully documented. Consider using this form over the course of the next year to record the impact that interactions in social media spaces are having on your own professional growth.

Exploring Common Patterns of Participation in Twitter

SM_Handout_TwitterParticipationPatterns.pdf

It can be inherently difficult to believe that meaningful professional development can actually occur in Twitter, a social media service that limits messages to 140 characters. To build confidence in the value of joining the Twitterverse, consider monitoring the messages being posted by any educator using Twitter for a few weeks and then completing this handout.

Exploring Educational Conversations in Social Media Spaces

SM_Handout_ExploringEducationalConversationsinSMSpaces.pdf

Successfully developing a 21^st Century PLN depends on choosing a social media space that aligns with your personal learning preferences, provides access to information that can improve your work, and connects you to colleagues that you can learn from. Before committing to any social media space, consider checking out a few of the conversations occurring below and determining how likely they are to be a good fit for you.

Planning Your Participation in Social Media Spaces

SM_Handout_PlanningParticipationinSocialMediaSpaces.pdf

While participating in social media spaces can be initially intimidating for educators, carefully thinking through several key decisions and setting several good practices for yourself in advance can help to make your work personally rewarding and professionally safe. Consider using this handout to begin planning your participation in social media spaces.