Do principals really have time for a PLN?
..and what's the point, anyway?
I was asked this question recently, and it's a good one. School leaders are hugely busy, time-poor and also expected to model learning for themselves and with their staff. How to tackle it?
We're told it's important because....
- We need to connect to others to check and extend our own thinking
- Technology can make this more efficient and interesting/stimulating
- A PLN reduces isolation in thinking through belonging to communities
- Look at the BES Leadership - Principals need to keep their own learning going, however informally
Here are a few useful links that I also shared in my response to the question:
- The intersection between technology and learning in your PLN - George Couros
Replies
- Enabling e-Learning (View all users posts) 26 Sep 2011 1:56pm ()
Here's an interesting article by David Kinnane from NZ Interface magazine:
I think the headline may give you an idea about his views on principals, and school leaders, using Twitter to build their PLN... But do you agree?
- dakinane (View all users posts) 03 Oct 2011 1:31pm ()
It is the power to connect and share such rich information in 140 characters that gives Twitter its PLN power. Just by joining and then lurking (watching and reading what others have to say) opens up a world of information to a busy Principal. I have started to compile a list of Principals who use Twitter, you can follow what they have to say here
http://twitter.com/#!/dakinane/principals/members
Twitter gets a bad press from the banality of what is said. If you follow the right people and dip in and out using tools such as http://tweetdeck.com to curate twitter content, then the 5 minutes a day needed to keep abreast of trends and opinions in education will be well spent and will be extremely informative.
- Carolyn Stuart (View all users posts) 03 Oct 2011 1:55pm ()
Do you have a system to increase this list becaue there are principals I know who are on twitter but not on your list.
- dakinane (View all users posts) 03 Oct 2011 2:32pm ()
Carolyn, please send me their @usernames on twitter and I will follow them, I just need to spend time trawling Twitter to add them to the list, so all names gratefully accepted!
Thanks.
David
- Enabling e-Learning (View all users posts) 04 Oct 2011 8:45am ()
Thanks for your comments, Carolyn and David. I use Tweetdeck a lot, and find it very helpful
DK, at a CORE Education breakfast, recently talked about using the technology to filter out the noise and find the dignal you want to listen to. So, on Twitter, you can create lists of your favourite educators, or big thinkers or whatever to help you focus in on the ideas you really want to hear about. I think this can hep reduce a lot of the banality to which you refer, David.
In fact, on the topic of banality, Scott McLeod posted a rather cutting response to the idea that Twitter is just noisy chatter: If you were on Twitter.....
- Rachel Boyd (View all users posts) 01 Nov 2011 10:42pm ()
Hi all,
A while ago I created an open (public) google doc to categorise NZ based educators on Twitter. It has sections for Principals/DPs/APs etc that you might like to look at. There are lots of great leadership minds on there to learn from!
It is also open for anyone to edit, so if you are a "twit", feel free to add your details!
My presentation (aimed at eLeaders) on establishing a PLN online (for newbies) may also be useful, feel free to take a look and share.
http://rachelboyd.wikispaces.com/Twitter+for+Teachers
Cheers,
@rachelboyd - Rachel Boyd (View all users posts) 01 Nov 2011 10:46pm ()
A question I would like to bring up (and I am speaking from a non-Principalship role here) is when do Principals actually get to access PD on areas like this - establishing a PLN?
Shockingly most of the "eLearning/ICT" based courses available to Principals through the Ministry I have seen have been "organise your files" or "how to effectively use the Internet" type workshops. That may be good for some, but if you are a principal not part of an ICT Cluster, what workshops/PD is available at more advanced levels?
- Claire Amos (View all users posts) 02 Nov 2011 7:07am ()
This report from MMS Education that was released last year provides some interesting reading
School Principals and Social Networking in Education: Practices, Policies and Realities in 2010
http://www.mmseducation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/MMS_PrincipalsandSocialNetworkingReport.pdf
- apologies if it has been shared already!
Cheers
Claire
- Tessa Gray (View all users posts) 25 May 2012 10:59am ()
In the vein of, 'following the right people through Twitter', here are Top Ten Twitter Hashtags for Educators brought to you by Simple K12 via Kent Walker @kentwalker
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