April 21

The SAN Script – Thursday, April 21

I truly believe that everything that we do and everyone that we meet is put in our path for a purpose. There are no accidents; we’re all teachers – if we’re willing to pay attention to the lessons we learn, trust our positive instincts and not be afraid to take risks or wait for some miracle to come knocking at our door. Marla Gibbs

Picture of the Day: Zoomed Out Machu Picchu

Apr 21

Photograph by Martin St-AmantWikipediaCC-BY-SA-3.0

 

In this awesome panoramic, we get a sense of the amazing landscape that Machu Picchu is surrounded by. It also makes its construction—which dates back to the 15th century—that much more remarkable. Located in the Cusco Region of Peru, the Inca site is the most popular tourist attraction in the country.

This panoramic by Martin St-Amant was stitched from 24 individual photographs. It was taken from Huayna Picchu, a higher mountain in Peru that overlooks the famous archaeological site. For those interested, you can see the incredible, full-size 9187 x 4100 pixel image on Wikimedia Commons.

St. Anthony Today

Recycle Day at St. Anthony Catholic School- PLEASE recycle today – all material to be left inside  near the parking lot door

Orkidstra Today

OSSC Visit – 3:30 – Paul

pd

7 Tips for Using Social Media for Professional Development

Posted by on April 20, 2016

professional learning networkTell me if this sounds familiar:

With the 2016 New Year, you resolved to build your Professional Learning Network–finally, to stop living in the 20th century where your world revolved around a sticks-and-bricks building, a landline phone, and the mailbox. You joined all the big social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, blogging–just for starters). The plan was to connect with the movers and shakers in education, learn from them, and have them as a resource for those times you needed help on a lesson plan or to select the perfect webtool for a project. You committed hours to it, and then days, eager to make this work because everyone you know talks about how much they learn from social media. Now, six months into it, you know too much about your followers’ lunch plans and almost nothing about their educational pedagogy. You’re frustrated, angry, and ready to give this whole failed effort up.

Without knowing anything about you other than that paragraph above, I’m going to predict that you didn’t manage your social media, got intimidated by the words ‘friend’ and ‘defriend’, and quickly became overwhelmed by the volume of information that flooded your inbox every day. The purpose of a social media-based PLN is to extend your reach beyond the narrow confines of the bubble you live in, but that isn’t what happened for you.

Before you unplug from the virtual world, try these six steps. They’ll clean up the clutter, smooth out the wrinkles, and put you back in the driver’s seat of your online life:

Keep your stream pure

Only accept or seek friends who are in your professional area of interest. This is less like a speed-dating party and more like a job application. When you come across a promising educator, visit their social media, pass judgment on whether they fit your needs, and then make a decision.

Don’t mix personal and professional

It’s tempting to share personal backstory with this new group of ‘friends’, but remember: A virtual world ‘friend’ has little in common with the real-world type who you go out of your way to cherish. These virtual folks arrived at your Twitter stream or Facebook page or blog because of an interesting professional teacherly tidbit you shared and they’re hoping you offer more of. Don’t disappoint them by talking about last night’s failed dinner or your expensive car repairs.

Always answer visitors

When you get questions or comments on social media, answer them. Assume that your visitors have no more time than you do, so offer responses that are brief, polite, and engaging while being focused and direct. But always answer. If they took the time to comment on your posts, you can take the time to answer.

Keep your lights on

Post to your social media at least a few times a week. Let people know you’re active, busy, and engaged in the conversations around you. Once a week–especially on FB or Twitter–isn’t enough. It’s barely enough on a blog. Notice the pace you like from people you follow–that’s probably the right pace for you.

Keep it short

Tweets must be short. Facebook should rarely exceed a few sentences. Blogs, though–too many people think they should write novels. Do you want to sit and read 1500 words from someone you barely know on a topic you are quite likely only tangentially interested in? Your readers don’t want to either. Keep your blog posts 500-1000 words (this one’s just under a thousand)–what you can read over a cup of coffee.  Include an enticing heading and summative subtitles. Let readers know when they visit you, they can learn a lot for a tiny investment of time.

Include pictures

Text is only one way people learn. Just as effective is a blend of text and pictures. In your blogs, always include at least one picture, maybe more. In Facebook and Twitter posts, a picture is proven to attract more attention than the text messages. It takes a little more time, but is a much better way to reach the people you want to include in your PLN.

Keep your profile up-to-date

All of your social media platforms should include your professional profile. Include three pieces: 1) your picture, 2) a one-paragraph summary of how you’re involved in education, and 3) how to reach you (not your phone number; just social media handles and email address). You don’t need to include where you live, your mate’s name, or your children. In fact, it’s probably a better idea to skip those. The less you post of a personal nature on the vast wildness of the Internet, the better. Once you’ve created this profile, copy it to all of your social media locations. Every few months, check to be sure it’s still up to date.

One final warning: Don’t feel like you have to do all six of these at once. Pick one that resonates with you. Take your time to implement it. When it’s running smoothly, move on to the next. Let me know how it’s going. I’d like to add you to my PLN.

More on professional development:

Update Your Online Presence

15 Take-aways from Online Grad School Classes

5 Must-have tools for Ed Conferences

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Posted April 21, 2016 by mcguirp in category SAN Today

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