Friday, December 27, 2013

9 Things to Tell Your Teachers About Social Media


This article was originally published in February, 2012 - before my blog had any readers.   I thought this post deserved another shot - enjoy.

9 Things to Tell Your Teachers About Social Media



Teachers are always looking for guidance about how to interact with students online.  Social Media provides valuable two-way communication between teachers and their students but district policies are often non-existent or vaguely written.  Many teachers guess at what to do or ignore social media all together.

Don’t let your teachers ignore the benefits of social media, start the conversation and help get them started.

1. Separate your Personal and Your Professional
You would never tell your class about the kegger you went to on Friday so why let them see the pictures on your Facebook page?  Consider creating separate pages for school use.  

2. Write - Edit - Write Again
Check your work.  Remember that everything you put online is there forever.  Readers will give your writing a voice - make sure it’s a pleasant one.  Actively moderate your page.

3. Relevance
Keep your posts relevant to your class.  Avoiding using your professional pages to air political or personal opinions.

4. Be Wary of Friending Students
I know sometimes this is avoidable but keep in mind that everything a friend posts has the potential to show up in your stream.  Immediately delete or block any questionable material that shows up on your wall, stream, or channel.

5. Limit Interactions to Your Public Page
Don’t send private emails to your students.  Keep all communications public; on those rare occasions when you send private emails, cc an administrator or parent.  

6. Don’t Speak for Your School or Division
They pay people for that … stick to your class.

7. Don’t Reveal Confidential Information
‘Nough said.

8. Do Expand Your Classroom
Provide links, extra information, podcasts, materials, anything that will expand and add to what you do in the classroom.

9. Remember All Division Policies Apply
Despite what many believe, teachers can and do get fired for inappropriate online conduct.  Always, always, always err on the side of caution.

This article was originally published in February, 2012 - before my blog had any readers.  As I prepare to present on the importance of developing a PLN at VSTE 2012 in December, I am going back through and reviewing older posts on social media.  

Monday, December 23, 2013

Another Teacher Bites the [SM] Dust

The Washington Post reported in 2012 about a South Paris Maine football coach and teacher, Paul Withee resigned after a parent viewed an explicit photo posted on his Facebook page. According to Withee the photo was up for a grand total of 10 seconds … or just long enough to be viewed by the parent.

Another teacher bites the social media dust which begs the question - When will we learn?

Teachers, coaches, and principals should think twice before not friend students, school age former students, or parents on their personal social media pages. Ever. Never. Not even for their favorite student. Not to help with homework. Not to post reminders for about the test. Never means never. And if they do have a personal page, and really who doesn’t these days, the privacy settings should be set to the maximum. The public sees nothing.

Withee got some of this right. He was no students were linked to his page and no students saw him in all his glory. But he missed something and that something cost him his career.

If you’re a school-based administrator, think about sending a link to this article to your staff letting them know that their online conduct will get them in trouble. Here’s an exert from a document I wrote “Social Media Guidelines for School Employees” if you want to sound official.

Friday, December 20, 2013

Principal as Instructional Coach - No Competition

It's the last day before winter break and, like you, I'm swamped.  So today I'm rerunning a piece from 2012 about the important role principals play as instructional coach.  

Enjoy your holiday!

SZ
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Short post today.

Dag-gone work is getting in the way of my writing.   So I'm writing this on my Lapdock while sitting at McDonalds after just having sucked down a $.99 McDouble - I think I'm addicted to that sandwich.

But I digress, and the office is expecting me back.

I ripped this conversation from Twitter earlier in the week (from @PrincipalSharp) and thought it would make a good post.  The conversation had to do with principals as instructional coaches and whether their role as boss and evaluator interfered with that role.



Wednesday, December 18, 2013

20 #Twitter Tips for Teachers #edtech

Twitter escultura de arena

Twenty down and dirty Twitter tips.

Use your profile to say what you are as well as who you are

Teacher, Principal, Superintendent, Football coach ... People often search people similar to themselves to follow and will use similar these terms when searching for who to follow.

Sound interesting in your profile

Yes, this is a challenge in such a small space, but because you have so little to work with it's even more important. You have to sound interesting enough that people will think your tweets will be worth reading.

Add a photo

If you don't, you will be left with Twitter's strange egg image. This is off-putting for many people, not least because it can be the mark of a spammer.

Add a link (or two)

When your profile has to be super short, anyone in doubt will click on your link(s) to decide whether you're worth following. Put a link to your blog, class website or at least somewhere else online that you have a more detailed profile (such as Linked In, or a site you regularly write for).

Monday, December 16, 2013

3 Ways to Handle Teachers Taking Extra Personal Days

Teacher's Party
So who's ready to teach 1st Period Tomorrow?

Q: @SchoolHR: Any policies dealing with teachers taking extra personal days?

A: This can be a tough one to handle.  Many teachers feel that leave is given to them to use, which I guess technically it is, so they use all of their allotted days plus some.  There are, however, a couple of things you can do to curb the practice.

1) The nice approach - let the teacher know how it affects her students when she is out.  Assuming she's using all of her sick leave, all of her personal days, and taking additional days that adds up to a lot of time out.  Do the math for her.  The conversation could go like this, "You missed a total of 18 days this year, that seems like a lot to me.  Do you realize that you missed over 10% of the school year by being out so much?  Think how you students could have benefited from your increased attendance."  Then trust the teacher to act professionally see if attendance improves.

2) Next step would be to check your district's policies.  Most of the districts I've worked for had a policy that read something like, "attendance patterns that hinder the normal operation of the school will be treated as a discipline issue." This allows you to note the attendance problem on the evaluation - low mark in professionalism and a comment like, "you have missed X days this year which is over the number allotted to you; in the future you will maintain regular attendance."  You can also document the behavior through letters and written reprimands.  If your district allows, require doctor's notes for each instance of sick leave.

3) Don't bend the rules.  If the teacher is taking personal leave and is out of personal leave don't allow her to record sick leave in order to be paid.  When you can effect someone's pay check you can usually get results.  Record the hours over the allotted as leave without pay.

Finally, I have to ask who is approving the leave?  Generally, personal reasons leave has to be approved by someone, a supervisor, an assistant principal, or the principal and it is okay for those with sign-off authority to say "no."  The teacher will bitch and moan but if they're abusing the policy then it's up to those in charge to put a stop to it.

Good luck!

Recommended Reading:




iTunes Link:

Dealing With Difficult Teachers - Todd Whitaker

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Great App for Conducting Teacher Observations



I know you love your iPad.

I also know that you have trouble finding ways to make work productively.  Let's face it, the call of Angry Birds is often hard to resist.  That's why we need to share when we find an app that can make our lives easier.

Though not designed for this purpose, inClass is an app that can make it easier for administrators to conduct classroom observations.  inClass is a management tool for students that enables students to take notes, record classes, take pictures, create tasks lists and calendars for the iPad.  The app also allows the user to set up course notebooks so all data is stored in one place.   I told my middle-schoolers to add the app to their iPod touches.

Here's how I use the app to conduct classroom obeservations.

1) Open a notebook and create a new note page (I don't organize the data into notebooks because I generally don't store it on the iPad.)   Type a header with the teachers name and date.

2) Begin recording the class using the buitl in recorder.  The app will save this as an MP3 file.

3) Use a bluetooth keyboard to script the class. I use the built in camera to take pictures of activities, presentations, or documents used during the lesson.

4) Using Apple File Share, I move the script (which is saved as a PDF) and the MP3 file to my desktop.  The neat thing is that the app creates a file and keeps the notes and the recording in one place.  From there I can cut and paste onto district approved forms.

Two drawbacks that I've discovered so far ... 1) If you're recording you can't go back and read notes on other pages without stopping the recording.  2) The in-app calendar does not sync with the general calendar.

You can pick up inClass for free in the App Store.

What apps are you using to be more productive?  I'd love to hear from you.


Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Juvenile Detective Shares Which #SM Kids Are Using #edtech

Horse Thief Detective Association


My oldest and dearest friend is a Juvenile Detective in a small town outside Philadelphia.  We often share resources related to helping at-risk kids, preventing youth violence, and lately, cyber-bullying.  The other day he sent me a list of the most active social media sites being used by kids and teens in his area.  Some on the list are familiar to me ... some are not.  

A couple I recognize from my kids' phones and ipods.  

The list is in rough form, I'm sharing it as he presented it, but I think it is useful.   He included apps and links to help parents monitor their children's digital foot-print.  

I'm sure we missed some, an exhaustive list would be pretty near impossible, so please comment with any of the big ones.  

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Social Networks

Facebook
Instagram
ask.fm (anon)
Flickr
Vine (looping 6-second videos)
Twitter
Tumblr
Pinterest
4chan (image-based bulletin board/chat, no registration needed, anon)
Pheed (can comment on anything any user posts, share video, photos, text, recordings, use of
hashtags to easily spread comments)


Websites
Reddit (social news/entertainment site that once comments get going can get pretty rough if
negative)

Messenger Apps

Wickr (messaging app that “leaves no trace”)
WhatsApp
WeChat
SnapChat (photos/videos/art/text)
Kik (anon)
Voxer (push-to-talk live messaging/walkie talkie app)
HeyTell (push-to-talk, walkie-talkie messaging w/ record option)
Spring.me (formerly FormSpring) - App to ask/answer questions, smile at people and meet up
(They at least have a decent safety section)
Skype (calls and instant messaging)
Viber (calls, texts and photo sharing)
Meet.me - Social discovery (meaning find people nearby) and gaming

Sites/Apps to Watch--not sure if kids are using yet

GroupMe (group chat)

Related Stories

4chan suicide attempt, raises questions as to whether we should provide guidance for kids
being bullied/harassed by people they don’t know in these chat rooms, etc.

Police in New South Wales call Kik the #1 social media problem involving teens
(pedophiles/abduction).

This one talks about Voxer and mentions that it’s been used for cyberbullying.

This article suggests kids are moving on from Kik and Viber is one of the networks they chose:

Social media bullying stats

Accountability by networks

Tools for Parents

Screen Retriever (plans to monitor mobile as well)

Review of Mobile Monitoring Software

Parents Magazine Best Apps for Preventing Cyberbullying

GoGoStat's Parental Guidance (Mobile App)
This app lets you see posts from your kids containing drug references and vulgarities, know
when they post photos and profile details that should not be public, and check when they add
new friends that are out of a predetermined age or geographic range. Parents can also print
social media Emergency Reports, developed with the help of law enforcement. (Free;
iPhone, iPad)

TEENBeing website: For adults who are helping teens make great life decisions:
ViberSpy - An app to see what your kid is doing on VIber


Friday, December 6, 2013

The Day Einstein Feared Most Has Arrived

This came through on an email; my first thought was how true!

A day at the beach ...


Cheering on your team ...


Having dinner out with your friends ...


Out on a date ...


A visit to the museum ...


Einstein's fear realized ...


Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Sample Social Media Policy for Schools #K12SM

Social Media Overlap
One issue that comes up frequently in schools is teacher's use of Social Media.  Should we allow it?  How much should we allow?  Should we block? Should we open?  Can teachers friend students?  Can teachers follow students?  What about cyber-bullying?  What about inappropriate pictures?

Questions abound.

Solutions lay in grey areas.

I know I've wrestle with whether or not a policy is necessary.  Most of the time I think a specific social medial policy is an unnecessary burden on teachers.  Teachers should be trusted to do the right thing and when they don't existing policies can be applied to social media interactions.  But then every year a teacher does something inappropriate - and the wrestling match starts anew.

For the past couple of years I've been working on the policy below - so far it remains in draft form - but I thought I'd share it here to see what insights my PLN has to offer.  Feel free to discuss in the comments section or on Twitter #K12SM.


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Social Media Guidelines

Purpose

These guidelines are intended to provide employees with guidelines for appropriate online activity.  Although these guidelines cannot address all instances of possible inappropriate social media use, it is intended to offer guidelines to employees, thereby helping employees avoid costly missteps online.  The nature of the Internet is such that what you “say” online will be captured forever and can be transmitted endlessly without your consent or knowledge.  Employees should keep in mind that any information that is shared online instantly becomes permanent and public.

Scope

These guidelines apply to all employees’ use of the Internet, including participation in and use of social media; regardless of whether such use occurs in the workplace and regardless of whether such use involves the Division’s electronic equipment or other property.

Social Media Defined

The rapid speed at which technology continuously evolves makes it difficult to identify all types of social media.  By way of example, social media includes: (1) social-networking sites (i.e. Facebook, LinkedIn); (2) blogs and micro-blogs (i.e. Twitter, Blogger); (3) content-sharing sites (i.e. Scribd, SlideShare); and (4) image-sharing sites (i.e. Flickr, YouTube).  This list is for illustrative purposes only, however, and all online activity is governed by these guidelines.

Application of Other Policies

All of the Division’s employment and conduct policies apply to online conduct in the same way that they apply to conduct that occurs in and out of the workplace. 

Association with the Division

If you disclose your employment with the Division, for example in your online profile, you must use an appropriate disclaimer to make clear that you are speaking only on behalf of yourself and not on behalf of or as an agent of the Division.  An example of an appropriate disclaimer follows:

The opinions and viewpoints expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and viewpoints of [Division]Public Schools.

To ensure continuity of the Division’s message, employees may not represent themselves to be speaking on the Division’s behalf unless expressly authorized to do so.  If asked by the media to comment on a school related issues refer them to the Department of Media and Communications. 

Student/Staff Interactions

As with in-person communications, Division employees should avoid the appearance of impropriety and refrain from inappropriate electronic communications with students.  As a matter of practice, employees should refrain from connecting with current and school-age former students on social media sites.  Factors that may be considered in determining whether an electronic communication is inappropriate include, but are not limited to:

1.    The subject, content, purpose, authorization, timing and frequency of the communication;
2.    Whether there was an attempt to conceal the communication for supervisors and/or parents;
3.    Whether the communication could be reasonably interpreted as soliciting sexual contact or a romantic relationship; and
4.    Whether the communication was sexually explicit.

School Logos

Do not use school or Division logos on personal internet sites.

Prohibited Conduct

Employees are prohibited from engaging in any of the following in their online activities and posts:

-       Disparaging the Division’s services, students, leadership, employees, or strategy;
-       Making any false or misleading statements;
-       Promoting or endorsing violence;
-       Promoting illegal activity, including the use of illegal drugs;
-       Directing any negative comment towards or about any individual or group based on race, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, or other characteristic protected by law;
-       Disclosing any confidential information.
-       Posting, uploading, or sharing any recording or images (including audio, pictures, and videos), taken in the workplace or at any non-public school event.

Nothing in these guidelines is intended to or will be applied in a manner that limits employees’ rights to engage in protected concerted activity as prescribed by the National Labor Relations Act.

Duty to Report

Employees have an ongoing duty to report any violations of these guidelines or related policies by any other employees. The Division considers the duty to report to be a critical component of its efforts to ensure the safety of its employees and to preserve the Division’s reputation and goodwill in the community. Therefore, any employee who fails to report any conduct that reasonably appears to be in violation of these guidelines or related policies may be subject to discipline for such failure.

Questions About This Policy


Social media changes rapidly and there will likely be events or issues that are not addressed in these guidelines. If, at any time, you are uncertain about the application of these guidelines or if a question relating to the appropriate use of social media arises that is not fully addressed by these guidelines, you should seek the guidance of your principal or immediate supervisor before posting or otherwise engaging online. When in doubt, employees always should ask for guidance first because, once the information is online, it can never be deleted.

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Additional Resources

Amazon Links





Social Media for Educators by Tanya Joosten iBook


Social Media for School Leaders by Brian Dixon iBook

Monday, December 2, 2013

App I'm Playing With This Week: Doodlecast Pro


Doodlecast Pro, www.DoodlecastPro.com, is a neat little iPad app that I started experimenting with last week.  Doodlecast is a simple screen-casting app that allows you to record, edit, and export videos.

"Perfect for teaching a lesson, sharing an idea, or expressing your creativity" the app allows you to create 'Kahn Academy' like presentations in pretty short order. Users can also import pictures, Keynote slides, or just about any PDF.

Still working on my first Doodlecast but I'll be sure to post the results here. Have you used Doodlecast?  Do you need a screen-casting app?  Post your questions or comments below.  

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