1. Model effective and appropriate use of technology.
School administrators can use blogs as a meaningful way to communicate, connect, and build a sense of community with other educators. The blog reaches beyond the four walls of their own school, inviting diverse perspectives and ideas to be shared among educators around the world. In a society where digital communication and social media can be isolating and divisive, the administrator has an opportunity and a responsibility to create a shift towards positivity, joy, and enthusiasm.
2. Reflection leads to learning and growth.
Educators improve their practice through collaboration and reflection. The value of a reflective practitioner, especially one embracing gratitude, curiosity, and growth, cannot be underestimated. One blogger who does this remarkably well is Seth Godin (@ThisIsSethsBlog). Seth's blog, which I follow on Twitter, has shown me that a blog post does not need to be long to be meaningful. The daily practice of writing, reflecting, and sharing our learning with others is the key.
One way to build trust with teachers is to demonstrate skill and expertise as an educator. This is hard to accomplish at a staff meeting! Using a blog to describe both innovative approaches as well as evidence-based effective strategies allows the administrator to share their best ideas and new learning with teachers and staff to enhance student achievement while building trust and respect. Using educational technology in the classroom is one of the many tools that excellent teachers use to accomplish a wide array of high-impact instructional strategies, such as formative feedback and personalized learning. Administrators can capture that same power by using technology in meaningful ways. But we must also be careful not to let technology be a distraction from what is truly important. In Bold School, Weston Kieschnick says “Learning is King. Growth is Queen. ‘Cool’ is the court jester. The jester is technology. And the jester has value, but don’t put him in charge of the kingdom.” Pedagogy must come before technology.
4. Celebrate successes at school.
The administrator's blog can be used to highlight the successes, achievements, and spirit of the school - to SHOW the community what great things happen there. Consider the digital footprint of a school whose story is only told by students and their families. The stories they tell may not always be positive. By taking control of the message, we become the authors of our own stories and make the digital footprint a more accurate reflection of our schools. We can make the positive so loud that the negative becomes impossible to hear. Two microbloggers on Twitter who are especially good at this are George Couros (@gcouros) and Amy Fast (@fastcrayon). They spend time talking about what is admirable and innovative in education and have no time for shaming, blaming, or whining. Shine the spotlight on what makes your school great!