It's Ontario, we elementary teachers were in a work to rule situation in the public boards during most of May and all of June. We've had no staff, divisional or group meetings with our administrators. Personally, I haven't missed them. I know many educators feel the same way and wonder why we would go back to them. There are so many ways to communicate digitally. What do we need to know on a regular basis from our leader? After some thought I've decided that a leader who uses Social Media to connect with their staff will find they are accomplishing much more than any meeting would.
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Why my leaders should use Social Media....
it will show they are in the 21st century - leaders should be current
provide a place for followers - we need a 'go to' place for discussion and questions anytime
sift through and share pertinent info - so much out there, they can prioritize it
keep us appraised of what's going on - it's easy to get out of the loop if you miss a meeting or are away for a bit
connect our school to the community and beyond - saves teacher's time and has positive impacts
show us they are interested in us - can 'follow' our class Media
Here are a few aspects of traditional meetings that I would not miss!
face to face can lead to too much emotion and rash decisions
no live discussions that go on and on - no waste of time
have to be there at a certain time, not equitable to part time staff or if you are ill
We have some admins at ISTE who are thinking flipped staff meetings, imagine that? I always thought a blended staff meeting would really work, send me a video or info item and let's just get together and discuss problems of practice in small groups, rather than the meeting leader be the "sage on the stage"
ReplyDeleteThis is something that I've struggled with for a while. It isn't just about modeling or getting with the 21st Century, but about using an amazing resource that can improve learning and build capacity as well as motivate and excite teachers and community members, not to mention strength communication. I have had a few admis over the years question my practice of Tweeting or Blogging although now that the Director of Education and the Ministry of Edu use these very tools, I don't seem to be questioned any more!
ReplyDeleteOne word of CAUTION and a couple of questions....
Once more and more principals and other district leaders (SO's) start using these tools as part of their "job", is there is risk of them using it to evaluate or make judgments of their staff? As we teachers need to be careful how we interact with our students, is this also true for leaders that can impact our jobs. I wonder, if they use it for professional purposes, should they only follow and dialogue some of their staff, or all of their staff? Why would a district leader follow one of my colleagues and not me (an example). Should they censor tweets or blog posts for the good of the district and community? What are the ramifications if they do read and disagree with a tweet or blog post and want to address this with the staff member? Should the union be involved?