Leadership and Mandates
Ed. Leadership, Ed. Policy, Ed. Tech., blogging April 29th, 2008
John Hendron points us to an article about work that his former Superintendent, Dr. Frank Morgan, is doing in Kershaw County, SC. Speaking about the use of podcasting, Dr. Morgan is quoted as saying, “I’ve just found it powerful…We live in a different world now, so we have to use multiple means to communicate with people.”
I have two things to say in reply. First, we need more superintendents like Dr. Morgan. Second, if you read to the end of the article, Hendron mentions that in his county (which happens to be one exit West of where I live) teachers are contractually obligated to blog. I think I’m starting to like living in a union-free Commonwealth.
Tags: blogs, education, leadership, podcasting, technology
I remember as we walked into his office, two abreast. “Dr. Morgan, we want to encourage you to blog…”
“What? Oh yeah, yeah… I’ll do it, don’t worry.”
Two days went by. We asked him to blog then and there. One of us might have pressed the return key to post what he had typed.
“That’s all there is to it?”
Yeah, we added. “That is online now?” Yeah… thanks.
That night, so the tale goes, he stopped at Food Lion before going home. “Dr. Morgan, saw your blog today, I’ve subscribed,” a parent told him.
“My what? Oh yeah, thanks…”
Once he found our community actually read the things [the blogs], he took to the practice right away. He asked soon after to make some podcasts.
And it made the world of difference to our teachers who saw it was an initiative carried forward, all the way from the top.
OK, John and Jon, so here’s a request.
I’m a HS administrator that is preparing for superintendency myself. I currently love the blogging that I’m doing here at Educational Insanity, but I have no clue where to start to actually make my own site and/or maintain anything about it. I have talked with my HS students (a few anyway) and they don’t “blog” although they instant message, use facebook, etc. which is quite similar (I believe). I’m not a techno-anything, but I am comfortable loearning a few new things too. So what is step one for an old, out of date, HS principal with good intentions? I look at this site, and simply stated, am overwhelmed at what it must take to manage this - in addition to a 70+ hour a week job and formal classes (plus a family, community, church, etc.). Help me make the jump here to get it started or tell me if I should just follow this pattern of responding on other sites until I am more competent. Advice?
Marshall, when you’re ready to make the jump from commenting on others’ blogs to blogging yourself, get in touch (mcleod@iastate.edu). We’ll hook you up with our free Principal Blogging Project!