News.

Journey.

Shift.

Twitter and your PLN can move your career forward
Digitally connected educators are carving out new roles for themselves and challenging the status quo in schools: new approach to school leadership, sea change in CPD (positives) blurring lines in work/life balance if we are always switched on for learning
Teachers can have portfolio careers
Experiences shared, mistakes no longer made twice, decisions about procurement/ strategy so much easier with others’ experiences documented and discussed.

Putting yourself out there requires openess to new directions and opportunities
Thick skins required because there will be criticism.
Careers in e-learning are no longer just about ICT trained specialists or network managers.
E-Learning as opposed to ‘ICT’ or ‘educational technology’ -> what is the focus? (VLEs, learning platforms, Web 2.0 stuff?)
- starting with the learning and using technology as a means to an end, rather than starting with a great tool and trying to make it fit your objectives.
- not using jargon for the sake of it or to get ‘one over’ on someone.
- whole school champion for digital literacy (for students *and* staff)

More Twitter wisdom from my network:

@shirlpj: new vle in develepment for our centres - my advice is get people as involved as you can from the day 1- then more likely to use.

@infoseccynic: a few years old http://tiny.cc/qDCoD but talks about technophobic teachers. Not too different to converting anyone generally

@dajbelshaw:  Focus on what learners want (personalise?), train staff to deliver it. Involve parents. Give the VLE a ‘community’ feel.

@didactylos: needs absoulte support from Senior Policy - bets is when the school makes a commitment e.g. all Year 7 work will be on the VLE, show how 24/7 access works by stats about student accessing out of hours, celebrate any success, get students involved in work. Don’t underestimate level of training needs, get team of ‘experts’ helping the others informally and formally. Show good practice from elsewhere.

@gbrown057 find ways of demonstrating huge advantages rather than threats.

@celinelatrine establish forum for pupils to feedback on VLE, what works and what doesn’t- use this info to inform its direction.

@dawnhollybone: involve all to make it a true community, person pages open it up train all those involved

@gbrown057: make sure all participants feel acknowledged, start off in a non-threatening way.

@4goggas: Work with good techie to get structure *right* use templates for staff ease and hold students back until there’s enough content. People might disagree with me on my last point re VLE’s - but we believe children get bored and disillusioned quickly & easily.

@dajbelshaw: Why not get students (esp. 6th form if you have them) in to help generate content?

@louis_educator: get the students to have significant ownership?

@barton1875: Make it easy to use. Make me want to use it. Training and more training.

@markbezza: Start small with essential functions. Add bells & whistles slowly as users get used to embedding the VLE into their teaching

This evening I spent some time preparing for my interview tomorrow for the post of E-Learning Director.

I decided to ask my Twitter network some of the questions I am expecting from the panel to develop and challenge my own thinking. I was really pleased with the extensive response!

@lisibo: lead by example. Gently cajole. Get their class to ‘lead them’ into a less reluctant attitude. Be firm but smiley!

@EuroPaddy: Good luck with the interview. For the non-techies, well of course introduce them to the Twitterverse…

@didactylos: in part its a culture change and getting them to feel valued for what they are good at, but taking control over the educational agenda and getting them to see the benefits to them of not being the ‘gatekeepers’ for filtering and policy, also the more theycan be shown the benefits to themselves, and to the students the more likely some will shift their own vies and values.

@haleaon: Take the few that are supportive and use that as a showcase -others will buy-in when they see the great benefits

@raff31: can only provide gentle, persuasive support. Takes time and effort but works…eventually and “some” pass it on to others.

@markbezza: Training is key to e-confident staff (small & often). e-champions in school to disseminate skills & knowledge to those not techy.

@julielindsay: ‘Work with the living’ advice from @garystager and hope the others will wake up sooner rather than later…good luck!

@markbezza:  involve staff in decisions for new systems & ways of working. Involvement in process increases the uptake after implementation.

@raff31:  Connect with enthusiastic staff - spread the message they work with tricky ones. Its worked at and with http://twurl.nl/axbbvm

@chrisbest1980: lots of encouragement and peer mentoring. But initially focus on those that want the support.

@mwclarkson: Producing resources to help (Super Moodles), going out of my way to offer help (but not forcefully so), modelling good practice.

@mwclarkson: 2/3 in a whole school way - so publishing a school based blog with interesting websites/ideas, conv. in staffroom about ideas

@mwclarkson: 3/3 I’ve had and ‘finds’ I’ve discovered (like Tikatok for English, Museum Box for History…)

@spanishsam: show them what can b done don’t just say ‘ this is what COULD be done ‘? Good luck x

@Teamlog Incentivise, link teacher skills to appraisal, link late adapters with non-IT heroes who’ve taken to ILT, regular staff dev . .

@davestacey: Discuss, don’t tell. Ask what they want to do, then suggest tech that might make that easier / better. One size doesn’t fit all!

@kvnmcl: Find out what their stumbling blocks are and help them at times that are convenient but set goals so they can learn too

I am a Fast Track Teacher on my final year in the programme. I am currently Faculty Leader for MFL at Westfield Community College in Watford, and aiming for my first senior leadership post.

For the past year I have been using Twitter to develop my Personal Learning Network. I have found that in combination with my blog, Twitter is a fantastic tool for engaging with other professionals around the world involved in education.

On Sunday 15^th March, an article about school reform in the Sunday Times caught my eye. I wrote a response to it on my blog, and shared the post with my followers on Twitter. Since Jim Knight, the Minister for Schools is a Twitter user; I sent him the link to my blog asking for his comments. I didn’t imagine he would respond, but that afternoon we exchanged ideas about what the English education system needed in order to move forwards. To read the article and the post, click here.

Blogging and using Twitter have flattened hierarchies for me in a fantastic way: I network every day with senior leaders, politicians, journalists and international educationalists. As an example, in the past couple of weeks, I have also been discussing digital literacy with the Principal at Berkhamsted School, after reading a really interesting post on his blog. To read the exchange, click here.

The constant drip-feed of new ideas and inspiration that Twitter provides has given me a real edge at school and means I can stay right on the pulse of educational change. I would really recommend it to any aspiring senior leaders to use this tool to access some of the great thinking and innovation that is going on in the world of education, from your doorstep to the other side of the world.

To follow me on Twitter, go to http://www.twitter.com/mrslwalker

*This post was reinstated after it got lost in the ether when my blog was updated.*