Here Comes Module 3!!!

Where do the ISTE, NBPTS, and WVPTS "speak" to or promote teacher leadership, particularly leadership for technology integration?

ISTE promote teacher leadership in technology right in it’s mission statement. It says that it goes beyond just using learning how to use the new tools in the classroom, but rethinking how we teach and learn.

NBPTS focuses on teacher leadership by analyzing the teacher according to the five core propositions and having them nationally recognized as some of the best teachers in the nation. This does not explicitly reference technology, but teachers that use technology can be described by all of the five core propositions.

WVPTS has teachers applying their 21st century skills to the classroom environment. The 21st century learning skills are skills in technology so the WVPTS are promoting the use of technology in the classroom.

There are typically three pathways to teacher leadership for practicing teachers: a pathway for teachers who leave their classrooms to move into formal administrative positions as school leaders, a pathway for teachers who remain in their classrooms to develop and share a deeper knowledge base about teaching with their students and colleagues, and a pathway that bridges the two previously mentioned paths, that is for teachers who spend part of their time in a classroom and part of their time taking on additional administrative and professional development responsibilities. If you were designing a program or professional development intended to prepare teacher leaders to take advantage of these multiple pathways, what would it look like? What learning experiences would you include?

If I were designing a program or professional development intended to prepare teacher leaders I would have an in depth review all three of the pathways. By this, I mean that I would give examples of what each of these entails. I would bring in people that participate in all the three of these pathways to talk about their experiences and job descriptions. These people and their experiences will shed light on the advantages and disadvantages of each, while giving the participant the information they need to make the decision of which path they would like to follow.

Share at least one strategy you will use/are using to assess the technology needs of your context (how will you document needs, what kind of data will you use, etc.).

I am partial to the Likert scale in this type of situation. Having the participants fill out a survey that is on a Likert scale can turn a survey into a number system that can help determine a census of the majority concerns and needs of the group. This is a quantitative method and when doing data analysis I prefer that type of approach.

Chapter 5 Communication

Describe how leaders can harness the power of free resources to improve communication and ultimately improve their overall effectiveness and efficiency. (Post to blog)

With free resources, like social media, we can improve communication and the overall effectiveness and efficiency in and out of the classroom. Social media is a fast and easy way to communicate with other staff members and students. Using Facebook to create private groups can open up a place where teachers can share ideas and resources while also having discussions about important school related topics. It can also help organize fundraisers and other social events the school could be hosting. There are many other programs and social media sites that can do the same thing and leaders can use them to help everyone communicate effectively and efficiently.

Chapter 6 Public Relations

Describe your current position (workplace, student, etc…) and how social media efforts are used to promote transparency and engage stakeholders. (Post to blog)

I am a graduate assistant at FSU and we don’t really use social media directly. The college does use facebook and other social media to promote school events. Email is used the most by FSU and by my immediate workplace to communicate with others. There is some addon that looks a bit like facebook that is attached to microsoft office 365 that was just implemented for the graduate committee so we are starting move a little into the social media realm. So we don’t deal too much with social media, which should be utilized more.

Excellent and Informative Posts and Comments!

Thank you for creating a dynamic blog!  I have learned so much from reading your posts and comments. I truly appreciate your dispositions and ability to actively synthesis the information and respond to colleagues.  Looking forward to Module 3!

Module 2

A leader that I was able to observed that was able to implement a major technological integration would be my former music theory professor. When he first got the position one of the things he pushed for was to get a mac lab for the students, so that we would have the tools to compose, record, edit, and produce the music we were creating. He knew that this technology would be an invaluable tool for us during our education. Another important is that he came into the job with experience in music technology, being a composer who creates multi-media works, which involves sight as well as sound elements.

My score on the leadership skill assessment was an 82. According to the test my skills are in Emotional Intelligence and My Motivation and Support. My worst performances were in Managing Performance Effectively, in which I received a 6 out of 10, and Self Confidence in which I received an 8 out of 10. I want to be the kind of leader who inspires people to always adapt to change and use all the tools they have available. I want to be able to objectively see my deficiencies and take steps to improve on them.  

Connect Peers With Purpose 

The text says about Connecting peers with purpose: Purposeful peer interaction within and beyond the school is crucial. Student learning and achievement increase substantially when teachers work in learning communities supported by school leaders who focus on improvement. It is also essential to develop relatable goals and associated outcomes with every change initiative. The why and the how need to be clearly articulated to the staff, and they need to be active participants in the change process. Purposeful peer interaction allows teachers to have a voice in the decision-making process and to craft how policies and mandates will be implemented 

It is very important to connect with all of your peers in the school. The student’s education depends on their teacher’s ability to use all the tools at their disposal. This includes working with peers in order to build and scaffold on each other’s work. It is also important because it allows teachers to have a voice when deciding on school policies.

  

Learning Is the Work

The text says about Learning Is the Work: Professional development (PD) in workshops, courses, and online environments is only one input to continuous learning and precision in teaching. Successful growth itself is accomplished when the culture of the school supports the day-to-day learning of teachers engaged in improving what they do in the classroom and school. Leaders must not only be creative in finding time for teachers to engage in PD during the day, but they also must consistently model lifelong learning themselves. Digital leadership dictates that learning is first and foremost.

Engaging in personal development is one of the most important things in my mind. Having school leaders work on creating special personal development programs for the schools will increase the teacher’s dedication. These goals can be furthered by school officials and teachers using technology.  

What is your philosophy of how schools can/should use social media?

In my opinion schools using social media is a dangerous slope. On the one hand it creates an excellent way for schools to get information out to the parents of the students, as well as the community at large. It also allows for the school to hold large scale discussions of importance issues with parents and the community. When it comes to more personal social media interaction things get blurry. As long as communication is in the form of mass classroom announcements I don’t think there is a problem, but I am against sensitive information being sent over social media. 

Shout-Out to Laura!

I copied and pasted this from Laura's Module 2 Post - "I have since sent her an imploring email fighting my case on the relevance and daily use of the ipads for my art class.  She has since changed her mind about it and is giving me permission to order 17 more devices to complete my classroom set of 30 ipads.  A win for me!  Yes!   " - Laura funk

Module 2: Brianna Jones

You are required to post a description of the most effective leader you have either worked with or observed, the change they were working toward, and your analysis of their leadership style to our Module 2 blog forum.

Thinking about a person that I have worked with that has shown technology leadership, I would have to say our business teacher Michelle Allen. Mrs. Allen always goes above and beyond to make sure that all of her technology works before letting students use it in the classroom. She is always projecting different items on the board and making her lessons interactive with her students. She always finds different lessons to engage her students while working on different things online. When she is not in the classroom she is helping different teachers learn new skills with the technology sources that they want to start utilizing in their own classrooms. During professional development days, Mrs. Allen will have a session about different sources that teachers can use and goes into detail about the trainings that are available for them. She goes above and beyond to help the teachers and the students stay on top of new technology sources that we have available to us at our school. She goes to different meetings in the summer and works hard to help others that need her.

 

You are also required to complete the leadership skills assessments included in this module and reflect on your results.

I scored a 77 on the leadership skills assessment. I scored 9 out of 10 on self-confidence, 10 out of 10 on positive attitude and outlook, 10 out of 10 on emotional intelligence, etc.

What are your skills? What leadership style is your strength?

I think one of my best skills when it comes to being a leader is that I am very organized. Whenever I am in charge of something with the school, I always see what I need to do and make lists to see what needs to be done first. I always ask others what they think when it comes to different things. I don’t boss others around; instead I ask for others input and thoughts. I try to be a very positive person and to look at the good rather than the bad. I like to motivate others to help them achieve something.

What skills do you need to develop?

I would say that I need to have a stronger self-confidence. Sometimes, depending on what I am doing, I doubt myself. I feel inferior to others and that they can do it better. I am human and sometimes I let my emotions or feelings get the best of me. I want to be liked by everyone and not feel like others don’t want to work with me because of the person I am.

What kind of leader do you aspire to be?

I want to be a leader that everyone looks up to and wants to be more like. I want to lead by working with others and getting and sharing input with others that are in my group. I don’t want to be known for being a control freak or a bossy person. I want people to want to work with me and want me to help them when they are in need. I want to be able to step up to any situation with great confidence in myself.

 

Digital Leadership:  Changing Paradigms and Changing Times (Chapters 3-4)

Chapter 3 Keys to Leading Sustainable Change

Summarize two of the Six Secrets of Change.

Fullan Change Secret 1: Love Your Employees

Teachers and staff need to know that they are loved and supported by their administration and school. To help them be successful they need to have support and their own space to make mistakes that they can learn from. Teachers need to be able to receive support for their teaching and for attaining their goals for each school year. By showing that they are loved and supported teachers are able to reach their goals and so isn’t the school.

Fullan Change Secret 5: Transparency Rule

Having mentors in your school is very important when it comes to having new teachers in the building. By having leaders in your school work with other teachers everyone will improve in some way. Teachers need to be able to share their views and their teaching strategies with others so improvements will be made.

Chapter 4 Leading with Technology

What is your philosophy of how schools can/should use social media?

I have a love/hate relationship when it comes to using social media in school. As a teacher, you have to consider all of the risks that go along with implementing social media in your classroom. There are pros and cons to this as well. I think that if students are well behaved while using social media then there is not going to be a problem. We need to make sure that each student remains on task and only visits sites that they are told to. I think that if you are careful and watch your student’s activity that certain social media sites could be used in the classroom. Edmodo is a really good social media source that is both interactive and safe for students to use. Flickr and Blogger are two other great social media sites that students can use to interact and the teacher can still monitor the posts and keep students safe.

Fantastic News! Shout-Out to Former Student in this Course!

Michelle Raines, past student in this course, just informed me that she received a grant for her school based on the grant she wrote for this course!  Her school received a 4,000.00 Literacy grant!  Also, her Technology proposal for this course helped her school get the 1:1 passed in the middle school!

Module 2 Post - Laura Funk

While reviewing these materials you should reflect on leaders you have worked with or observed who were in a position to implement a major change (a technology integration initiative if possible) - how did they lead that change?

My former Principal was instrumental with implementing a new initiative started at my school called “second chance.”  This program is dedicated to students who require more individual help and reinforcement when completing assignments.  These students attend 2^nd chance at lunchtime or during specified periods with work in hand to get help with or to be given extra time to complete.  This program has been imperative to the success of many of our student population.  I suppose it could be compared to a study hall period in high school, but this program is the first of its kind at South Middle. 

My Principal lead the change by jumping in with both feet and being 100 % supportive to the selected teachers responsible for implementing it.  The teachers took a trial and error approach until they got it right because it was new to everyone.  Those teachers figured out the best options and the program flourished.  It is something we are all very proud of and the students see substantial benefit from attending.  The Principal was very positive and knew the program would be great, so it was.  A self-fulfilling prophesy that has improved our staff and student culture drastically. 

With regard to technology, none of my administrators have been overly influential with implementation at my school.  They are all in support of technology integration, but I feel that they are all behind the times of how important it is and how much technology can achieve in the classroom.  When I went about requesting my ipad set last year, I wrote letters and sought approval.  My Principal was on board as long as I had my own resource for funding, which I did, so they signed off on my orders and approved my ideas, so I made it happen. 

And with regard to my post earlier, I stated in a previous blog post that my county technology director was banning the purchase of ipads.  I have since sent her an imploring email fighting my case on the relevance and daily use of the ipads for my art class.  She has since changed her mind about it and is giving me permission to order 17 more devices to complete my classroom set of 30 ipads.  A win for me!  Yes!   

What leadership style did they exhibit?

My Principal exhibited a mixed style of nurturing and authoritative styles.  She knew when to ask for something or to diplomatically lead you in the desired direction.  I feel that she had the perfect balance of “boss-lady” gusto versus there for you when you need her chum. 

She got things done and was efficient and well-liked.  She balanced the power well and never made you feel small when she was giving direction.  She retired at the end of last school year.  I miss her.  My new Principal moved up from Assistant, so she is still getting used to everything.  We will see what she brings to the table this year as far as authority. 

What about their leadership efforts was successful?

I mentioned above that I felt my Principal for the last two years balanced authority with kindness and sensitivity.  She knew when to press hard or to give way.  She was well respected, kind and never made you feel small or “beneath her” when she spoke.  She had been in the classroom and could reflect back on those days when giving advice and she had family, so was sensitive to needs as they arose in peoples’ lives.  She had an excellent way of balancing what is required to be an exceptional leader.  I hope to follow in her footsteps some day and to lead a school in a similar fashion. 

Why do you believe this/these aspects of their leadership was/were successful?

I believe these aspects of her leadership were successful because the school staff felt very uniform and united.  We had similar goals and all worked on ways of improving things and contributing in our own subjects.  If we felt good, and were happy the chain of smiles grew and made the school a great environment to work in where we felt supported and valued.  If teachers don’t feel they are valued they often don’t invest as much time and effort into their jobs.  They get burnt out quicker in the school year and they often do not take on additional tasks voluntarily for the betterment of the school.  Teachers that feel valued and supported want to give back in any way they can so the school as a whole is more dynamic and successful. 

Complete the leadership skills assessment included in this module and reflect on your results. What are your skills?

I received an 84 on the Leadership Skills Assessment. 

“53-90 Excellent!  You’re well on your way to becoming a good leader.  However you can never be too good at leadership or too experienced.” 

I scored high on self-confidence, positive attitude and outlook, providing a compelling vision for the future and emotional intelligence.

I need to work on being a good role model and managing performance effectively. 

What skills do you need to develop?

To be a good leader I need to keep current on relevant news, topics, concerns and developments within the school, county, state and country.  I need to inspire people and show that I am worthy of the power and authority I have every day.  Administrators need to be on their A game always and demonstrating they can multi-task, handle stress, juggle duties and assign duties accordingly. 

Also I need to be sure I manage performance by setting expectations clearly and concisely in order to achieve high performance.  I have to apply rules that are fair and consistent. 

What leadership style is your strength?

I have good self-confidence and a positive and proactive outlook.  I am firm and know my own mind.  I am not easily swayed by others when I know my own goals and how to best attain them.  I am fair and reasonable and empathetic. 

What kind of leader do you aspire to be?

I aspire to be the kind of leader people look up to.  I aspire to be the kind of leader my former Principal was.  I hope to find the perfect balance between authority and empathy.

Digital Leadership:  Changing Paradigms and Changing Times (Chapters 3-4) 

Chapter 3 Keys to Leading Sustainable Change

Summarize two of the Six Secrets of Change.

1 – Love Your Employees = basically creating a school-wide environment that is supportive and enthusiastic.  Making sure your teachers are nurtured academically and emotionally.  Helping teachers be independent, creative and allowing them to be innovative.  Also bringing the community in and getting them involved in school-wide activities. 

2 – Transparency Rules =  The more teachers share and collaborate with regards to technology, resources, websites, classroom management, behavior plans, grading tools - the more efficiently and productive the school becomes.  Transparency involves active and cooperative communication for the improvement and dynamism of the school, the staff, the community and students alike.   

Chapter 4 Leading with Technology

What is your philosophy of how schools can/should use social media?

I agree with Sean that social media can be a great tool if utilized the right way and with the right parameters set for the assignment.  Instagram is good for picture referencing and when discussing images and using comparisons of styles, filters, meanings and the like.  Instagram is also very effective when discussing timelines, and story development. 

Facebook is too overloaded with content to be effective in my opinion.  I can’t seem to take to twitter.  I understand that it filters related content, but I can’t get past the endless hashtags. 

I have used Edmodo with students in the past.  It is set up similar to facebook, but it is for a more controlled interaction experience between teachers and students.  I have used it for my sign language classes.  I uploaded video clips for them to study from and attach assignments to.  It was very effective as a resource for homework and review.  I would recommend it.  Our school is using Engrade now, which has similar features within the grading platform, so it negates my need for edmodo.  I have created a class website on engrade, which provides the same options as edmodo did for me. 

I will end by repeating that I think social media resources can be very useful in educational settings, but again, be sure you have thought of all your requirements and limitations and that you have covered those thoroughly with your students prior to beginning the assignment.  I think social media is very useful in moderation. 

Module 2 - Sean Harwell

While reviewing these materials you should reflect on leaders you have worked with or observed who were in a position to implement a major change (a technology integration initiative if possible) - how did they lead that change?

I currently work for Dr. Debra Hemler and we are constantly updating her classes with new technology tools. I have made many suggestions myself and she is always looking at educational journals for new technology to add to her courses. Dr. Steven Roof is another professor at FSU that adds a lot of technology integration to his classes. He is probably the best person at excel I have ever seen and integrates some unique spreadsheets into his course. For his Genetics course he has changed the way we do the fruit fly lab by making it completely online. Many others in the department are using more and more technology integration in their classes. Some of them come to me to help them with the new technology and I am always more than happy to help.

What leadership style did they exhibit?

Not 100% on how to answer this question, but here it goes. Dr. Hemler takes technology tips from all her colleagues and shares her findings with others. She is the science education coordinator and writes grants for all kinds of programs so that they may have money for all technology needs. She also is in charge of the NASA ERC which has a major focus on STEM outreach. Being able to work with someone that does so much for her school and the community is an honor.

What about their leadership efforts was successful?

She is able to reach out to the community and all over the state with her efforts to spread STEM education and promoting the use of new technologies. She also helps immensely with the WVSTA that helps the education community see and adopt new technologies for science education into their curriculum.

Why do you believe this/these aspects of their leadership was/were successful?

I think it is because of how willing she is to help others and the way she supports them in their endeavours that makes her so successful in what she does. When the people you employ and work for know that you care and are supporting their decisions while also offering helpful feedback, they are more than willing to also support you as a leader.

You are also required to complete the leadership skills assessments included in this module and reflect on your results. What are your skills? What skills do you need to develop? What leadership style is your strength? What kind of leader do you aspire to be?

I received a 78 as my score for the assessment.

53-90 Excellent! You're well on your way to becoming a good leader. However, you can never be too good at leadership or too experienced – so look at the areas where you didn't score maximum points, and figure out what you can do to improve your performance.

The areas I scored the best were Self-Confidence, Positive Attitude and Outlook, and Providing a Compelling Vision of the Future.

The areas I need to develop are in Emotional Intelligence and Being a Good Role Model.

I aspire to be the kind of leader that everyone looks up to and respects. I clearly am lacking in Emotional Intelligence and Being a Good Role Model, which I will now start to work on improving so I can be the best leader that I can be for whatever job I take on.

Chapter 3 Keys to Leading Sustainable Change

Summarize two of the Six Secrets of Change.

Connect Peers with Purpose - Learning and achievement by students is increased when the teachers are supported by school leaders that want them to improve. When initiating change, have clear goals and outcomes associated. Teachers need to know their opinion matters and can voice it when they want so that the process may be changed if needed.

Systems Learn - The school and its’ educators should be open to adopting new technologies to fit their classroom needs. An ever progressing classroom that improves student learning.

Chapter 4 Leading with Technology

What is your philosophy of how schools can/should use social media?

Social media is a ricky thing, but if used correctly can be a powerful tool. I would not recommend using mainstream social media sites, but instead try more secure social media sites. the only downfall of such sites is that the students may not be as willing to use them. Facebook is a good site to have a private group in, but since there is direct messaging and other tools that can be used in cyber bullying. The two mainstream social media apps I would recommend would be Instagram and Vine. Instagram is great for pictures that students can use as ways to show a story for assignments; a picture is, of course, worth a thousand words. Vine can be used for 6 second clips that can also be utilized in the classroom to get a point across in just 6 short seconds. These both force students to critically think about the assignment before they complete it. My philosophy is that social media can be a great tool, if used correctly, and so can any piece of technology.

Module 2- Amanda Smith

Leadership Skills Assessment

I scored a  66 on the leadership skills assessment. According to that number, my leadership skills are "Excellent! You're well on your way to becoming a good leader. However, you can never be too good at leadership or too experienced- so look a the areas where you didn't score maximum points, and figure out what you can do to improve your performance." My skills include self-confidence, positive attitude and outlook, being a good role model, and providing support and stimulation. I know for a fact that I need to work on my self-confidence and my communication skills. Sometimes when in front of a crowd, I get nervous and worry over stupid little things.

Leadership strength- I think that my strongest leadership quality is my positive attitude and outlook. I am always looking for the silver lining to every situation. I definitely approach situations with a realistic attitude. I have had my ups and downs in life, and because of that, I know that most things don't work out 100% the way you want and you will have to be prepared for plan B. I do worry a lot, but honestly I think I use that worry to make sure I do the best I can. In my classroom, I always say to students "Ok...what happened? Lets figure it out" when they make a mistake. I try not to say "wrong" or "mistake" because I feel like my students react better to positive reinforcement.

Leadership aspiration- I want to be an effective leader, obviously. I want to be approachable by students and other faculty. I want to continue my positive outlook and help my students let go of some of their negativity toward math. I also want to be a good role model, and not just in my classroom. I have a younger sister and a best friend who is like a younger sister, and I want to be an excellent role model for them. I want to be able to look up to me. I joke with them and tell them when they are in an iffy situation, ask themselves "what would Amanda do?". I also want to walk into the classroom and my self confidence and intelligence beam off of me. Essentially, I want to be respected, approachable, helpful, and honest leader for all the people in my life.

Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms and Changing Times

Chapter 3: Keys to Leading Sustainable Change-
Secret 1- Love your employees
I love that this is the first secret! Basically, to build an effective school, you need to enable you staff by allowing them to take risks and be innovative. Also, there needs to be trust and support given to the staff. The happier the staff, the happier the school, students, and community.

Secret 2- Connect peers with purpose
Allow teachers to have a say in the decision making process. Focus on improvement by supporting the teachers.

Chapter 4: Leading with Technology-
My personal philosophy of how schools can/should use technology is: Use as much as possible! Not only from this class, but from ALL the classes I've taken in pursuit of my degree, I have learned that technology is the future. Students need to know now how to use these technologies in and out of a school setting. If they don't, they will surely be left behind in this technologically race. I know there are many issues with using certain technologies in schools, including funding, training of teachers, teachers not wanting to make changes, support, time, and certain internet cites blocked; however, I believe that it is imperative that schools and teachers continue to implement more and more technology in the classrooms. Since the summer 2015 semester, I have learned a lot of new ways to use and present technology,all of which were new to me and I enjoyed, and I wish there were more ways for me to incorporated it in my own Math classroom!!  I will definitely be trying!

The Most Effective Leader

The most effective leader that I have had the pleasure of working with is Beth Thompson, Coordinator of Math Support, here at FSU.  I've only known and worked with since August 2014, but I can say she is amazing. FSU is being made to change our Math curriculum, doing away with "developmental math". Instead, we are implementing "Math Support". This is a program that allows students who didn't score well enough on the ACT to take the Math class (1107 Fundamental Concepts, 1112 College Algebra, or 1101 Applied Tech Math 1) that they need for their major concurrently with an hour support lab that meets twice a week INSTEAD of several semesters of developmental math. This new program is being built from the ground up here at FSU and this Fall 2015 is the first semester in which it is fully implemented. Beth has since had to find teachers, build content for these support classes, and numerous other tasks. She is most always available, to both students and other faculty. She is very approachable and knows her stuff. I believe that she a good role model; there are almost more times than not students in working with her. Sometimes I even have to wait in line to see her! She has very good communication skills, not just one on one, but as a speaker in a conference setting. She has helped me more times than I can count and I have definitely thought to myself that I'd like to be more like her. 

**To give credit where credit is due, Dennine LaRue is also a major contributor to this math program, as well as all the other math faculty. We couldn't do it without everyone. I just don't work with them as closely, but am in NO WAY trying to take away how important they are!**

Module 2 Chapter 4 Leading with Technology

The Venn diagram on pg 73 is a great visual that offers me a great way to start this post. There are so many different questions and issues that must be addressed prior to initiating new technology as well as the questions that arise out its implementation. Yet, the first step must be taken, the courageous first step, toward implementing new technologies starts with the desire to increase student achievement. The Venn diagram offers the three main areas of focus: Collaborative Leadership (CL), Personalizing your School Environment (PER), and Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment (CIA), which all directly focus on the center Improved Student Performance. Throughout the history of education the goal has always been student performance (or at least trying to enhance or strengthen achievement) by introducing new methods or technologies designed to meet that purpose. Many times integrating new technologies wasn't that hard because the advancement was very obvious like from quill and ink to pencil or ditto machine to copier... in these cases (and many more) the integration of these technologies was almost instant because everyone could see that they would make a dramatic impact on student achievement. When the calculator was introduced in mathematics it was used only as a way to check your work, not a tool to do work faster or more accurately... even today the calculator is met with mixed opinions. Yet if you are truly focused on student achievement then implementing new technology tools is an essential component to achieving this task. I like the Venn diagram because it visually offers the fact that success is dependent and interdependent on more than just one factor; because a teacher alone cannot be successful nor can the principal or the system itself without a cooperative arrangement whereby all parties have a vested interest in that success. When it comes to answering the Module 2 question of my philosophy on "social media," I would be remiss if I didn't mention that my philosophy is and always will be a work in progress. My educational philosophy follows some core principles, but is evolving as I grow as a professional educator. I have learned some things along the way which I believe to be the right way to do things... I have also learned the converse... I have even changed my mind about some things because of a new understanding learned from others or self reflection. Like how many schools have a ban on mobile devices (cell phones, you have to say mobile devices because the cell phone has literally come out of the bag), which has in my opinion been like the federal government's passing of the XVIIIth Amendment (repealed with the XXIst Amendment). While it may not be appropriate to have and use your mobile device anytime you want an outright ban creates an environment of oppression and rebellion. Systems have all students and employees sign an appropriate use contract and then not trusting them to engage appropriately, block what could be useful websites or content...???? Appropriate use means just that and if a student/ employee cannot conduct them self appropriately then that student / employee loses privileges Not everyone... just enforce the rules don't keep making more rules.
So, now to the social media question, I think when used appropriately different types of social media can be powerful assessment tools (back to the Venn diagram CIA assessment to Inform Instruction and Technology to Improve Instruction). If a goal of education is to better prepare students for "real life" it will be a difficult goal to achieve as long as so many schools (educational systems) have an outright ban on mobile devices and blocked websites. Teaching students how use technology appropriately is best done through modeling, not telling!
My philosophy is... if you are truly concerned about student achievement then open the gates and embrace the change... this generation loves gaming...so learn how to use that to teach and assess student learning... this generation loves to be connected socially... so teach them responsible connecting and content posting. Social media is more than Facebook... it could be a  VoiceThread (watch all 3 short intro clips) or Padlet (Padlet Backpack created just for school privacy) or even uploading a video to YouTube (watch this) or ReelWorks  (watch this), which can be and are useful tools that promote student creativity and assess a student's DOK on a greater scale. My philosophy is at present... there are wonderful ways to use social media... help administrators and others realize their power to enhance student achievement. If a system's perspective about social media (mobile devices) is bad or un-valued then you need to change that perspective and I happen to believe that change can occur... leading by example.