Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Monday, October 13, 2014
Why Multiple Methods of Communication Are Key In Schools
As a middle school principal, a key philosophy I have is communicating with parents, students, and staff in multiple ways. Sometimes I'm asked, "why not just have your website?", "why do you need so many?"
My answer is simple: we all utilize different modalities to receive our information on a daily basis. Some of us use Twitter, Instagram, text messages, Facebook, blogs, etc. As a site administrator, it is our job to provide as many different ways of communicating with our various stakeholders as possible. We cannot brand our schools and have transparency without constantly opening our schools through various ways of communication that a parent can see at home any time day/night.
At MJHS, we use Twitter (@MJHSBullpups) every day to display what is going on at school and in classrooms. Although we are not yet at the level of my good friend Adam Welcome's school--John Swett Elementary (@JSEroadrunners)--where every teacher is on Twitter, we do have quite a few teachers on Twitter with the hope we get more on.
We also use Instagram (MJHSBullpups) and currently have over 500 followers (mostly students and some parents). We average 50+ likes per picture and we post pictures of classrooms, student work, fun activities, and overall what our school looks like on a daily basis.
A newer communication tool we have this year is Remind text message service. Parents, students, and staff can sign up for this text message service to receive updates from me. I have a school-wide Remind service for everyone, a separate staff group, and a separate student one. Remind is only one-way communication, and those receiving the text messages phone numbers are private. You can include voice clips, pictures, and even add an attachment. In this day and age, many of us including myself, would much rather receive a text message versus an email. If you are new to Remind, I highly recommend this form of communication.
Our school website (Martinez Jr. High) has our Twitter, Instagram, and Remind all embedded so you can see the feeds anytime without needing to have a Twitter, Instagram, etc. account. We keep our Daily Video broadcast (done by students) embedded as well so you can watch it from home at any time.
Finally, we use our Parentlink system to send weekly announcements via email from me to keep parents informed of what is going on as far as announcements and calendar events.
In the last few years at both the schools I have been a principal, the parent and staff feedback has been extremely positive related to communication, because I have provided numerous ways for stakeholders to be connected. I have provided a glimpse into what my school looks like on a daily basis through pictures, tweets, and text messages.
As an administrator I model being connected with my own personal Twitter, and my new favorite communication tool--Voxer. Currently on Voxer I connect daily with administrators from around the country who inspire me and provide useful resources and information to make me better at my job. Finding various ways to communicate to ensure everyone feels connected is critical. No matter what profession, are you communicating with your clients/stakeholders?
My answer is simple: we all utilize different modalities to receive our information on a daily basis. Some of us use Twitter, Instagram, text messages, Facebook, blogs, etc. As a site administrator, it is our job to provide as many different ways of communicating with our various stakeholders as possible. We cannot brand our schools and have transparency without constantly opening our schools through various ways of communication that a parent can see at home any time day/night.
At MJHS, we use Twitter (@MJHSBullpups) every day to display what is going on at school and in classrooms. Although we are not yet at the level of my good friend Adam Welcome's school--John Swett Elementary (@JSEroadrunners)--where every teacher is on Twitter, we do have quite a few teachers on Twitter with the hope we get more on.
We also use Instagram (MJHSBullpups) and currently have over 500 followers (mostly students and some parents). We average 50+ likes per picture and we post pictures of classrooms, student work, fun activities, and overall what our school looks like on a daily basis.
A newer communication tool we have this year is Remind text message service. Parents, students, and staff can sign up for this text message service to receive updates from me. I have a school-wide Remind service for everyone, a separate staff group, and a separate student one. Remind is only one-way communication, and those receiving the text messages phone numbers are private. You can include voice clips, pictures, and even add an attachment. In this day and age, many of us including myself, would much rather receive a text message versus an email. If you are new to Remind, I highly recommend this form of communication.
Our school website (Martinez Jr. High) has our Twitter, Instagram, and Remind all embedded so you can see the feeds anytime without needing to have a Twitter, Instagram, etc. account. We keep our Daily Video broadcast (done by students) embedded as well so you can watch it from home at any time.
Finally, we use our Parentlink system to send weekly announcements via email from me to keep parents informed of what is going on as far as announcements and calendar events.
In the last few years at both the schools I have been a principal, the parent and staff feedback has been extremely positive related to communication, because I have provided numerous ways for stakeholders to be connected. I have provided a glimpse into what my school looks like on a daily basis through pictures, tweets, and text messages.
As an administrator I model being connected with my own personal Twitter, and my new favorite communication tool--Voxer. Currently on Voxer I connect daily with administrators from around the country who inspire me and provide useful resources and information to make me better at my job. Finding various ways to communicate to ensure everyone feels connected is critical. No matter what profession, are you communicating with your clients/stakeholders?
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