June 5th: The art of Lobbying

"Here is what you should do..." my principal said as I was gathering my jaw, which had just plunged in slow motion to the ground with the knowledge of my research's impending doom.
"Let me explain." He went on to explain that he went looking for guidance from the district office regarding the use of social media in his school, specifically Twitter, because of my research project. He went to the assistant superintendent, who did not have a directive, so he went to the superintendent (who I follow on Twitter BTW)who said it is a great tool and gave him no directive, then he went back to the assistant superintendent who said she would check with the lawyers....needless to say, they said NO! He suggested that I go over his head to the district office and lobby my case. So I did.

It took three weeks, in which time I had to break one of the cardinal rules of Twitter...I disappeared. I couldn't explain what was going on to my students and every day that went by was another day I was loosing from my research period. I finally got in touch with the right people and got the OK to do my research, as long as:

1. I gave the username and password to the district office
2. I presented my research to the district upon completion
3. I ceased using Twitter once my research period was over

I must remind you that I work for a great district, and a great school. I can't blame the administration for being timid about the use of social media in education. There are lots of legalities to consider. I just want them to understand that they must consider them, draft a social media policy, and get it approved by the board. It is quite a huge undertaking to adopt a social media policy. You have to consider the fact that there will be training needs, and the ability to conquer the unknown. My research proves that it is cheap (in fact it is free)and more importantly it's what the students want and require to be fully engaged.

If you want to skip my clever banter and get right to the punch line, use the link to check out my thesis and a few presentations based on my research.

Speaking of presentations, I just found out that I was selected to go present at Microsoft's Innovative Education Forum in Seattle this July!! More to come...

Cool tech things:
1. Logitech wireless keyboard for the iPad, I'm loving this!
2. Evernote. This is a great tool for keeping notes, its free, and it sinks to all of your devices. Great tool!
3. Our Choice. This is Al Gores new book, and serves as a sequel to An Inconvenient Truth. Even if you are not interested in the content of the book you have to get this app, it is the future of what books will be....get it!!