Communicating and Connecting W

Finalist--Association of Educational Publishers 2012 Distinguished Achievement Award

Social media holds great potential benefits for schools reaching out to our communities, preparing our teachers, and connecting with our kids. In this short text, the authors examine how enterprising schools are using social media tools to provide customized professional development for teachers and to transform communication practices with staff, students, parents, and other stakeholders.

Benefits:

• Get practical solutions for implementing social media tools into communication and professional development plans.
• Find straightforward language describing each digital tool.
• Gain helpful examples and reproducibles.

Contents:
Chapter 1: Using Social Media Tools to Enhance School Communication Plans
Chapter 2: Using Social Media Tools to Enhance Professional Development
Chapter 3: Developing Professionally Responsible Social Media Practices
Epilogue: The Future of Social Media in Education

William M. Ferriter is a sixth-grade science teacher in a professional learning community near Raleigh, North Carolina. A National Board Certified Teacher, Bill has designed professional development courses for educators nationwide on topics ranging from establishing professional learning communities and using technology to reimagine learning spaces to integrating meaningful student-involved assessment and feedback opportunities into classroom instruction.

What Bill brings to audiences is practical experience gained through extensive and continuing work with his own professional learning team and students in his classroom. Teachers appreciate the practicality of his presentations, knowing that the content shared is content that is currently being used by a full-time classroom teacher. Every session is designed to give participants not just a clear understanding of the "whys" behind the ideas that he is introducing, but tangible examples of how to turn those ideas into classroom and collaborative practices that work.

Jason T. Ramsden is chief technology officer for Ravenscroft School in Raleigh, North Carolina. A career educator, Jason began working in independent schools in 1991 and has held positions in admissions, communications, and technology. Since 1997, his work has focused on improving technology and communication in schools.

Often called on to present at national and state conferences, Jason is chair of the North Carolina Association of Independent Schools' Commission on Technology and helped to found a yearly conference dedicated to helping infuse innovation in schools. He is also a member of the National Association of Independent Schools' 21st Century Curriculum/Technology Task Force.

Eric C. Sheninger is a senior fellow and thought leader on digital leadership with the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE). Prior to this he was the award-winning principal at New Milford High School. Under his leadership, his school became a globally recognized model for innovative practices. Eric oversaw the successful implementation of several sustainable-change initiatives that radically transformed the learning culture at his school while increasing achievement.

His work focuses on leading and learning in the digital age, as a model for moving schools and districts forward. This has led to the formation of the Pillars of Digital Leadership, a framework for all educators to initiate sustainable change to transform school cultures. As a result, Eric has emerged as an innovative leader, best-selling author, and sought-after speaker. His main focus is purposeful integration of technology to facilitate student learning, improve communications with stakeholders, enhance public relations, create a positive brand presence, discover opportunity, transform learning spaces, and help educators grow professionally.