Principal As Connected Leader

It's been an interesting journey, in PQP 1 and 2, exploring this idea of principal as connected leader and the importance of this part of the principal role.  I must be honest- though I have thought incessantly about the tremendous importance of being a good communicator, I had given little thought to how social media and the digital world might actually help with this.  Or, should I say, I had given little thought to how technology might be used beyond the obvious- the first level of the SAMR model.  Without a doubt, technology is an amazing substitute for organizing and communicating beyond using paper and pencil but there is so much more it can and should be used for.

When I think of setting direction as a school leader, the use of Google forms would be an excellent tool for gathering input and feedback from the various stakeholders involved in the school and greater community.  Social media, such as Twitter, also provides an excellent platform for sharing the work and priorities of the school.  It is a great way for communicating upcoming events and the awesome happenings that support the vision and direction of a school.  It can also support developing people.  Supporting staff and community by sharing their amazing efforts and contributions can do so much for the morale and culture of a school.

I hadn't thought much about blogging as a principal but why not?  What an awesome way to show a willingness to take risks and try new things.  Sharing your learning shows you are in a co-learning stance and your openness to showing vulnerabilities.  Blogs provide an amazing opportunity for sharing trials, tribulations and celebrations.  They are excellent for demonstrating the role of a reflective practitioner.  They also allow for a place to share and connect those who follow you to other educators and experts in the field because you can capture your favourites on there.

Technology definitely supports securing accountability.  There are so many means to capture evidence of student learning and educator actions using technology.  Compiling evidence is one thing and then using it in a number of meaningful ways is another.  The digital world helps with sorting, analyzing and making sense of the data you capture and how it may support improvement planning in so many domains.

The connected leader is one who values the importance, in this day and age, of connecting with other educators to make learning better for our students.  Innovation is about making learning better- not change for the sake of change but change that serves our learners better.  The changes in our world demand that, as educators, we are seeking ways to do this.  It's our moral imperative.  The connected leader can't help but improve experiences for our learners and the greater community just by being connected.

One Blog

So...it's taken a few years of experimenting, exploring and reflecting to finally settle on just one blog to share my thoughts, stories, curiosities, wonderings.  I follow and am inspired by the messages in many blogs and also realize the personal benefits of blogging for my own reflective practice.   But to start out blogging was a huge leap.  Like I've heard from so many, it's hard to take the risk of putting your own thinking out there, particularly in writing, for all the world to see.  Yet, isn't it those kinds of risks that I ask of students and even expect from my colleagues?

So, after attempting to create several blogs....fast forward two years and here I am- starting another one.  What's the saying?  "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again?"  My hope is that this will be my final blog and that this is one I will stick with.

When I first attempting blogging, I wasn't really sure how to just share randomly and openly about any topic at all.  I felt it easier to focus on one passion or theme or idea and I couldn't comprehend how to bring them all together.   So, instead, I made separate blogs for each one of my passions and learning journeys.  As you can imagine, this became unmanageable and some of these didn't even make it past the 'design' of the site or the first post.

I'm sharing what I call my 'failed' attempts at blogging here because it's all been a necessary part of my journey to get to where I am today.    My Play-Think-Wonder blog was focused on my love for play-based learning and passion for the early years.  Bruce-Grey Catholic DSB Learns was created with the hope that our system might use the collaborative space for our study of George Couros' book The Innovator's Mindset. Designer Classrooms was created in the hope of capturing stories of design thinking and Inquiry Learning Redefined was created to capture a my journey and reflections about a project in a Grade 5/6 classroom. This blog would be my best attempt at blogging but was set-up to capture one learning journey specifically rather than a general blog for sharing all of my learning.

Over time, I have become less and less 'fearful' about blogging and sharing my thoughts publicly- even when not completely polished. This has been a process- but recognizing the importance of blogging for my own reflections has made me less reserved.

As I move forward in my career, my One Blog seems like a make-sense place to continue to share. Regardless of the focus in my work or my role in education I will use this space to reflect on all I learn-think-wonder. Looking forward to this next chapter of blogging!