Won another one over–i think!
January 3, 2008
Today my principal came over to the library to chit chat about some ideas I had brainsotrmed in an email the night before (regarding our spelling bee, an annual event that not everyone loves…) She loved all my ideas, and that, my friends, may be a coming post later on. The Spelling Bee is next Friday.
She has asked me to help her begin a blog, and was fretting over time constraints and whether or not she would have time to committ to the tool. I tried to describe it as nothing less than her emails and newsletters she already spends time doing, and
introduced her to a reader–showing her both my Bloglines and Google Reader accounts. I tried to explain how a reader makes it manageable.
So maybe tomorrow I will get to sit down with her and help her create her blog. Maybe. I don’t know about your principals, but everyone I’ve ever had always seemed way to busy. But my feeling is since she seems to have this vision, and a desire to get into the web 2.0 mix, I should do everything I can to get her in it now, while the desire is fresh.
What should I do? Should I just create the blog for her to save her time, and then show her how she can tweak it, change the theme, and add widgets and assorted other fun stuff for blogs, or should I 
get her to start from scratch, with me on the side guiding her. My fear is if I let her do it she will sort of lose interest or not see the potential. Maybe I’ll just create a generic one, and then take it in to show and offer it up for use, and then explain that she can go from there or launch her own, and explain that I will be there to support her as she learns. I don’t think she is ready for her own domain or anything like that, and so will probably use the Edublogs portal since I am comfy with it and KEY, it is not blocked at school. (The easiest one to introduce her to, blogger,
IS blocked at school.) I am not sure, but something tells me she is the type who really likes to sort through things to understand them, and that means moving things around herself, organizing it, and making it something she likes. She’ll need to physically untangle the wires and set up her space.
My principal is so ready to be molded. She is not resistant to anything, and seems more tech-savvy than most principals I have worked with, so I am truly excited about this. When the blog comes to be, I will ask my readers and my twitter network to show her some “blog-love.” You all know how encouraging it is when you get comments on your blog. It feeds the desire to keep at it.
If you have any helpful hints or links, please send along.
Attribution:
Image: ‘Fear the Skeleton Hand3‘
www.flickr.com/photos/50417132@N00/277889371
Image: ‘the weepies:simple life‘
www.flickr.com/photos/41754875@N00/1268651211
Image: ‘Snakes in a Plane‘
www.flickr.com/photos/99247795@N00/266453254
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Cathy -
To me, the key is in this sentence you wrote: “She has asked me to help her begin a blog, and was fretting over time constraints and whether or not she would have time to committ to the tool.”
There you have it - she’s invited your help, and she’s worried about time. My suggestion is that you set up a basic blog, maybe with one or two widgets/fun things (too many and you’ll overwhelm her) - “give” it to her for her use, but also show her how she can change it if she decides the one you’ve created isn’t “her”.
If she’s got the time, spend a few minutes showing her some other blogs, both from really tech-savvy educators and from some principals reflecting on their practice (we principals aren’t ALL about the tech, so if you only show us really techie-oriented blogs, we’ll think blogging is a one-note wonder) - and maybe show her how a reader could help her keep up with those blogs (I’m on GoogleReader now, but when I started, I went with bloglines… something about it just seemed easier to follow and less intimidating).
For me - also initially intimidated by the technology and the time issue - I was hooked by a combination of the opportunity to process my thoughts in a blog, while also seeing the power of learning from others via the reader.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:42 pm
Cathy,
Most of us tweak our blogs from time to time. I would set up a basic blog to get your administrator started, then be available to show her how to upgrade or “gussy up” her site.
And be sure to show her some of the humbler offerings (like mine!) in addition to the must-read edublogger leaders. It can be intimidating when you view a posting that reads like a well-reasoned article in a professional journal.
Emphasize the fun of blogging and the incredible boost that creative expression brings. Show her how to find images on Creative Commons to illustrate her topics and encourage her to use other bloggers posts as a springboard to original essays of her own.
Get her a Twitter account, and we’ll all talk her through it!
diane
January 3rd, 2008 at 11:06 pm
@Jeanette You speak form experience and have given incredible advice! Thanks
@Diane Yes–I will not point her to the intimidating blogs, and will show her how to find CC images to graphically enhance her posts. I did tell her today much of what is blogged is reactions to issues that are blogged about, but good stuff that will really increase her own learning. EXCITED!!
Now that I am banned from the library tomorrow, I’ll probably have plenty of time to work on it. (See my newest post!)
January 3rd, 2008 at 11:51 pm
I would sit down and discuss the options with her so that she has input as to the level of help and assistance you provide. Saying that I would also set up a feed reader, I am assuming she does not have one, with has blogs she might enjoy reader e.g. especially blogs by other principals. My other advice would be to think very carefully about the blog URL and name — better to spend more time now getting it right than worrying about changing later.
January 4th, 2008 at 12:07 am
Sue that is a good point. Before I begin, i will have time to ask pertinent question, and even share the dilemma I have recently discovered in my own blog’s name. But I think she will probably want something simple…tread lightly and carefully, and divulge all my former mistakes so she won’t make the same ones.
January 4th, 2008 at 7:53 am
Will be interesting what she decides as to whether she gets you to set up or works together with you to set up. Agreed something simple - but I do think my bad URL and blog name totally outranks yours
which is why I suggested taking the time to get it right. I suppose when in doubt go with your name.