District Administration - July/August 2011 - (Page 31)

from participating.) Most of the other Gunn classrooms have followed suit and share videos— many shot from handheld devices on such activities as science experiments. Students have also posted animated videos for which they write the scripts. “It lets the students know that our learning is important and that someone out there cares about it,” Schoening says. “Parents love it.” Social Networking Success Michael Smith, superintendent of Mt. Vernon Township High School District in Oakland, Ill., uses Google Docs for collaborative work with other administrators. While Google Docs allow users to share ideas, comments and multimedia with each other—much like Facebook—Smith finds the easy security controls better suited to educational settings. The students in Mt. Vernon Township are also leveraging the reach of social media. They create videos of classroom exercises such as mock trials in social studies and, under their teachers’ supervision, upload them to YouTube. Twitter is also making an impact. “We can’t afford to fly in an author to talk to students,” Smith continues, but we can tweet him and ask questions. Or if you’re talking about the pyramids, the teacher can look up and choose from 18,000 personal videos from people’s vacations. It’s like a virtual field trip.” Bradford Saron, district administrator of the Cashton (Wis.) Public Schools, uses Twitter to announce everything from early releases because of bad weather to reminders that summer school applications are due. “It’s sharing information for a young generation of parents whose primary means of receiving information is mobile,” he says. Saron and other social media proponents agree that whether fellow superintendents embrace the new social media often depends on what side of the digital and generational divide they stand on. “It’s directly related to how much superintendents are plugged in, logged on, and knee-deep in the digital stream,” insists Saron, who runs various workshops on using social media for Wisconsin administrators. “There are superintendents in my region saying, ‘We’re not going www.DistrictAdministration.com a proven path to a central office position. Seton Hall University’s Executive Ed.D. • This nationally recognized doctoral program for practicing K-12 administrators has prepared over 450 education leaders representing 28 states and 6 foreign countries. • Complete your studies in just two years, with 10 weekends and two summer sessions. • Now accepting applications for the April 2012 cohort. • Loans available to cover the entire cost of the program, regardless of financial need. • Start work on dissertation from day one. For more information, call 1-800-313-9833, email execedd@shu.edu, or go to www.shu.edu/go/excedd. July/August 2011 31 http://www.shu.edu/academics/education/ http://www.shu.edu/academics/education/ http://www.brainchild.com http://www.DistrictAdministration.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - July/August 2011

District Administration - July/August 2011
Contents
From the Editor
News Update
Facilities News
Inside the Law
District Profile
Administrator Profile
The Social Media Dilemma
Is Year-Round Schooling on Track?
After 50 Years, Ethnic Studies Still Controversial
Finding the Right Purchasing Solution
Look, Listen, Learn
Research Center
Supervisor’s Opinion
Going Mobile
Superintendent’s Insight
Books
Product Focus
New Products
Online Edge

District Administration - July/August 2011