3.7 Communication & Collaboration
Candidates utilize digital communication and collaboration tools to communicate locally and globally with students, parents, peers, and the larger community. (PSC 3.7/ISTE 3g)
Artifact:
Shiloh Point Elementary Website
Reflection:
The artifact is Shiloh Point Elementary website created and managed in Centricity, the software used by Forsyth County Schools as the main tool for communication with students, parents, and other community members. It is a sole responsibility of the school-based instructional technology specialist to maintain and regularly update the content of the school website. The home page of the site provides links to the school’s Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages to communicate with community members through a variety of media channels.
The website and other Social Media channels are main communication tools to connect with students and parents. A variety of content is available online: curriculum and instruction, procedures and policies, information about the staff, student support services, and resources for parents. For example, parents can find information about curriculum and instruction under the Academics tab. Teachers on each grade level have rights to access, manage, and update the information about the curriculum. This is a place for teams to collaborate, develop, and share information with parents and students that is specific to their grade level. Curriculum Night’s presentations are run from Academics, and parents are continuously referred to it throughout the school year.
The Parents & Partners tab offers information about parent-based organizations, partners in education, and resources for parent learning. Parent resources on the website are an outcome of collaboration among the leadership team members in the school. The team has developed multiple presentations for parent education and delivered them during Parent Academy Nights. Resources are posted on the site and available to all families. In addition, Dads’ Club, PTA, and Local School Council information is shared through this channel.
Social Media channels are active and used consistently throughout a school year. In an attempt to reach a larger community, Shiloh promotes its news and achievements on Twitter and Facebook. Instead of simply sharing information, the school tries to engage audience in a conversation. For example, parents and students have been asked to share best school memories on the last day of school. As they posted comments and shared their experiences, it was evident that the school has built a strong sense of community in which members value each other.
Social Media channels are also a place to connect with communities across the globe. For instance, a team of Shiloh teachers are participating in the Just One Africa program this summer to help teachers and students in Ghana improve their learning and teaching conditions. Pictures and comments are shared on Shiloh’s Facebook and Twitter pages to share this international experience with audience around the world. An Hour of Code is another event that has connected the school with global communities and young programmers around the world. Because of technologies that offer multiple avenues to communicate with audience outside the school, Shiloh is able to connect with people in local and global communities.
Shiloh needs teachers to become active members of the Social Media community and share their classrooms’ experiences with audience outside classroom walls. Professional learning on Twitter, hashtags, tagging, and page authoring should take a place for the idea to be a reality in the school. It is important to expand the number of people involved in sharing and speaking for the school online.
The artifact is Shiloh Point Elementary website created and managed in Centricity, the software used by Forsyth County Schools as the main tool for communication with students, parents, and other community members. It is a sole responsibility of the school-based instructional technology specialist to maintain and regularly update the content of the school website. The home page of the site provides links to the school’s Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages to communicate with community members through a variety of media channels.
The website and other Social Media channels are main communication tools to connect with students and parents. A variety of content is available online: curriculum and instruction, procedures and policies, information about the staff, student support services, and resources for parents. For example, parents can find information about curriculum and instruction under the Academics tab. Teachers on each grade level have rights to access, manage, and update the information about the curriculum. This is a place for teams to collaborate, develop, and share information with parents and students that is specific to their grade level. Curriculum Night’s presentations are run from Academics, and parents are continuously referred to it throughout the school year.
The Parents & Partners tab offers information about parent-based organizations, partners in education, and resources for parent learning. Parent resources on the website are an outcome of collaboration among the leadership team members in the school. The team has developed multiple presentations for parent education and delivered them during Parent Academy Nights. Resources are posted on the site and available to all families. In addition, Dads’ Club, PTA, and Local School Council information is shared through this channel.
Social Media channels are active and used consistently throughout a school year. In an attempt to reach a larger community, Shiloh promotes its news and achievements on Twitter and Facebook. Instead of simply sharing information, the school tries to engage audience in a conversation. For example, parents and students have been asked to share best school memories on the last day of school. As they posted comments and shared their experiences, it was evident that the school has built a strong sense of community in which members value each other.
Social Media channels are also a place to connect with communities across the globe. For instance, a team of Shiloh teachers are participating in the Just One Africa program this summer to help teachers and students in Ghana improve their learning and teaching conditions. Pictures and comments are shared on Shiloh’s Facebook and Twitter pages to share this international experience with audience around the world. An Hour of Code is another event that has connected the school with global communities and young programmers around the world. Because of technologies that offer multiple avenues to communicate with audience outside the school, Shiloh is able to connect with people in local and global communities.
Shiloh needs teachers to become active members of the Social Media community and share their classrooms’ experiences with audience outside classroom walls. Professional learning on Twitter, hashtags, tagging, and page authoring should take a place for the idea to be a reality in the school. It is important to expand the number of people involved in sharing and speaking for the school online.