Social Media Fosters Professional Learning and Collaboration
Each year, as we dive more deeply into school improvement initia- tives, I hear teachers say, “I just
need to see it.” Now they can, thanks
to the explosion of online videos,
blogs, and easy-to-use social media
outlets, such as Facebook, You Tube,
Twitter, and Pinterest.
Many school districts waded cautiously into the realm of social media.
But today these platforms allow teachers and leadership teams to connect
to professional networks that facilitate
global collaboration and the distribution of almost limitless tools and
resources. The idea of “seeing what
good instruction looks like” is taking
on a whole new meaning.
In the Puyallup (Washington)
School District, where I served as
principal of Ferrucci Junior High
School, I knew firsthand how daunting it could be for educators to navigate vast social media networks to find
what was truly valuable. In 2012, I was
involved in an interesting experiment
to test whether social media could
build deeper, richer engagements—
online and offline.
Build Offline Communities Online
As technology-based professional
learning platforms became more of
a norm in our school district, my
assistant principal and I learned about
Success at the Core, an online resource
developed in Washington state by
Microsoft co-founder and philanthro-
pist Paul Allen. Allen had challenged
his film company, Vulcan Productions,
to see how film could enhance K– 12
educational outcomes. The documen-
tary team at Vulcan built a partnership
with the nonprofit Education Devel-
opment Center (EDC), a global leader
in developing instructional programs
and materials for school leaders.
Research tells us that when teachers
see and reflect on high-quality teach-
ing and learning, it can change prac-
tice. Success at the Core uses video as
a primary tool to inspire collaboration.
The 47 films hosted on the freely ac-
cessible website—filmed by an award-
winning documentarian—capture real
teacher and leadership teams in action.
The Puyallup School District in Washington
uses Success at the Core, a professional
learning platform that offers high-quality
videos to illustrate how excellent teacher
and leadership teams work. The videos are
coupled with supporting content to help
educators meet the ISTE Standards.
Research tells us that when teachers see and reflect on high-quality
teaching and learning, it can change practice. Success at the Core
uses video as a primary tool to inspire collaboration.
