Thursday, August 15, 2019

How Administrators Can Use Blogs as a Communication Tool

     In the twenty-first century communication takes a lot of forms.  This is particularly apparent when you are an  administrator in a public school in America.  In an egalitarian fashion, school leaders must communicate effectively with the full spectrum of their community ranging from Grandmother's who read a paper copy of a printed out newsletter in their student's Friday Folder to the hipster millennial parent who wants all their communication to fit neatly into the latest version of their smartphone. 
     A smart school leader will leverage both paper-based communication and blogging to activate their community on a consistent basis.  It may be a lot of front-loading and work in the beginning of the year to get every media outlet active from twitter, to Instagram, to a blog, or simple email or printed out newsletter, however, the administrator will truly reap what they sow.   If a school leader is successful at implementing all of these communication outlets then he or she can not only create an audience but an active community that they can tap into if the need arises. 
    Further, communication can get so confusing at a school and if an administrator can one website with a weekly update through a blog that could be printed out and sent home to families without access to technology, the school could have one place for parents to get all the information they need.  The streamline of communication will please the population that reads it and potentially create a larger readership. 

2 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing this blog.... well structured..!
    Tom

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi David,
    I like the way you describe the diversity of stakeholders and agree that providing options is important in achieving equity. A simple form that parents fill out at registration or open house can be a quick way of determining family preferences for communication. I find that most prefer digital, largely because the ease of having things in one place as you mention.
    In addition to families, blogging can be a great way to communicate to other stakeholders. Since technology is typically available to most school staff, blogging can be a great way to reach staff and keep everyone current.
    Nice job with your post!
    Lindsey

    ReplyDelete

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