Blog Post: After reading about concepts related to excellence in professional practice, including harnessing the power of digital tools and backchannel communication techniques, summarize in a blog post how you can use one or more of the shared ideas to develop and share more robust communication with your school's stakeholders. How could you transform some less effective or inefficient forms of communication through the use of digital tools?
"Backchannel"- I have never heard of this word, but after formally being introduced to it through this courses readings, it looks like I've been a participant of many backchannels as well as delivering the opportunity of being a part of one to many of my students! Hello Backchannel, my name is Silvia Manoukian, and it's nice to be formally introduced to you today... :)
Backchanneling is a marvelous tool to gather everyone's voices- teachers use this on a regular basis to ensure that the few "vocal" students in a classroom aren't the only ones doing the questioning and answering. Administrators can use this effective tool of communication as well in order to enhance the voices of their community stakeholders using technology. One way that I believe backchanneling would be extremely beneficial comes from a very recent personal experience... just last week my oldest son, who is a senior in high school, and I were at his school's "College Application Night" sitting in an auditorium with over a thousand students and their parents, and many school counselors at the front of the auditorium. While they were speaking to the crowd about a very stressful process of applying to colleges, one can imagine the amount and kinds of questions that were stirring in the minds of the students and in the parents alike. At one point in the evening, the counselors pointed out to the massive audience that two microphone podiums were located in the front of the auditorium for parents and students to approach with the opportunity to share their pressing questions regarding the massively intimidating process of applying for college (PS- they only had time to answer 4 questions). Looking back, it would have been WAY MORE effective if the counselors opened up a backchannel, asked the parents and students to take out their mobile device, and begin sharing their questions on there all while projecting the backchannel for the audience and the counselors to see. Parents and students could acknowledge and highlight other peoples contributions, therefore showing the counselors the most pressing questions and comments that their audience had. At that point, they could answer the questions that appeared the most, and they would also have a log of questions that were collected on the backchannel. What a great opportunity to peer into what was in the minds of their community and to have collected it in an organized fashion.
In closing, I believe administrators can provide effective professional development opportunities for their staff, including their counselors, in an effort to improve forms of communication with their community members and audiences via the use of technology. I imagine that if this had been done prior to the College Application Night that the technology would have been used in an extremely meaningful manner.
"Backchannel"- I have never heard of this word, but after formally being introduced to it through this courses readings, it looks like I've been a participant of many backchannels as well as delivering the opportunity of being a part of one to many of my students! Hello Backchannel, my name is Silvia Manoukian, and it's nice to be formally introduced to you today... :)
Backchanneling is a marvelous tool to gather everyone's voices- teachers use this on a regular basis to ensure that the few "vocal" students in a classroom aren't the only ones doing the questioning and answering. Administrators can use this effective tool of communication as well in order to enhance the voices of their community stakeholders using technology. One way that I believe backchanneling would be extremely beneficial comes from a very recent personal experience... just last week my oldest son, who is a senior in high school, and I were at his school's "College Application Night" sitting in an auditorium with over a thousand students and their parents, and many school counselors at the front of the auditorium. While they were speaking to the crowd about a very stressful process of applying to colleges, one can imagine the amount and kinds of questions that were stirring in the minds of the students and in the parents alike. At one point in the evening, the counselors pointed out to the massive audience that two microphone podiums were located in the front of the auditorium for parents and students to approach with the opportunity to share their pressing questions regarding the massively intimidating process of applying for college (PS- they only had time to answer 4 questions). Looking back, it would have been WAY MORE effective if the counselors opened up a backchannel, asked the parents and students to take out their mobile device, and begin sharing their questions on there all while projecting the backchannel for the audience and the counselors to see. Parents and students could acknowledge and highlight other peoples contributions, therefore showing the counselors the most pressing questions and comments that their audience had. At that point, they could answer the questions that appeared the most, and they would also have a log of questions that were collected on the backchannel. What a great opportunity to peer into what was in the minds of their community and to have collected it in an organized fashion.
In closing, I believe administrators can provide effective professional development opportunities for their staff, including their counselors, in an effort to improve forms of communication with their community members and audiences via the use of technology. I imagine that if this had been done prior to the College Application Night that the technology would have been used in an extremely meaningful manner.
You used the word opportunity a couple of times and what stuck with me was your reflection on how to improve outcomes for the students and parents. Technology is an opportunity to harness more effective communication, but reflecting on why and how to use it is central to positive outcomes. Your reflection in your own setting is important and I hope you share that for future programs.
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