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Be the "Storyteller-in-Chief" for your School.What is your school about? Do people know about your school? Does it matter to them? Ignite your leadership role as chief storyteller for your school with these experiences. It all begins with a spark of understanding the why of being the storyteller, then you'll ignite your flame by refining the message of your story, and lastly you'll set a blaze on social media telling the story of your school.
This experience is designed for principals or educators interested in school leadership roles. |
TimelineWeek 1: Why be the storyteller? Week 2: What's the message? Week 3: How can social media help me share my story? Week 4: Share your passion with others! User Research timeline: Oct-Nov: Dive into the Experience - the actual activities of the Experience could take 1-2 weeks, however we want to give plenty of time to make it work for your schedule. December: Follow-Up 1-hour Conversation with us - we’d love to hear your feedback on the Experience, so that we can improve it. |
Leadership Standards
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Materials Needed
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OUR COMMUNITY
A big part of this experience is talking to other educators who are also trying out some of these ideas. Before getting started, let's get you set up with the tools below to communicate with each other. Click on each one to set up your account, introduce yourself, and get to know everyone else!
For more about why we chose these tools and how to get started, click here.
For more about why we chose these tools and how to get started, click here.
Use Twitter to share your experience with the world! Photos, resources, etc. Tag your posts with #principalstoryteller to pull them into our feed. Use Participate to engage in our chat.
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Use Slack for ongoing chats with this community: ideas, questions, advice, victories, and high fives. Click here for help on getting started.
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Use Flipgrid for reflecting and sharing excitement in video form. No need for an account.
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Use a Participate collection as a portfolio of all the amazing stuff you and your students do! |
Introduce yourself! |
Check out our feed |
WHY BE THE STORYTELLER?
“If you don’t tell your story, someone else will. When you roll the dice and take this gamble it typically results in a negative story being told. In education we do not brag enough and as a result we pay the price dearly. By becoming the storyteller-in-chief you can turn this tide and take control of public relations for good. There is so much power in stories and we must do a better job of sharing them.”
--Eric Sheninger
--Eric Sheninger
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More Resources and Info
- Article: “The biggest difference between private, charter, and public schools isn’t test scores. It’s marketing.” - Jack Schneider (2017)
- Article: A Principal's Reflection - Eric Sheninger (2014)
- Article: Letter to a New Marketing and Communications Officer - Peter Gow (2015)
What is your school's Six Word Memoir?
Take a few minutes to reflect about your school. How would you describe your school in 6 words? Jot it down or use a creative tool to showcase/publish the memoir. (Interested in learning more about how Six Words can be a great learning experience for students? Check out Don Goble’s work here. If you like this idea, share with your teachers!)
Practice saying your school's 6 word memoir-- how does it feel to say out loud?
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If you're struggling, reach out! If you discovered something amazing, share the love! If you want to brag about how awesome your school is-- we want to hear!
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140 characters should be enough for 6 words, right? Share your 6 word memoir on Twitter. How many retweets can you get?! Use the hashtag #principalstoryteller.
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SHADOW A STUDENT
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Would I want to be a student in my own school?Put yourself in your students’ shoes. Spend one school day shadowing a student at your school.
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- Want to see how other leaders have done this? Check out the Shadow a Student Challenge.
- Want to hear from both a leader and a student about a day of shadowing? Listen to this podcast.
- Want to read how a leader changed her practice because of shadowing? Check this out.
Share your experience
What did you learn by shadowing a student? How did you feel walking in the shoes of your students?
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If you're struggling, reach out! If you discovered something amazing, share the love! If you want to brag about how awesome your school is-- we want to hear!
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Post a selfie of you as a learner! Shout out a teacher who led an amazing class. Shout out a students who helped you feel welcome. Use the hashtag #principalstoryteller.
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CROWDSOURCE YOUR MESSAGE
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#OnlyAtMySchoolWhat is different about your school than any other school in the world? How would teachers, students, and parents answer that question? Would their answers match your current mission statement? Ask them!
Consider the following ways to collect data:
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HONE YOUR MESSAGE
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Compose the “elevator pitch” for your school.Use what you've learned throughout this process and work with a leadership team (including teachers, students, parents and neighbors) to craft a message for your school.
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Record yourself giving the elevator pitch. Does it flow? Does it feel natural? Watch other people's and show them some love (feedback counts as love, by the way).
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Feeling stuck? Reach out! Onto something amazing? Share the love!
Want some feedback? Just ask! |
When you have your pitch honed, it's time to share it with the world. What better place to share a short message than Twitter?!
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SHOUT YOUR STORY
FROM THE ROOFTOPS!
Check out these resources for support and ideas:
STELLAR STORYTELLERS ON TWITTER
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AUDIO/ VIDEO
BOOKS
- Sylvia Tolisno: Social Media FOR Schools (Choose one of these social media tools and begin your storytelling.)
- Feeling Hesitant? Watch George Couros explain how he did it in his school: How Social Media Can Help you Thrive
- Think you don't have time? Listen to Amy Fadeji tell why she chose Twitter to tell her school's story: The One Tool You Need to Tell Your School's Story (start at 3:25)
- Curriculum 21 Social Media FOR Schools: Developing Shareable Content for Schools - Use this resource as a good starting point
- BrandEd on BAM Radio - Listen to these radio episodes totally designed to “amplify the education village”
- 5 Social Media Platforms and Strategies to Develop Your School's Brand - Tips for using FaceBook, Twitter, Instagram, Livestream, and online communities, as well as, accounts to give you ideas
- 8 Social Media Accounts to Learn From - See examples of school districts getting it right
- 8 Awesome Principal Blogs to Start Reading Today - Storytelling through blogs!
BOOKS
- The School Leader’s Guide to Social Media - Williamson and Johnston (2012)
- BrandED - Sheninger (2017)
- Your School Rocks - McLane and Lowe (2016)
- The Power of Branding: Telling Your School’s Story - Sinanis and Sanfelippo (2015)
- The Power of Visual Storytelling - Walter and Giolio (2014)
- Communicating and Connecting with Social Media - Ferriter, Ramsden, and Sheninger (2011)
Step 1:
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Step 2:
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Step 3:
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What's Next? |
Check out some other experiences you might enjoy.
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