Friday, June 6, 2014

I was surprised and honored to receive an email from the editor of the Special Ed Connection publication.  I learned he was writing an article about how blogging can be useful to Special Education Directors and that he discovered my blog and wanted to use me as a reference.  Pretty cool!  Here is the resulting article.  Now I just need to find time to post regular updates. :)
 

Consider a 'director's blog' to reach stakeholders, save time
 
 
A blog published by a special education director or other key pupil services staff can provide stakeholders a portal for accessing district-specific guidance on best practices and district-specific issues, sources say. It also can help you to connect personally with teachers and parents at your schools.
Those benefits are invaluable, sources say, especially for districts that have many schools spread across a large geographical area.
"It's really hard for me to be out in the schools as much as I want to [be]," said Marge Bright, director of Special Services at the School District of Oconee County in South Carolina. So she launched Bright's Blog to reach out to general and special ed staffs and parents at the 20 schools in her district. "The blog ... saves me time," she said.
A department or director's blog can be a valuable resource for general and special educators and parents alike, sources say. So if you're interested in launching a blog, consider the benefits and tips below.
 
Share information, resources in 'seconds'
 
A blog can provide an efficient way for your special education department to share information and resources with stakeholders. You can use your blog, for example, to share teaching tools, state-specific guidance on student's rights, and notices of upcoming district-based events, such as parent training or transition fairs.
Diane Twait Nelsen, Elaine Cook, and Kris Ahrens, transition coordinators at the Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency in Iowa, said they wanted to launch a transition blog because they needed an easier way to communicate with teachers and parents. The Prairie Lakes AEA serves 44 districts spanning 8,000 square miles -- an area comparable in size to New Jersey.
But because they felt they lacked the expertise needed to launch it, they sought advice from their "tech guy," Cook said. So under the guidance of Prairie Lakes' director of innovation, Scott McLeod, the transition coordinators chose their publishing platform, purchased a template with the features they needed, and established a plan for developing, organizing, and posting content. Then, they launched Moving Students Forward.
Now, when questions arise in regard to topics such as student age of majority and guardianship issues in Iowa, they refer teachers and parents to their blog. That has minimized the time they spend fielding phone calls, writing emails, and driving to schools, said Nelsen, Prairie Lakes' transition chair. "Since there are only three of us," Cook added, "we've found it to be a lifeline."
"If you're not a real intuitive person with technology, it takes a little bit to figure [it] out," Ahrens said. But know that "once you have your template established and know how you want to organize things, you're able to post things in a matter of seconds."
 
Connect with parents, staff
 
When you can't meet with school staffs and parents as much as you'd like to, you can connect with them via your blog, sources say.
For example, if you include a comment box in your blog posts, you can initiate and moderate conversations with parents or staff and permit readers to ask questions about the topic at hand.
What's more, you can use your blog as a means to provide feedback and increase staff morale, Bright says.
"When I'm out in the schools, I post about my visits and things that were going on in the schools," she said. "It's a way to say 'Great job, you're doing a wonderful job. I liked what I saw in your classroom.'"
 
Answer FAQs just once
 
Consider posting answers to frequently asked questions, sources say. Doing so can minimize the time you spend fielding ongoing requests from teachers and parents for the same information.
When stakeholders request information, they want a personal contact, Nelsen says. But you can provide that with a short answer and then direct them to your blog.
That approach can be helpful, for example, to follow up after you conduct professional development or parent training, she said. So consider posting the training materials on your blog so they can be accessed again by participants.
"When I notice that there's a need for specific information for our teachers, that they're asking the same questions over and over, then I'll post something on my blog about that particular area," Bright said.
In fact, her state is preparing to change district procedures regarding the special education referral process, she said. So she'll be blogging to provide direction, timeline updates, and training to minimize the time that will be needed to answer teachers' questions on site.
"[Bright's Blog] is for parents, too," she said. So Bright writes posts that address questions parents frequently ask, including those related to bullying and harassment and discipline of students with disabilities.
Thus, keep parents in mind when you're blogging, she said. That way, when teachers or parents have questions, you can simply say, "Just go to my blog."
 
See also: Guard against staffers' social media missteps (June 25) RDA 'blog' reveals frustrations of parents, professionals (Sept. 7, 2012)
 
 
 
Paul James covers postsecondary transition and charter school issues for LRP Publications.
 
 
April 11, 2014
 
Copyright 2014© LRP Publications
 
Reprinted with Permission from: SpecialEdConnection®. Copyright © 2014 by LRP Publications, 360 Hiatt Drive, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418. All rights reserved. For more information on this or other products published by LRP Publications, please call 1-800-341-7874 or visit our website at www.specialedconnection.com.
 

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