Social media, tablets in schools, and digital citizenship will highlight the Technology Leadership Strand at this year’s NASSP Breaking Ranks K–12 Conference, March 8–10 in Tampa, FL.
“As mobile technologies become ubiquitous and students spend more and more of their lives on social media platforms, school leaders are becoming more aware of the possibilities for digital technology to enhance the instructional process and improve student learning,” said NASSP Executive Director JoAnn Bartoletti. “But school policies and student expectations will have to change to create the conditions for such learning to take place.”
This reality prompted the NASSP Board of Directors to issue a position statement this past May that encourages school leaders to explore how new media can be incorporated into the learning process. To help school leaders in that exploration, NASSP developed the Technology Leadership Strand to include a mix of thought leadership—most notably by Gary Stager of the Constructivist Consortium— and practical guidance by principals who will share their digital experiences.
Social media in schools will be approached from a number of perspectives. Professors J. Howard Johnston and Ron Williamson will share the results of their work on social networking in schools, and their points will be revisited by principal Eric Sheninger, who will share his lessons in building an active professional learning network online and incorporating social media in instruction. Principal Robert Dillon will explore how he uses social media to showcase his Missouri middle school to the local community. Professor and renowned cyberbullying authority Justin Patchin, in a session sponsored by Jostens, will highlight the most effective cyberbullying prevention strategies, digital citizenship, and guidance for maintaining an online profile.
Conference attendees will also see two perspectives on mobile technology. Texas principal Linda Rawlings will bring a team from Westlake High School to discuss their 1:1 iPad program and the impact it has had on learning. Other schools have discovered value in bring-your-own-technology (BYOT) solutions. Hilary LaMonte, a consultant with the Consortium on School Networking, will share the results of BYOT discussions that have emerged on the Access4Ed community, in which NASSP is a partner.
For more information, please visit www.nasspconference.org.