How To Start a Makers' Club in Ten Days

Today I gave an "idea talk" at the WVIZ Ideastream conference. Unfortunately, I got the "wrap it up" signal long before I was close to done... Here's my speech with all "ten days." Not great writing, but I wrote as though I was speaking...

Hellooooooo.  My name is Morgan Kolis and I am a special education teacher, intervention specialist, behavior intervention specialist, reading specialist…Though, I am currently being disguised by my district as a reading intervention teacher.  This is my 13th year of teaching in Ohio and, I am also currently studying to take the Board exam to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.  My real passions, however, are special education and inclusive environments.

So, like I said, my district is currently utilizing me as a reading intervention teacher.  Reading intervention is important and crucial to students in elementary school and is… just not my dream job.  Again, there is nothing wrong with reading intervention. It’s just not what I believe I was made to be doing.

So, it was in this job as a reading intervention teacher that I have found my own need for more creativity and more fun in school.  You see, reading intervention is… well, a little dry.  Again, I truly believe that this is an important job and I’m sure there are people out there who love it. That’s just not, well, me.  By nature, doing interventions with kids is rote and repetitive and as engaging as we try to make it, it’s … a little lacking in creativity.

This is where the story really starts.

I started searching for something.  I wasn’t sure what that something was, but I knew something in my life was missing that used to be filled by my job as a special education teacher. And now it was gone.  

And in the way my life often works, there was some divine intervention and…I got an email.

I got an email from this guy named Sean Wheeler. Some of you might know him. He was the keynote here last year and he writes this great blog called Teaching Humans; and he’s now doing some incredible work at the Design Lab in Cleveland that everyone should be checking out immediately. I mean, after this talk, of course.

But I got this email from Sean.  At that time, Sean was working on starting a entire Makers’ School and got a grant to support that mission.  And Sean decided to ask a few educators he knew if we’d want to participate in a teacher makerspace to put ourselves in the place of our students, in order to remember what it feels like to be in a space where you’re not sure what you’re doing and you’re not quite sure what might come out of it.  He said “Let’s do a six week class where you learn to make some things and get to talk with other educators.”

Okay, I’ll bite.

Then he wrote “it’ll be a woodworking class at a woodshop.”

Huh.

Okay, I don’t know about you, but wood has not really ever been my preferred medium.  I’m more of a canvas, clay, scrapbooking, really great creative lesson planning kind of person.  But wood?

This was NOT my comfort zone.  I really do not engage in stuff I am not going to be great at.

I was really not sure about this, but, here I was, searching for something. And maybe this could help me find it.  

So, about ten people said they would join the six week class and we all met at this amazing community woodshop right outside of Tremont called Soulcraft. It’s in this old, creepy, factory like building where they used to do meat -packing called the Hildebrandt Building.  REALLY out of my comfort zone. And these two guys, the owners of this “community woodshop” offered to be our “teachers.”

So, we met there.  Some of us knew each other from twitter but had never actually spoken and some of us were total strangers.  Even more awkward and somewhat uncomfortable.

And there we sat on that first day at Soulcraft with all of these exhausted and inspiring and excited and terrified educators from all different districts and walks of life… educators like Tom Grodek and Julie Rea and Karen Wheeler and Jeremy Shorr and Vicki Turner, some of whom are even here today.

And then Peter and Jim, the owners of Soulcraft, started talking about the properties of wood.

And all I could think was “What in the hell am I doing here?”

So, long story short, it’s now been about 57 weeks since we started this six week course and about 5 of us make it back to the shop a few Saturdays a month to continue this experiment with “making” and talking. Lots of talking.

And I’ve gotten so much out of this experience that I was thinking, how can I bring this back to my own school?

And it was through this inspiration that I was able to start a “Makers’ Club” at our school where I currently teach… reading intervention.

So, during lunch time every Thursday and Friday, we host a Makers’ Club for the students at our school in second and third grade. And when I say “we,” I mean my awesome co-reading intervention teacher, Sharon Wiesler, who has graciously also given up her time to help me with this and has dealt with the great amount of “treasures” that we have collected for the club.  She really jumped in with both feet and I couldn’t possibly thank her enough for going with this...

And now I’d like to share with you How to Start a Makers’ Club in 10 days.

Day one.  Think.  What do you want your makerspace to be?

I knew immediately that I wanted our space to have very little structure.  Reading Intervention and special ed are VERY structured and I wanted a place that would be 100% opposite.

I also knew that I wanted to incorporate STEM activities, but I didn’t want the club to be solely based on STEM activities.  I wanted this space to be a place where kids make their own rules about what they create.

We have very few rules but we did need to set up a little bit of structure for second and third graders so they know what to expect.

First rule, you must share.  Second rule, be respectful.  Third rule, if you make a mess, you clean it up before you leave.  Last rule, be safe.  As the club has gone on, we’ve also made the rule that you may not create a weapon and if you do, it may not leave the room.

Day Two, get rid of your crap.  By crap, I don’t mean your physical crap.  I mean your own personal crap.  

Here’s an example of my crap: I was great at playing the game of school.  I could rock a test and loved to read.  But the other day, I was telling my friend about this “talk.”  And he says “Why are you worried? Have you ever failed at anything in your life?”  Okay, that’s exactly my “crap.”  I don’t typically put myself in situations in which I COULD fail, so NO, I DO NOT fail, I am actually TERRIFIED of failing. 

And I have to let that go for our club.  Because how dare I pass that on to our students?  Why would I give them my crap?  

Days Three and Four, start collecting crap.  Now you need actual junk.  Junk that people are about to toss away is perfect.  We collect popsicle sticks, toilet paper rolls, cardboard of every kind, leftover pieces from crafts that the class has done, scrap paper, plastic containers, straws, plastic forks and spoons, styrofoam… if you can think of it, we probably have it.  Ask for donations,  It’s amazing the things that parents will dig out from their basements to bring for you.

But PLEASE learn from my mistake here. Know where you will STORE these items BEFORE you start collecting them!  Currently, we have crap spilling from the reading intervention room out into the hall and down half the hallway...

Day Five.  Find a funding source. There will be stuff you can’t get donated.  Next week, we’re going to make “electric dough” also known as “squishy circuits.”  I needed to buy the items for this one.  At first, I didn’t mind just buying the stuff myself, but then I realized that between 40 and 60 students go through our room every single week, so I needed some funding source so that I didn’t end up broke.

Our funding source has mainly been our PSO and now our STEM department in the district.  I believe our principal also kicked in money from her principal’s fund as well. 

And just last week, we received a grant from our Schools Foundation for almost $2500 to buy items from LEGO education to introduce some LEGO Robotics.  Grants are all over the place, if only you can find them and write up a blurb about what you need and how it connects to learning.

Day Six.  Decide on some challenges.  You don’t need a hundred ideas, just two or three to get started.  There will ALWAYS be more ideas.  Someone will always share their thoughts with you, you’ll always have the internet, and you can always ask the kids, and I really don’t think Pinterest is going anywhere.

Day Seven. Decide on how you’ll share what the kids are doing.  This is crucial.  If you are doing great work in the classroom, that’s awesome.  But if you’re sharing what your kids are doing with the world, that’s even better. This is tough for second and third graders to do on their own.

One thing I try to do every week is remind the kids to keep “making” at home.  I let them take materials with them if they haven’t finished their project to be able to continue at home.  I ask them to take pictures at home and even send them to me.

I also take a million photos during the club and post them on our website and on our PSO Facebook page.  It seems like the parents really like this and parents comment that their children have already told them all about the project we did that day.

I’ve started to use my twitter page to share out actual quotes and thoughts from the kids.  This is almost more important to me because then I can reflect on what the students are telling me they need or want each week.

Days 8, 9, and 10.

Figure out how to INCLUDE ALL KIDS.

One of the main reasons I wanted to give this talk today was to talk about including girls in technology education. Last year, during THIS conference, did you realize that every single speaker was male?  Include girls in making.  Include girls in technology. Include girls in robotics and coding and in EVERYTHING that boys are doing.  

And just buying pink duct tape is NOT what I mean.  

We had the high school robotics team visit and there was ONE girl.  Where are we losing them?

Surprisingly right now, girls are the majority in our Makers’ Club each week.

So PLEASE INCLUDE THE GIRLS!  Make an extra effort to get them in.  If one girl comes, tell her to bring two friends the next week.

But also, INCLUDE YOUR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS!

INCLUDE them. 

PLEASE include them!

You will find out so many things about so many kids through this process. 

You’ll find your makers.  You’ll find the problem solvers.  

You’ll find the leaders and the followers and the kids who HATE doing projects like this, but HATE going out to recess even more.  

You’ll find the gifted kids who can’t problem solve but rock the “game of school.”  You’ll find the students who naturally help the kids with special needs.  

You’ll find the kids with special needs who stink at the “game of school” but who ROCK at making and problem solving.

But, realistically, how can you include ALL of these kids?  Well, some kids will need to come with their aides.  

And some of these kids will need a visual schedule.

And some will need to know about the project ahead of time.

You may have to put in a few extra minutes, but including ALL kids will make all the difference.

I’d like to end with MY OWN PERSONAL SUCCESS STORY:

I’ll tell you a short story about one of my favorite kids on the planet.  His name is Luke.  He is funny and playful and smart and curious and empathetic (always saying “Miss Kolis, don’t be sad.” if he notices I am not over the top happy).  He’s brave and he’s amazing.

He’s in third grade, and he also happens to have autism.  He was my student for Kindergarten, first, and second grade and since then I’ve been tutoring him privately.  

He comes to Makers’ Club every. single. week.  His amazing parents talk about it with him at home the night before.  I tell him, during our Thursday night tutoring sessions, what the project is that we are making.  And one week, I needed to give him a visual timer so that he would know how many minutes were left in the club.

But, here’s the great thing about Luke.  Until he started coming to Makers’ Club, even after knowing him for 5 years now, I didn’t know that Luke cared much for other kids.  He never seemed to notice them and he certainly did not appear to care who was around.  He’s always been verbal, but he’s never necessarily been conversational about other kids without some kind of prompting.

Now?  Luke joins me for lunch before the club so we can chat about school and prep for the project.  Luke repeats “Hello everyone.  I’m waiting for the kids to come” over and over throughout the lunch.  He LOVES the other kids!  He can’t wait til they all get there! 

Every week, on Thursday, Luke asks “Makers’ Club on Friday?”  And my heart is broken if we ever have to cancel a session and I have to say no.

Luke is my proof that Makers’ Club is working.  He is the reason that I believe this club is successful.  Because every kid can get what they need from coming to our club.

Some kids need some freedom.

Some kids need to have an outlet during their week.

Some kids need to engage in the creative and problem solving process.

But some kids, like Luke, just need to be around the other kids.

And there it is, How to Start a Makers’ Club in 10 days!  You can do it too!

Please tweet me or email me if you do!

Dear Superintendent... AND his Response...

Aug. 2011

Dear Superintendent,

I wanted to write you a quick email to let you know how much I enjoyed the meeting this morning.  I felt motivated and positive, after having laughed with you, to go back to school and get to work.  As you know, I love the students I work with and can't wait for them to get here on Wednesday.

I want to share something with you however, and it is, in NO WAY, meant to criticize or offend you.  I want to share something that I truly hope with you, my "dream" if you will...

Someday I hope that, at a district staff meeting, we will hear the true accomplishments of the students, teachers, and staff here. 

Here's what I mean...

Sure, I am proud of the kids who took AP classes and received scholarships.  I am proud to have been one of those students who learned and flourished at our High School and I am proud to say I had great teachers.  I am proud to say that most of our students are high achievers, have great families, get scholarships, and are part of the National Honor Society as I was.  I am proud to think that most of our students "pass the test." 

But someday, I hope that you will talk about the real accomplishments of the district.

I hope you will talk about the kids with "disabilities" who can be serviced by our Schools and who don't need to be sent to a "private school" to learn.

I hope you will talk about the Kindergartener with autism who came to school completely nonverbal and, in one short school year, learned how to communicate using an iPad.

How about the kids who come to school speaking another language only, who somehow, with the help of that preschool, kindergarten, or first grade teacher, learn and communicate in English in such a short time?

I hope you will talk about that kiddo with Down syndrome who came to school as a Kindergartener throwing shoes, but who left for Central being fully included in his Science and Social Studies class with his "neurotypical peers," the girl who used to jump off of tables in the hopes of reaching the candy on the highest shelf who can now sit and wait her turn to get her birthday treat, the boy who read an entire decodable reader on his own when some doctor told his parents he never would...

Someday I hope you will talk about the students who bring smiles to our faces just because they are alive and thriving in PUBLIC school.

I know that these are not the things the "public" wants to hear, but they are the things that keep many of us in our schools, working hard, every single day.

Just my two cents...

Morgan
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's his response... to the WHOLE district... :)  THANK YOU!

Congratulations on another great start! 

As I traveled from building to building this week I witnessed true professionals relay high expectations for learning in many, many ways.  Whether during Chippewa’s parent night, Hilton’s preschool transition efforts, individual kindergarten assessments being conducted at Highland, or through personal first day conversations about student needs with teachers at the middle school, it is all very impressive.  I observed high school class meetings and study halls facilitated with clarity of information and direction and I enjoyed standing in the halls at Central as teachers gently conducted fourth grade first day of school tours.

“You guys” don’t get the pleasure of watching “you guys” work.  It is truly inspiring.  PLC questions are posted in rooms throughout the district. “I Can” statements are visible on chalk boards and bulletin boards in easy to understand student terms.  Parents are buzzing around assisting with start-up needs, while cafeteria, maintenance, custodial, secretarial, and transportation personnel work diligently behind the scenes to adjust schedules and processes to accommodate students and staff.  And don’t forget the changes that BeeKeeper staff members are incorporating with half-day kindergarten schedule changes. 

We aren’t operating on all eight cylinders yet but; it’s just around the corner.  Thank you all for all that you contribute!

After convocation, I thought about a portion of our student population that I wish I would have more fully included in my remarks regarding academic performance.  It didn’t hit me until I received an email from a staff member followed by a visit to the middle school cafeteria. 

Special needs students in our district are part and parcel to our excellent rating.  Advances gained at our middle school last year as a result of an entire staff’s work to incorporate learning labs and to maintain laser-like focus on instruction and intervention necessary to increase capacity for success helped us regain our excellent status. 

Special education teachers, instructional aides, intervention specialists and regular education teachers working together district-wide are making a difference. Successes like the Kindergartener with autism who came to school completely nonverbal who, in one short school year, learned how to communicate using an iPad or the child with Down syndrome who came to school as a Kindergartener throwing shoes, but who left for Central being fully included in his Science and Social Studies classes with his "neurotypical peers," are examples of seldom heard accomplishments. 

High school students who earn scholarships to college and tearful IEP meetings where parents and teachers share personal, incremental success occur year after year in our district. These and countless other stories like them bring smiles to our faces just because special needs students are alive and thriving in our district.  Again, there is much to be done.  But, you can stand with pride knowing you are connected with this type of efficacy and excellence.

Our first three day weekend of the year is here.  Enjoy the reprieve.  You’ve earned it.  As stated earlier in this submission, we enjoyed a great start.  Please visit the District’s website and view the “First Day” video. I hope you find it entertaining.  It provides a three minute representation of the fun I enjoy when I take advantage of opportunities to be with you and students.  Have a WONDERFUL WEEKEND. 

Thanks again for all that you do!

A Way to Express It All... May 15th, 2011

It's been awhile since I've written a blog post because I have been such a mix of emotions this school year.  There have been issues that I would love to write about, but so many are confidential or just plain unprofessional to post publicly.  Some are just frustrating and can't be expressed in any sort of words that would appear as anything more than complaints.  And I can't complain about my life, my job, my work.  I love this work, but there is so much more work to be done...

So today, I have just created a word cloud of what I am thinking and feeling in an effort to express myself this May 15th, 2011.

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

Last night, I finished reading Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper, a book recommended to me at least 3 times in the last month.

A summary and Q&A with the author can be found here.

As I sometimes do, I want to share my feelings about this book, as it pertains to special needs. 

First, I have to acknowledge that this book is fiction.  And I was caught in the first chapter by a spunky 11 year old who has cerebral palsy and has never spoken a word.  I love her.  I know her.  I talk to her every single day. And yet, she told me so much in this book that I didn't know, that I should've known.

Second, I was unaware that this book was written for "younger readers" as I was reading it on my Kindle.  How awesome.  What a great way for students to understand differences in their classmates!

As much as I liked this book and feel it's a great read and a great step in the process of getting kids and adults alike to accept others and their similarities and differences, there are some things I think are lacking.

The author uses words like "handicapped" and "retard."  I know this is jargon and can possibly help kids relate, but I would have liked to see more discussion of how the 'r-word' is misused and hurts both a person and a family.  Words matter.  And a larger dialogue about these words could've made a difference.

I also would've liked more information about what happens in "H-5."  Melody makes it seem as though she can do anything she wants, play around, watch movies, and have free time in H-5 with the other kids with special needs.  The teacher in H-5 is never represented as a real teacher, nor is he/she ever seen as responsible for Melody's education, IEP, communication, goals, social situations, inclusion classes, aide assistance, or anything else.  The H-5 teacher is simply present.  Doing what?

I often find that "normal kids" wonder what happens in "that" room.  It would've been nice to have more description of the teacher, the classroom, the other students, the education that can and does take place in the classrooms like H-5.

And where was the principal? The Speech Therapist?  The Physical Therapist?  The Occupational Therapist?  The School Psychologist?  Melody's private speech therapist? The county communication specialist?   How could they have gone so long without getting Melody a communication device?  Why would it have taken so long to get her into Inclusion classes?  And why in the world would any of the teachers let Claire and Molly speak to or about Melody in the ways they did? 

So, there again, while I feel like this is a great book and a great way for kids to relate to their classmates with special needs, I'm not sure the author, who has the most extensive and impressive biography I've read in a long time, really did her homework on special education.  This is not an accurate portrayal of life in a public school setting under PL94-142. 

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper= 4 out of 5 stars.

On the 8th Day of the School Year, My Principal Gave to Me...

We've had 8 days of school in the 2010-2011 school year, and I have not had the slightest of ideas for a blog post in at least 8 days.

The thing I've been thinking about most... buh, buh, bummmmmm.... sleep.

That's right ladies and gentleman, sleep.

I miss it.

But thankfully, my boss provided me with some material today... Sing along to the tune of the 12 Days of Christmas, if you must.



On the first day of this school year, my principal gave to me... 


A very very very late bus.


On the second day of this school year, my principal gave to me...


Two students crying because of...

a very very very late bus.

On the third day of this school year, my principal gave to me...


Three new Kindergarteners, 


Two students crying, because of... 


a very, very, very late bus.

On the fourth day of this school year, my principal gave to me...


Four minutes for lunch, 


Three new Kindergarteners, 


Two students crying, because of... 


A very, very, very late bus.

On the fifth day of this school year, my principal gave to me...


Fiiiiiiiiive Huuuuuundred E-mails.


Four minutes for lunch, 


Three new Kindergarteners, 


Two students crying, because of... 


A very, very, very late bus.

On the sixth day of this school year, my principal gave to me, 


Six parent complaints, 


Fiiiiiiiiive Huuuuuundred E-mails.


Four minutes for lunch, 


Three new Kindergarteners, 


Two students crying, because of...


A very, very, very late bus.

On the seventh day of this school year, my principal gave to me


Seven scheduled meetings, 


Six parent complaints, 


Fiiiiiiiiive Huuuunnnndred E-mails.


Four minutes for lunch, 


Three new Kindergarteners, 


Two students crying, because of...


A very, very, very late bus.

On the 8th day of this school year, my principal gave to me...

Now, this is where the song has to stop, because, in all seriousness, and all joking aside, tonight, I appreciate my principal.

Not that I don't always appreciate my principal...

But, on the 8th day of the school year, a Friday, at 6pm, I drove back to school to talk to my principal about something regarding a student that was sorta none of my business, just because I cared about the student.

And my principal?  He listened.  He sat.  And he listened.  And he maybe didn't agree with every word I said.  And he maybe even thought I was overstepping my boundaries a little.  But he knew I was coming from a good place. And he listened.

And I know he had someplace he needed to be.

But, in the best interest of a student, he listened.

And he told me, "You have a great mind for special ed."

I should've told him that the fact he said that made my week.  I don't need the awards or the announcements or the articles.  I need the students and the simple statements like that.  Those things keep me going.

On the 8th day of this school year, my principal gave to me... 


Time to share my opinion, dialogue to refine my opinion, thoughts on how to solve a problem, a sense of collaboration, and a feeling of value.

It's been a good 8 days.  I think I'll stick around.

(And the bus is coming on time now.)

How Do You Answer the Haters? Like This...

Today I was alerted to the fact that on Cleveland.com our community has its own page.  The Brecksville page is actually pretty cool and boasts the happenings and goings on in Brecksville.

Towards the bottom of the page is a section called "The Brecksville Forum."  In this Forum, there are many postings from members of the community about our school district, school levy, and teachers.

The following is my response to all of the banter (even though I was asked to keep it short, factual, and calm).

"After reading much of this banter back and forth about school levies and teacher salaries, I'm sad. I'm a teacher, and I can't believe this is the conversation that is being had about our school district.



First, of all the people that I've heard against the school levy and in favor of cutting teacher salaries, do you know how many of those people have observed in our building? Zero. How many have observed in my classroom? None.


Do you know what school is like now?


It's surely not the same as when I was in gradeschool just 20 short years ago. How long has it been since you attended 3rd grade? I can assure you, it's different.


But you wouldn't know. Because you don't visit. You don't observe. You don't even speak to the teachers whom you denegrate on a regular basis in open forums such as these.


You make claims that we "only work 6 hours a day." We can be compared to "babysitters" and "day care workers." We do the job of "janitorial staff" and should get paid closer to "$15 an hour" than the salary that we make.


I can assure you, my B.A., M.A. and continuing education credits can support the fact that I am more than a babysitter. And if I made $15 and hour for the actual hours I worked, I might even make more than my actual salary.


6 hours a day? I'm laughing.


I teach kids with special needs. I need to know about each and every one of their needs, their allergies, their physical needs, their cognitive capabilities, their home lives, their social skills, their fine motor and gross motor capabilities, their speech and language abilities, and their interests and disinterests. I also need to know their behaviors, triggers, and motivators. I plan each day for 8 little bodies, 4 of whom are nonverbal. Two have augmentative assistive communication devices. Two are still eating pureed foods and are not toilet trained yet. All 8 of my students know how to use computers, can spell and are well on the road to becoming readers. 2 of my students also come from bi-lingual homes.

Every single one of my students is included in the school day. Though, I wouldn't expect our adversaries to know the difference between mainstreaming and inclusion.


Every single student gets math, reading, speaking, spelling, writing, math, fine motor, gross motor, speech and language, science, social studies, and social skills standards built into his/her day. That's 12 subjects for 8 different students.


We also work on feeding, manners, toileting, hand washing, and other functional skills AND whatever else the parents ask for.


We write individualized education plans (IEPs) and complete multi-factored evaluations (MFEs). We write Evaulation Team Reports (ETRs) and collaborate as Response to Intervention (RtI) teams.


I maintain two blogs, one for parents, and one professional, and a twitter account JUST to stay on top of the special education world and on top of my "game" professionally. I train myself on assistive technologies and spend the summer doing my own professional development, often working 6-7 hours daily on this time we supposedly all have "off" to be vacationing and sunning.


In the meantime, I also manage 6 special education aides in our building. I also lead our special education team of professionals. I also lead our school philanthropy team.


I make schedules, maintain technology, clean desks, wipe little behinds, plan snack time, integrate technology like SMARTboards, computers, e-portfolios, assistive tech. devices, give hugs, teach reading, teach 21st Century Skills like problem solving and critical thinking, count coins, celebrate birthdays, create learning materials, collaborate with other professionals (i.e. teachers and therapists), plan in occupational therapy, physical therapy, music therapy, and therapeutic horseback riding for my students, AND communicate with parents, community members, and home program coordinators.


And believe me. I am NOT complaining. I LOVE this job. I couldn't LOVE it more. I love these kids, I love their hugs, I love feeling their successes and celebrating with their parents.


And you measure our district's success by our National Merit Finalists?


But my students will never be National Merit Finalists.


And my worth can never be determined by how many honor students there are at the high school.


Maybe, just maybe, the next time you think about undervaluing a teacher, you'll think about a teacher who spends 14 hours in the building or at home, for the good of his/her students. You'll think about a teacher that wants nothing more than to see her students walk independently, read independently, speak OUT LOUD. You'll think about a teacher who is doing the best he can...


You'll think about a teacher who is not complaining about her salary.

So maybe you shouldn't be either."

Should an Elementary School have a Facebook Page?

Should an Elementary School have a Facebook Page?

This is a question I asked myself and quickly answered "YES!  Why wouldn't we?"

This is a question I asked my principal, and he answered "Let me think about it."

I can certainly understand that there is much to think about here.  We live in a relatively conservative suburb where the community is growing in its dissent for what we do as educators in a time of economic instability.  Could this social media tool be used against us in ANY way?

My principal is certainly PRO Facebook for the school, yet he said that he needs to "think about any possible ramifications and then brainstorm solutions to any problems BEFORE we go ahead with the page creation."

Note: The Facebook page in question would be for the use of the parents, grandparents, teachers, staff, and community.  Our students are currently below the age limit restriction set by Facebook.

I'd like to help with a list of PROs and CONs (with help from members of my PLN- @Grade1, @tgwynn, @TJGoertz, @budtheteacher- Thank you very much!).

Why an Elementary School SHOULD Have a Facebook Page:

PROs: 

1. Better Communication.  Yes, we have a website, but a Facebook page would be another tool to sharing our resources with our parents, grandparents, teachers, staff, supporters, and community.  This blog post from "The Pursuit of Technology Integration Happiness" certainly supports this improvement in communication.

2.  Why Facebook?  Because many people are already on Facebook, it makes this tool our most effective option.  Why click onto yet another Ning or website when you can click right from your FB page to check the date and time of your child's Meet the Teacher night?

3.  Engage with parents, families, and the community- Check out this blog titled "Parents, Social Media, and School Messaging."

4.  Here's a short list of some other elementary schools that I've found on Facebook:

Samson Elementary School in Samson, Alabama. (Most recent posts include supply lists for next school year, photos from field day from June, notes of Thanks to organizations)

Hilton Head International Baccalaureate Elementary on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina (Most recent posts include notes to encourage summer reading, pictures from end of school year, reminders for events)

Eastside Elementary School in Dalton, Georgia (most recent posts include congrats to a teacher on a new baby, postings about the new common core standards, posted articles about technology in education, photos from end of school year)

Eastern Elementary School in Greentown, Indiana (most recent posts include news about the upcoming school year, summer cam reminders, and photos)

J.P. Miller Elementary in Bradenton, FL.

St. Linus Catholic Elementary School in Norwalk, CA

Bluffton Elementary School in Muskegon, MI

Dodge Elementary School in Mobile, AL

Floranada Elementary School in Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Arapahoe Elementary School in Arapahoe, NC

West Hartsville Elementary School in Hartsville, SC

Cummings Elementary School in Grand Rapids, MI

Oakland Heights Elementary School in Russelville, AL

Wacousta Elementary School in Eagle, MI

Legacy Elementary School in Bossier City, LA

Fern Persons Elementary in Olivet, MI

Alexander Hamilton Elementary School in Chicago, IL

I only went through the search results from 1-60 of over 500..

6. It's 2010 and we are going to be promoting 21st Century Skills and Web 2.0 skills in the classroom.  Shouldn't we lead with our walk instead of just with the talk?

CONs (and solutions to the problems):

1. If we don't make our own page and take control, a student may take it upon themselves to create a page. (Solution: We take the control as proactively as possibly.)

2.  Students may be more attracted to Facebook if they know the school has a page.  (Solution: Teach students to properly use social media.  Use as a learning tool.)

3.  We cannot moderate Facebook from school because our computers have blocked Facebook. (Solution: Moderator can moderate from mobile phone during planning and lunch times.)

4. Facebook is blocked at school.  Why would we use it as a tool?  (Solution: Many social media tools are blocked in our school system because of the Acceptable User Policy for STUDENTS.  This Facebook page would be maintained for the parents of elementary school students to make, maintain, and improve connections.)

5. Some people might not want photos of their child posted on the Facebook page.  (Solution: On the Photo Permission Form that goes home in the beginning of the school year about the yearbook, we could add one sentence giving permission for NAMELESS photos to appear on Facebook.  Parents could sign off -or not- there.)

6.  Couldn't you use a Ning or Grou.ps instead to ensure safety of information? (Answer:  Sure, but then we'd be missing the point that MANY people are on Facebook making our PUBLIC information that much more accessible. We'd have to invite and allow members to join which would require much more moderation than time allows.)

7.  It takes TIME to moderate a Facebook page or Ning or Grou.ps or any other social media tool.  Who is going to take the time?  (Solution:  Luckily, you have a volunteer.  Otherwise, we could ask for other volunteers.  We could also ask for more ideas of things to place on the FB page, although we want to keep the information factual.)

8. Someone could be offended by some content on the page. (Solution: The moderator can remove the content.  We're not trying to change the world here.  We're trying to make our communication with parents and the community more efficient and friendly.)

9.  Parents or Students could see that Teachers or other staff members have personal Facebook accounts.  Parents or Students could try to "friend" Teachers or other staff members.  (Solution: If Teachers do not feel comfortable "friending" Parents or Students, they can simply click "Ignore" or explain that they do not "friend" Parents or Students on their personal FB account.  If a Teacher or staff member needed more guidance in this area, I might point them to this blog post "Social Networking Guidelines for School Employees.")

10.  Some people don't have Facebook.  (Solution:  We still have a school website.  We still have Hilton Hi-Lights.  We still have a PSO folder going home weekly.  There are plenty of other sources of information.)

11.  Facebook has a 13 year old age limit.  (Solution:  Our target audience for this page is parents, grandparents, teachers, staff members, and the community, NOT the students.)

Please leave your comments and opinions on this topic to help us decide what to do! :)