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Find 20-30 minutes of quiet time (This is the toughest task of all, isn't it?), grab a blank notepad, skim over this site, ask yourself these questions, and jot down your thoughts: If our school's web site was a school improvement tool, what would it contain? How would it work? How could it help us?
At your next administrative meeting, examine your district's web site in terms of its alignment with your new comprehensive school improvement plan. Brainstorm ideas related to the following four areas and place post-it ideas on separate sheets of paper.
Four Questions
How can technology help us?
Access To Information
How can we use our web site to provide employees with instant access to job critical information, student data, and program/service reports?
Professional Learning
How can we design, sequence, and merge all electronic and non-electronic components of professional development together for ongoing workplace use?
Best Practice Adoption
How can we use job performance support tools to increase critical competencies of faculty and staff?
Collaborative Communications
How can we use our web site to incent and reward knowledge sharing between stakeholders?
QUESTION
How can we enhance our technology and web site to better foster collaboration and implementation of best practices supportive of our school improvement plan?
INSIGHT
The role of a school administrator in this high tech world is often that of a Learning Community Architect working side-by-side with others in "information services" work or "knowledge management."
INSIGHT
Remember your web site must be viewed as a mirror of your leadership team's vision of how it seeks to build a collaborative learning community.
INSIGHT
The goal is not to have a good looking web site. The goal is increased sharing of best practices between professionals.
Next as an administrative team, take a few minutes and discuss the role of your district's technology director or coordinator. Is this position intentionally set up to contribute to the building of a "Best Practice Learning Community?"
