NSBA Annual Conference Weblog

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April 9, 2006

Blogging superintendent and board members take risks, gain rewards

Posted by Craig Colgan, BoardBuzz Contributor, at 3:22 PM | Educational Sessions & Workshops | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

I had a great time this morning here at the NSBA Annual Conference hosting a terrific group for one unforgettable session. The panel was on how education leaders are using blogs as effective community engagement tools. The panel included Clayton Wilcox, the blogging superintendent from Pinellas County, Fla.; two blogging school board members, Brian Wheeler from Charlottesville, Va., and Jim McNelis, from Skokie, Ill; and Steve Burt from Clarity Innovations. Clicking on the names takes you to their blogs. Check them out!

These K-12 leaders are truly breaking new ground. This group did a great job pointing to the power of blogs, as well as to the challenges, for a standing-room only crowd. Among the hottest issues: transparency, trust, risk, and breaking through the "silos" organizations such as school districts so often build within. Audience questions on these and more than a few other important topics made the 75-minute session fly by. A personal note: Thanks to all who made the early morning journey to a session about something still seen as new and risky, and thanks to the panel. These are great leaders who are committed to engaging their communities in new and exciting ways.

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Comments

Posted by: Brian Wheeler on April 10, 2006 9:16 AM

Craig - I really enjoyed being on the panel and, given the interest we saw and the rate at which I expect blogging to proliferate among school boards in the next year, I think adding a hands-on workshop where participants can see these tools in action would be a good addition in the future. On my blog, I have placed a link to the two-page
Tips, Tools, and Resources flyer which I shared with the audience. Brian

Posted by: Andrew on April 10, 2006 9:23 AM

I think that's an excellent idea, Brian. I'd love to see a session that actually walks people through the blog creation process, such as setting up a free blogger account, and then discusses the most popular services/blogware like Typepad, MovableType, WordPress, and LiveJournal.

Posted by: JimMc on April 10, 2006 11:25 AM

I want to thank my fellow panel participants, Craig for organizing the panel, and especially the audience members. I thought we had a good discussion with some great questions. There's lots more to talk about and maybe more new blogs will help move it further along!

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