Blippit Social is all about levelling the platform between education and the outside world. You could call it business, community or whatever you like.
Here’s the equation:
education + real world = belief & engagement
“It’s not rocket science!” a friend used to say to me.
Belief to me is acceptance by either a learner or a teacher that what they’re experiencing is authentic, valid, proven & valuable.
Engagement to me is a sustained and voluntary interest in a topic because its intrinsic value is understood at a deep enough level to matter and press the ‘what’s in it for me button’.
Following years of watching and working with schools trying to engage parents and the local community through websites, VLE’s, learning platforms and so on it seems time for a change,
“Fish where the fish are!” a local fisherman used to say to me.
Some schools have made a success of their websites by making them part of a learning platform (umbrella term for all systems that support learning & teaching online – broadly). However a good many haven’t. Why?
- it’s not in parent’s ‘workflow’.
Change is a big deal. People are creatures of habit. Parents coming through primary schools in particular now are more online than they’ve ever been – particularly through Facebook. Techno Dads may also do Twitter though it’s a trap to think ‘they’re all at it’ – they’re not. - The prettiest school website in the world will struggle to draw parents in just to download the term dates or read the Head’s welcome. The needs are often too diverse to meet in any depth.
- the parent/community voice issue.
Most school sites are Web 1.0. People want 2.0 whether they realise it or not. Conversation is king in business and companies are striving to meet customer needs at every point of contact including social media. Some are better than others. What is the customer journey for parents and community reaching into school like? My sympathy goes out to school secretaries/ door-openers / PA’s /dinner-money collectors / sick children managers / parent visitor managers / phone call takers. Removing barriers & increasing inclusivity are what schools all strive for but still find difficult to do. - do many parents still think ‘old school’
SMS for many parents, even me, is magic. It’s quick, easy and when schools started to use it too – wow! Why so shocked though? It’s been around since Adam was a boy. It’s shocking because culturally when we think school, many of us hark back to the image imprinted large on our minds from our own school days and not forwards to the super modern schools that are now surfacing. When we say ‘Facebook’ and school… stand well back!
This is a forever changing landscape in which the ecology is constantly evolving. I hope that the change we are looking to bring about is felt valuable enough at a wider grass-roots level to promote community cohesion and more besides. Let’s level the platform between education & the outside world.
education + real world = belief & engagement
More coming soon on our framework.
Great idea John! Let us know if you are interested in any collaborative work 🙂 You know where to find us 🙂
Bye
A