7 min read
“By far, the most important thing I have learned through social media is the value of crowdsourcing.”
By Kelly Batke
“By far, the most important thing I have learned through social media is the value of crowdsourcing.”
Name: Susan M. Bearden
Title: Director of Information Technology
Organization: Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy
Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy is an independent, college preparatory school in Melbourne, FL serving students in PreSchool-12th grade. We have 2 campuses and 871 students.
At the operations level, my team’s job is to provide outstanding technology service and support to internal and external stakeholders. We are very customer service-oriented; my philosophy is that it is our job is to help everyone else in the organization do their jobs better. However, the CIO role goes far beyond that.
“I really like the phrase “Chief Innovation Officer” because that’s the lens through which I view my position.”
It’s my job to leverage the innovative use of technology to enhance learning outcomes, improve business processes, and drive student enrollment.
Ultimately, it comes down to the needs of our students. We live in a global economy that demands innovative employees skilled in the 4 C’s: Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity. Our students must be able to collaborate with others via digital platforms, be they working with individuals in a neighboring town, across the country, or around the world. In order for our teachers to be able to teach these skills, they themselves must first know how to use the digital/social tools that make this type of collaboration possible.
Some individuals took to social media right away; others were (and are) more resistant. That’s to be expected. Organizational culture change is a gradual process.
Change is difficult, especially for those who are not comfortable with technology in general and social media in particular. To set up an organization for success, it is critical for leaders to model the skills and behaviors they expect employees to adopt. In addition, it’s important to realize that there will be bumps along the way and that’s OK! Instead of fearing the bumps, view them as valuable learning opportunities.
My biggest “win” has been seeing teachers leverage the power of social media to improve their professional practice. It’s incredibly rewarding to hear of an inspiring lesson or collaborative learning opportunity that came about as a result of collaboration via social media.
Social media is here to stay; it’s not a fad. CIO’s need to understand the technologies that impact their organization, and that includes social media. Those who don’t are doomed to irrelevancy.
“If you don’t understand how to use a specific technology, you can’t possibly understand how to leverage, manage, or support it.”
It’s perfectly OK to start off by “lurking” in various social media channels – viewing the conversations without initially being an active participant. Lurking is learning. As you learn how people are using various social media platforms, you will become more comfortable with jumping in.
Yes, "What is the most important thing you have learned through social media?"
By far, the most important thing I have learned through social media is the value of crowdsourcing.
As David Weinberger said, ”The smartest person in the room is the room.” Social media enables you to leverage the intellect of a really large room. That can be incredibly powerful, especially when there are smart people in the room!
At Jostle we recognize the importance of leadership in making social collaboration work inside of organizations. In fact, we are so passionate about it that we sought out some of the top social CIO’s in North America to participate in a Jostle Blog series that focuses on the challenges and successes of applying social tools. We are happy to share these success stories with you and we hope it inspires the social champion in all of you. If you know a Social CIO you feel should be included in this series, please contact us at CIO@jostle.me. There is no requirement that they be using the Jostle People Engagement® platform.
Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy is a private, coed, episcopal, traditional school in Melbourne, FL serving students in grades PK through 12. We have a strong tradition of providing an exceptional academic education founded in Christian values. Our reputation within the community speaks for itself. We are proud of our engaged and successful students, our professional faculty and staff, and our involved parents. For more information, visit http://www.htacademy.org/home
Read more by
Kelly Batke
Jostle’s employee success platform is where everyone connects, communicates, and celebrates at work. Find out more at jostle.me. © 2009–2024 Jostle Corporation. All rights reserved.