Mike Godsey CUE 2015

MICHAEL GODSEY | FALL CUE 2015 | @THEMRGODSEY

IDEAS WORTH SHARINGPublishing & Networking in a Noisy World


“


As empty vessels make the loudest sound, so they that have least wit are the greatest babblers.

-Plato

“


My words fly up; my thoughts remain below. Words without thoughts never to heaven go.

-Hamlet


WHAT WE’LL COVER

➤ Introduction

➤ Uncovering your “why”

➤ Differentiating your ideas

➤ Pitching effectively

➤ Leveraging social media

➤ Defining your own success

➤ Questions


A LITTLE ABOUT ME

MICHAEL GODSEY | FALL CUE 2015 | @THEMRGODSEYMICHAEL GODSEY | FALL CUE 2015 | @THEMRGODSEY






UNCOVERING YOUR “WHY”What’s your motivation?


WHAT PROFESSIONAL WRITING IS…









VS. WHAT PROFESSIONAL WRITING ISN’T.


THERE ARE MANY GREAT REASONS TO BEGIN WRITING

➤ Building relationships and community

“I know I’m not the only one ______.”

…going through this

…noticing this

…questioning this

…concerned about this

…excited about this

…thinking this isn’t as bad/good as it sounds



➤ Raising a red flag

“This is super important—

why is no one talking about this?”



➤ Sharing subject matter expertise

“Here are some best practices for working with underserved populations/special needs students/ELL” etc.



➤ Building understanding

“What students/parents/admin

don’t understand about ____ is ____.”


SOME BAD REASONS TO GET INTO WRITING

➤ Fame | I want to be the next edu-celebrity!

➤ Fortune | I want to make lots of extra money!

➤ Fanciness | I want to appear more important!

DISCLAIMER

Any/all of the above might eventually be an outcome of your writing, however if you’re 100% in it to get famous/make money quickly, you probably won’t make it through the grind of the process the way you would if you were intrinsically motivated.


WRITING EXERCISEArticulating your “why/whys”


DIFFERENTIATING YOUR IDEASWhat’s your take?


WHY?Differentiation—however

slight—cuts through the noise.


ADVICE FROM

EDITORS AND WRITERS

Alia Wong and Paul Bruno


ADVICE FROM ALIA WONG, EDITOR AT THE ATLANTIC

➤ Avoid jargon and education buzzwords ➤ Only teachers enjoy reading articles by other

teachers complaining about their jobs ➤ At least with regard to The Atlantic, people like

to read counterintuitive perspectives (the introversion piece). Probably why Jess Lahey's book The Gift of Failure, which was based off of an Atlantic article, is a NYT Bestseller.


ADVICE FROM PAUL BRUNO, “EDUCATION WEEKLY” WRITER

➤ Figure out what you want to do with your presence. “Contribute to an existing movement” or *fill in a gap/say something that's not already being said.”

➤ Identify what you do differently or unusually, and then play to that strength, to be heard over the noise.

➤ Let other people know you like their stuff. Link to them, favorite/retweet them, etc

➤ Work on writing well. I've worked for years on "tightening up" my writing (make point direct, even on Twitter).

➤ Would I read/link to/tweet this thing that I'm writing?


GROUP DISCUSSIONUnique takes from Fall CUE 2015


WRITING EXERCISEDefining a few ideas


PITCHING EFFECTIVELYTo whom, and how?


DETERMINE YOUR AUDIENCE

➤ To whom am I writing? Who are “my people?”

➤ Teachers

➤ Administration

➤ Students

➤ Lay-people who are interested in education


MATCH YOUR AUDIENCE WITH A PUBLICATION

➤ Mind/Shift, Edutopia often has practical tips for teachers

➤ Slate favors extreme takes, aimed at lay-people

➤ Niche blogs are great at reaching specific teacher groups (ex. Kindergarten teachers)


BRAINSTORMPublications and their audiences


CRAFTING YOUR PITCH

➤ Personalized

➤ Succinct

➤ What’s in it for them?

➤ Build a little credibility

➤ Write a catchy subject line


LEVERAGING SOCIAL MEDIAConnect and engage without wasting time


THE CASE FOR TWITTER

➤ This is where the publishers/editors are

➤ HUGE community of connected educators

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY

➤ People will share your writing, and you want to be there when they do.


TWITTER DOS

➤ Follow related publications, editors, thought leaders

➤ Follow “non-work” stuff, too

➤ Tweet about other things aside from your writing

➤ Talk to strangers

➤ Be an upright digital citizen. Disagree with respect.

➤ Assume positive intent


TWITTER DON’TS

➤ Be a self-centered spammer

➤ Be a lurker

➤ Feed the trolls

➤ Troll other people. (Duh.)


DEFINING YOUR OWN SUCCESSWhat will make you feel like it’s worth it?


FINAL THOUGHTYour Students!


THANK YOU!Questions?

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Mike Godsey CUE 2015

Education