By Nalini Cook
麻豆传媒 announced the Edruptors of 2022 in January and it was wonderful to see so many names I know and trust on the list. In my role as a field researcher at 麻豆传媒, I love talking in-depth with international school leaders and educators, mostly about the changes and challenges happening in their schools and countries. But it鈥檚 on social media that I often feel I really get to know more about them, what they are passionate about, what they value and what鈥檚 inspiring them.
Our research team spent quite a bit of time talking to a few of the Edruptors to discover more about how they鈥檝e built an influential voice amongst their peers. Our white paper shares some of their advice, which provides something of a guide to crafting an authentic professional voice in the social space.
Looking back through their full interviews in our research archives, I pulled out some of my favourite comments which are an extension of the advice published in the report.
Trusted and diverse sources
I love what Liz Free, CEO and Director of the International School Rheintal in Switzerland, says about using social media to gather a breadth of opinions rather than a single mindset that reflects your own ideas. 鈥淲ho are you going to for advice? How do you make sure that you鈥檙e getting diversity of thought? Are you surrounding yourself with people who are exactly like you in your networks?鈥 Liz said to us.
This is so important to form a balanced and informed view, as well as to value the voices of others, particularly those who have traditionally not had the chance to speak out within the international school sector. Liz shared a clear message related to this: 鈥淲hat we talk about in the international school sector is international mindedness for global citizenship. Are you really modelling that and looking around at what your sources of information are?鈥 she said.
The value of social listening
Sunny Thakral, Head of Computer Science and Awards Coordinator at Brighton College Bangkok in Thailand, highlighted the value of social listening in order to develop understanding about particular areas of interest. 鈥淲hen I鈥檓 looking at being selective, it鈥檚 about looking at what鈥檚 [being said] in that particular field; what are the pros and cons, talking to a lot of people, just lurking in forums or hashtags and chats and looking at what direction people are going, and then building informed opinion,鈥 he said. This approach is one I鈥檓 taking as I gather an understanding of AI and ChatGPT within a school setting. For now, I鈥檓 listening and learning.
Sunny uses lists in Twitter to group people by areas of interest, and uses bookmarks and reading lists to help him manage the 鈥渁valanche of content that鈥檚 out there鈥 to avoid being overwhelmed. I鈥檓 following his advice and it鈥檚 so helpful!
Which channel?
There鈥檚 plenty of advice in the white paper from some of our Edruptors about the channels they favour and why. I agree with Angeline Aow鈥檚 original view of LinkedIn. Angeline, who is the Curriculum Coordinator at Berlin International School in Germany, said, 鈥淚 never really used LinkedIn because [it] was like a place where you go for a job market. That was my impression initially.鈥 But she then added: 鈥淣ow I see it as also a social media tool where I connect with educators but also with professionals.鈥
I formed the same opinion of LinkedIn originally and rarely actively used it. Now it is my social media channel of preference for connecting and engaging with international school leaders of all levels, as well as many thought leaders within the wider education sector.
Know your context
Some valuable points are mentioned in the white paper about being a critical consumer of content. I think Patrick O鈥橲haughnessy, Head of Humanities at St Christopher鈥檚 School in Bahrain, explains this very well when he says, 鈥淵ou鈥檝e always got to be thinking, how would what I鈥檝e seen on social media fit in my context? Does it add any genuine value and why?鈥 He goes on to explain that what works in one school or organisation setting might not work in another.
This is an important message for leaders. Don鈥檛 react if you see your peers speaking out on social media about a particular initiative or area of focus that your school is not addressing. Every school has its own context and priorities, its own vision and mission. So be a critical consumer of content. Social media can nourish if you widen your lens and learn, and connect with global peers. See you on LinkedIn!
Nalini Cook is Head of Global Research at 麻豆传媒. Connect with her directly on
