Task 3a - Current networks

In the Reader, a 'professional network' is described as ‘a work related community held together by either close
working affiliation or more distant but common work interests or needs’. I think this is a very good definition and especially like the fact that a 'more distant' work interest is high-lighted. Although my current professional practice lies within the special educational needs area of education, my intentions to work within performing arts in the future, mean I am keen to network with people from a performing arts background, in a professional capacity.
       Currently, I engage my professional network mostly through face to face interaction and emails, within my professional practice. Working in a fairly large school, it is often difficult to track colleagues down so we tend to correspond via email. Every member of staff has their personal email within the school's system which can be accessed both in and out of school. Sometimes, especially in confidential or delicate situations, it is best to speak face to face.
       Outside of my professional practice, I use other means of networking in order to develop my professional life. In a less formal situation, I sometimes use Facebook to contact members of staff from work and run ideas by them. I am currently trying to choreograph some dance numbers for the school production. Due to other work commitments, moving house and BAPP, my time is very limited at the moment but I sporadically write on the wall of the drama teachers, to let them know that I am still interested and will get involved, as soon as I get some time! I hope that this sort of networking will remind these teachers that I haven't forgotten and am still keen to be involved. I think the use of social networks are very beneficial as it is a means of keeping in contact with people that without the network, you would probably not be in contact with. For example, I am 'friends' with my old dance teacher from over 12 years ago, but by 'catching up' with her via Facebook, every now and then, I would feel confident in offering my services or possibly asking a professionally related favour from her.
         Only recently, I began to understand the importance of networking within my current profession. When I was working as a performer, it was drummed in to me that networking was crucial and the saying 'It's not what you know, it's who you know' was definitely true. The same performers were being cast time and time again with the same companies and one director would sometimes use an actor they had met through a fellow director. Going in to the education industry, I didn't feel that this was the way people were employed. However, I have witnessed teacher's being 'guided' by their employers, the day before they are due to be interviewed by that employer. Teaching assistant's have heard through their line manager's that the opportunity of becoming a cover assistant is to become available, before the advert has officially gone out and I have also come across new members of staff being employed within a department that they did not even get interviewed for, simply by speaking to staff whilst waiting to be interviewed. This has brought home to me the importance of professional networking within the education system.
          Although I have signed up to Twitter, I do not regularly use this form of social networking, but I do admire those who use it as a tool for professional networking. I have previously spoken about Susan Elkin, a journalist for The Stage. I believe she is a perfect example of what I admire - she tweets short comments about a particular subject she is interested in exploring and uses Twitter to navigate her followers to her Blog. Here, she explores the subject in full, and encourages her readers to comment and constructively criticise. Using both her own and the readers' ideas and comments, she then constructs her editorials. I find this to be an excellent means of networking for both her and the reader, as they bounce ideas off one another. Whilst writing for my 'task 2d, inquiry', I actually tweeted Ms Elkin, to which she kindly replied. I think that I could benefit from also creating a professional Twitter account, to explore my own ideas related to both education, in whole and performing arts in education. I believe that from taking the ideas and comments of others, I would broaden my knowledge and therefore gain insight to express in an important conversation (ie.with the head teacher or my line manager) or in an interview.
       A way, in which I have recently started networking, is through the use of my blog. Before starting on BAPP, I had never considered creating a blog. Since doing so, I see that I have gained the opportunity of being able to converse with like minded people, who are trying to obtain the same goal as me. Our motives are all the same - to gain a qualification, and whilst doing this, we are also possibly gaining new contacts that can help us professionally. For example, a friend of mine was invited to hold a dance workshop within the school that I work in, after I suggested her to one of the curriculum directors. I mentioned on one of Liam's blogs, that this could be a possibility for him, as he is looking to further his teaching experience within the public sector.
         If I were to have my 'perfect' network, it would be a system similar to emailing. As I hope to get on to a GTP, after gaining my degree, it would really benefit me if there were such a thing as a network that looks for you, as opposed to you looking for GTP providers. I think this is fairly unrealistic and rather lazy, but it would certainly benefit the person looking for providers. This week, I have seen a colleague of mine become very disheartened when a school to whom she wrote to, requesting the chance of GTP with them, rang her up to tell her that they are no longer providers, and haven't been for some years. She had got the name of this school from the TDA (Teaching and Development Agency) which is meant to be up to date and provide correct information. This would not happen in my ideal network as the provider would be coming to you. It could work in a similar way to 'spotlight' for performers. The person looking for a provider would give their details to the agency, and then the providers, would be able to search through the agencies' books to find a suitable employee. You would then open your email each day, to find a list from the agency of all the providers who are interested in employing you!
         This is a little far fetched, but to make it more realistic, I could certainly share my details with an education recruitment agency that does deal with GTP providers. It is a little too early for me to do this yet, as I do not yet have my degree, but I shall definitely do this nearer to the time. In order to do this, I will need to put forward my CV. I think it would be a good idea to include a link to my own website, which would be an extension of my CV. I could include pictures of myself in a professional environment, go in to further detail about companies I have worked for, share my ambitions and aspirations and possibly include comments from colleagues and both present and past employers. This would not only provide information about me, but it would also allow future employers to see that I am computer literate and up to date with modern technology. At the moment, I do not know how to create a website, but having managed to tackle my blog, I am confident that this is something I could do.