Social Media in Education

Social Media in Education

The Best (enter your number here!) Steps to Follow

Social Media Anxiety

I am often wary of articles or posts that have a set number of steps for implementing something, particularly social media in education.  Each institution has vastly different wants and needs, not to mention a level of fear and anxiety when it comes to this.  So I've decided to leave the number up to you and your institution to fill in.  Maybe for you its 5 steps, for others 8, either way as long as you are taking those steps you will find the reward of social media is greater than its drawbacks.  Social media in education is not a new practice, but you might be surprised at how much hesitation and fear organizations have when it comes to Twitter, Instagram and other online media outlets.  The argument is completely rational of course in that it could be dangerous or invite the inappropriate target audience and their comments.  But it does have a powerful draw with its ability to reach well beyond an institutions stakeholders and borders.  So much of this hesitation comes from a lack of understanding of what social media is and what it can do for you.  There are many myths that need to be dispelled when discussing social media.  One in particular is the mindset that our social media pages need to be perfect, from the pictures, to the tweets and the comments they attract.  That line of thinking is equatable to believing all of our students are perfect kids.  Institutions who have a desire to promote their school and attract a larger audience (and applications for my private school friends) have to move beyond those fears and hesitations and embrace social media for what it is...a mobile snapshot.  Parents aren't looking for perfection, they have kids and know and understand that reality is not attainable (I've also discovered this as I have an 11 year old daughter and a 14 year old son).  To that end, here are a few structural ideas to keep in mind, no steps per say, when implementing social media or improving your existing efforts.  They are in no particular order and by no means complete.

Pick Your Media!

• Connect:  Social media should be a regular part of the academic day.  Institutions that want to grow that online presence need to educate and cultivate that by practice and promotion within its walls first before expecting others to "retweet" or "share".  Having a cohesive strategy is important to success.  Starting a hashtag or a regular chat schedule used by faculty, students, parents and administration is a good start.  Keep it simple and use it often.  
• Promote:  Put your Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or other social media outlets in your regular communications with faculty, students and parents.  Adding it to your website on as many pages as possible will make it a regular part of your communication.  Adding an app is a great step in making it fast and easy for all to promote what you are doing when you are doing it!
• Network:  Connect with like minded or inspirational institutions like yours.  We are a growth mindset industry after all.  Promote the latest TED Talk or a conference where your faculty presented.  You will find the more you mention and share their work the more that will be reciprocated.  
• Digital Citizenship:  Not everyone understands what digital citizenship is.  It is a learned behavior, not something organic we already know.  Make sure students and faculty understand your AUP (Acceptable Use Policy).  At parent coffee's take a moment to not only promote your social media, but educate all stakeholders on this subject.  Trust me when I say parents will welcome this!
• Community of Practice:  If you use it, they will come!  The success of your social media campaign starts within your institution.  Faculty and administration have to set the tone by showing leadership in this venture.  Post early and often.  Make it part of your faculty and department meeting conversations.  Use social media for more than just promoting, but creating a growing PLN (Personal Learning Network) where resources are shared.  Set the tone that this is an expectation, much like your schools fund raising efforts.

These are just a few suggestions and I welcome the addition of more.  Only you know what works best within your institution.  There is no one size fits all with social media.  But what I am sure of is that this medium is not something to ignore, but rather embrace and harness to fit your needs.  Stop reaching for perfection, those who do rarely get anything accomplished.  Look for me on Twitter (@jasonstamand) and lets connect and share more ideas!

A few resources to consider:

• http://www.edutopia.org/social-media-education-resources
• http://www.iste.org/standards/ISTE-standards/standards-for-students