Social Media: School Leadership in the Digital Age

1. Social Media: School Leadership in the Digital Age J. Howard Johnston University of South Florida Ronald Williamson Eastern Michigan University Download this presentation from: http://leaderssocialmediaguide.blogspot.com

2. Door Prize: • Name and contact information on 3X5 card • Drawing at end of the session Available from Eye on Education • AMLE Bookstore • Online (www.eyeoneducation.com)

3. Social Media: School Leadership in the Digital Age Part 1: Social Media and Schools Part 2: School Safety & Crisis Management Part 3: Communication Part 4: Productivity Part 5: Professional Growth

4. Key Lessons About Social Media • News travels fast and can “go viral” in hours • Information is distributed through conversations rather than broadcasts • We trust information from a trusted source (friend) or neutral source (consumer agency)

5. Key Lessons About Social Media • Schools are not usually trusted sources • Production of information no longer edited, consumption of information must be done with care • Communication must be brief and to the point

6. Why Pay Attention • Do you communicate with students, families and staff? • Do you monitor community views about your school? • Do your kids use social media? • Do you need to stay on top of cutting-edge educational topics? • Do you need to promote good news about your school in the community?

7. Getting Started Five Step Plan • List ways you communicate with your “publics;” how you might employ social media? • Draft a vision statement for social media in your school. • Ask your kids to show you some apps they use. • Ask parents how they use social media. • Subscribe to an online newsletter about tech in schools: e.g., www.eschoolnews.com

8. Social Media and School Safety Legal Guidance • Tinker Test – can restrict speech that is likely to cause a “substantial disruption” • Fraser Test – can restrict speech that is “sexually explicit, indecent or lewd” • Morse Test – can restrict speech encouraging “illegal drug use” • Hazelwood Test – can restrict “school sponsored speech that is inconsistent with the school’s basic educational mission”

9. Social Media and School Safety Five Step Plan • Learn about social media and how it works • Recognize that most teens use it responsibly • Don’t attempt to ban it • Help students, families and staff know about how to manage social media • Focus on responsible student use

10. Social Media and Crisis Management Key Ideas • Provides a faster response • Keep messages brief and pertinent • Be sure to listen and respond • Have a plan to monitor messages (sent and received) • Create a “Fact Check” site

11. Social Media and Crisis Management Five Step Plan • Don’t wait for a crisis. “Get your feet wet.” • Only the facts; avoid emotional response • Provide timely and useful information (no trivia) • Be willing to live with critique and rumors • Post information and updates regularly

12. Social Media and School Communication Key Ideas • It builds relationships • They’re already talking • Listen as well as share • You’ll be well received • It’s here to stay; not going away

13. Social Media and School Communication Five Step Plan • Look at and update school’s website • Examine Facebook and Twitter sites of other schools • Visit the blog of other school leaders – http://esheninger.blogspot.com • Check out YouTube (www.youtube.com) as a way to promote your school • Think about Flickr (www.flickr.com) as a tool to communicate about your school

14. Social Media and Productivity Key Ideas • Managing time and tasks is a challenge • Importance of staying up-to-date • Gen Y employees expect to be connected, updated, and involved • Expectations around access to information

15. Social Media and Productivity Five Step Plan • Use it to schedule meetings (www.doodle.com) • Manage access to information using RSS (www.google.com/reader/view/) • Collaborate on planning and projects using wikis (www.wikispaces.com) • Build connections (www.linkedin.com) • Create a personal learning network (PLN) (http://sites.google.com/site/buildingapln/)

16. Social Media and Professional Growth Key Ideas • Individualized professional development is now possible. • Professional networks span distance and time. • Peer-to-Peer and embedded in the work is best. • Students can be teachers and coaches for school staff. • Parents expect social media competence on the part of school staff. • Social media is economical.

17. Social Media and Professional Growth Five Step Plan • Survey staff for social media skills. • Create a coaching/training cadre of students & staff. • Model use of social media for your own professional development. http://kommein.com/25-free-online-social-media-classes/ • Subscribe to a school leaders’ blog: http://connectedprincipals.com/ • Have staff showcase social media use in meetings: http://blog.edmodo.com/2012/01/06/edmodo-mini-lesson-showcase/

18. For Additional Information J. Howard Johnston e-mail: hojofl@gmail.com Website: http://www.coedu.usf.edu/main/departments/seced/Faculty/Johnston.html Ron Williamson e-mail: rwmson214@aol.com Website: http://ronwilliamson.com School Leaders’ Social Media Blog http://leaderssocialmediaguide.blogspot.com