How To Social Media Videos For School Administrators – Coming Soon!

We’ve got some exciting news!

SocialMediaSchools.com is currently working to create a series of how-to videos that will give school administrators a step-by-step break down of how to set up social media profiles and use social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter to connect with, educate, and inspire their teachers, students, parents, staff and community members. 

These training videos are expected to be finished by the end of May 2009 and we are rushing to get them done in time for you to integrate into your school system before the start of the 2009-2010 school year.

We believe it is imperative that we get this information out there as soon as humanly possible because we know that social media is going to play a significant role in the education system over the coming months and years.

Our plan for these videos is to answer all the major questions you might have in regards to creating, using, and moderating a social networking account.  
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Social Media Schools Cause Stir On Twitter

Just a few days ago schools in the UK announced that they would be teaching primary school students how to blog, use Twitter, Wikipedia and other social media tools as part of their regular educational curriculm. 

Then Birmingham City University came out with a statement announcing that they would be offering a Masters Degree in Social Media for students who planned to enter a profession such as journalism or public relations.

The back to back release of this information is making the social media world leap with excitement. I assume much of the buzz is due to the fact that the people now using sites such as Twitter and Facebook wish they had been given access to such tools when they were in school, but nevertheless, the buzz persists. 

Don’t believe me? Just check out some of the chatter I found through a Twitter Search on the subject “social media schools”.

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Controversey Over UK’s Social Media Education Plan

The recent news that schools in the UK are planning to not only use, but teach social networking, in the classroom is causing quite a stir.

The issue isn’t soley the fact that UK primary schools plan to teach social media techniques in the classroom, but that they plan to reduce or eliminate the amount of time spent studying key areas of history – such as the Victorians and World War II.

That said, some are now realizing what an intelligent move this might be, as World War II (for example) is covered in depth during middle school, and repeating the information to students in primary schools seems like a waste of time.  

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UK Students Now Being Taught Social Media In Elementary School

The Guardian recently published an article announcing the fact that UK schools will now be teaching their students how to use social media.

Many are praising the news as extremely forward thinking on part of the UK school system, while others fear that the classes may become a case of the students teaching the teachers – as many of these students already use social media tools and may indeed use them more frequently than the teachers who are being paid to give the classes. 

Already, it seems, the Teachers Union is fighting back – doing what they can to maintain the status quo. They’re upset because they were not involved in early discussions about the change in curriculum and were only given three days to respond to the news. 

While the current plan is to teach students how to use blogs, Twitter, and Wikipedia, this increase in coursework will mean cutting out the large amount of time previously spent studying the Victorians, World War II and other traditional elementary school subjects. 

It seems as though some individuals get what this change is all about. Mary Bousted, the general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said: “Children need to be enthused by learning, so they want to learn and gain the skills which will enable them to learn in later life. The debate is not about whether the Victorians are in there or not.”

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Summarizing The FinalSite Social Media Webinar

On Monday I attended the FinalSite webinar where Lorrie Jackson and Rob DiMartino shared how the Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis, Tennessee are using social media to keep parents, teachers and students informed about school events. 

The webinar began with a PowerPoint presentation by Ms. Jackson, the Director of Marketing & Communications at Lausanne, who spent much of the time discussing the use of Facebook as a communication tool between the school administration and the school community.

The following are just some of the highlights from the FinalSite event: 

Interact With Your Community Where They Already Interact

Ms. Jackson urged educators to start participating in social media because the parents, teachers and students are already using social media to interact with one another. In the past schools had to search out their communities, market to them, and pull them together. But with social media, this all happens for you… almost automatically!

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Florida And Alaska School Districts Use Twitter To Communicate With Parents

This is how you do it people! 

Two school districts on opposite ends of the country have introduced Twitter to their arsenal of communication tools. 

Broward County Public School in Fort Lauderdale, Flordia and Anchorage School District in Anchorage, Alaska have both signed up for Twitter’s social media messaging site to post updates, called “tweets”, that are then sent out to parents, teachers, students and staff within the district. 

“This provides the district an additional method to deliver information expediently and directly to students, parents, and the community,” said the Florida district. “Twitter supplements the district’s current communications vehicles, which include parent link phone messages, e-mails, the district’s Web site, BECON-TV, and the parent newsletter.”

This is important to note: The school isn’t looking at Twitter as the single solution to their communication problems. Instead, it is simply one tool in their line up of communication efforts.

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