social media

Public schools are keenly aware of the power of the mainstream media; a critical television segment or a laudatory newspaper article will be talked about in the hallways for days. But the landscape has shifted, and school leaders must embrace a new, growing reality: social media has become the source for breaking news.

During my eight years as a teacher and education consultant, I have seen an acceleration in the digital shift in education. When I began in 2005 at age 23, it was at the beginning of Web 2.0. My students weren’t yet posting status updates on Facebook; nor were they tweeting, sharing videos or bringing smartphones to class. Boy, were things about to change.

Lisa Nelson of the Innovative Educator blog looked to her peers for ideas on how to use Pinterest as a creative tool and was surprised that she was unable to get any help. Then she discovered Pinterest guru NewYorkBob and the ideas began flowing. Here are her five favorites.

BYOD guidelines are just being defined, but one warning must rise above the din, this author says: never, ever, try to gain unauthorized access to an employee's private social networking site.

Officials of the Pennsville (N.J.) School District introduced a policy recently that sets up parameters for staff using social networking sites while working within the district. The policy outlines security and appropriate procedures for using district technology resources.

The Board of Education is considering three separate policies geared toward improving the use and security of technology in Howard County (Md.) schools: Ensuring the proper security of all technology within the school system, defining the acceptable use of technology with the school system, and determining the proper use of social media among students and teachers.

A late 2012 survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project shows that young adults are more likely than others to use major social media. At the same time, other groups are interested in different sites and services.

Huffington Post blogger Vala Afshar (@valaafshar) recently published a piece called "The 50 Most Social CIOs on Twitter (and 20 Rising Stars)." I was honored and surprised to be included on the list as #9 and pleased to see K12 CIOS @JDSCIO and @bengrey on the list, as well.

In a bid to further improve communication with families, the Norwich school district is rapidly expanding its presence on social media networks and other internet platforms.

"We want to open every door to positive involvement. Family partnerships are a component to achieving student success," Superintendent Abby Dolliver said. "Having updated and open communication with parents is another way to meet this goal."