– we are an arts school – and often linked videos in several places . Since then , our website has made another big transition , it is updated and modernized , but all the photos videos , Twitter feed , podcasts , newsletters and the rest are still linked .
The time it takes to maintain / update the website and social media is a consideration . I have looked at some school sites and social media accounts , and they are very dated . Most days do not go by without a post of some kind coming from my school . Sharing the work is one way to help with this . If you have a teacher or staff member , or even a parent or responsible student , who can post info and photos , it a tremendous asset .
As I did at my last school , I established a social media photography club at my current school that meets weekly and whose sole purpose was to photograph programs and sporting events to post on our social media platforms and website , and the LCD monitor / TV we have in our lobby . This makes life so much easier !
I also have a student social media director who assists with screening photos , posts , and uploading . This is typically a responsible senior at the high school level who I meet with regularly . My teacher coordinator also posts on all of the social media accounts . Because she and I are at most of the events , our posts form the bulk of what you see , though the social media photography club makes a significant contribution .
Our school video teacher maintains the YouTube page for the school , and I will post video links from the page to our social media platforms .
The last thing I do is send out a newsletter three times a year using the Constant Contact system ; another good and free e- mail service is MailChimp . The newsletter includes hyperlinks to Facebook albums , videos , and other posts or links . The system maintains a database of e-mails , which includes all of my school families , staff and district personnel , including the school board .
So , after all this , what is the end result ? Has it helped with improving communication and positive school culture at the school ? Is it worth the time and effort ?
First of all , let me share what some administrators say about using social media . In short , what is posted online is often found by anyone searching , whether it be “ good ” or “ bad .” If there was some scandal at your school or district , it will often be the first thing that comes up in a search , especially if there are very few positive stories posted . Conversely , if you frequently post stories using Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , You- Tube , they paint a positive picture of your school or district , and these stories are what will come up in a search . This is an important concept .
Many experts recommend all school administrators have a professional website , Twitter account , Facebook account , and possibly an Instagram account , and post stories frequently . It ’ s also a best practice to use social media , especially Twitter , for professional learning through posting updates and links to scholarly articles , programs , videos and more .
Better school culture
Has it made a difference for my current and former schools ? Absolutely . At the last school , the use of social media helped promote and grow the new magnet arts program , helped strengthen ties with the community , a district goal . It helped make connections with feeder elementary and middle schools , supported and promoted community youth camps hosted by the school , and spotlighted the many exemplary academic , artistic , and sports programs at the school .
At my current school , the use of social media and a redesigned website has helped promote the school and amp up recruitment efforts , improve school-home-community communication , and has strengthened our relationship with and connection to our district ’ s central office . We regularly get questions posted as comments on the school Instagram platform , and our school board member often likes or shares our tweets .
I was concerned that after our spring recruitment and enrollment drive that our newly registered freshman class was 120 students , 17 less than the 137 who were already enrolled . Some of the students opted for district magnet programs , others moved out of the area . After a successful open house event
14 Leadership