Social Media Goes to School

So many schools nowadays have websites as they represent a really effective way of communicating a message. This brings us to the next step which is Social Media ; schools really do need to get in on the act here. Social Media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook are a great way of getting information out quickly.

In The Bleak Midwinter…..

In the harsh winter conditions of 2010, when much of the UK had ground to a halt due to the severe weather, social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter really came into their own.

Millions of people all over the UK used these platforms to get real-time up to date news on transport and work/school. The weather was so intense that it became difficult to make decisions on whether or not a school or workplace would be open the next day.

Schools, local authorities, transport providers and work premises took to the internet to publish the very latest situation reports. People were checking on Facebook or Twitter to see if:

• Local schools were open for kids
• Local public transport systems were running
• Their place of work was open for business

Social Media very quickly became the go-to resource for people organizing their day. This just highlights the potent power of social media and is a great demonstration of how useful it can be for schools.

Not Just An Up To Date News Channel …

While Social Media is great in times of crisis (if you can call British weather a crisis  — personally, I think British weather is a crisis…). However, the time has come for schools to adopt social media as a means of mainstream communication whether there is a crisis or not.

Social Media is a great way for schools to promote parental involvement. Reach out and communicate with all the parents on your register (this will also help to solve the problem of the kids who forget to hand over school handouts to their parents – there really is no excuse any more). Social Media can be used not only to publicize school events, but can be a great help in organizing them. Tweet your needs or post them on your schools Facebook page – get more parents onboard. If you need somebody to organize a cake stall shout out for help on the internet. If you need somebody to face paint at an event, tweet to let everybody know. If you need volunteer parents to go on a school trip, offer it online.

Reach Out And Touch …

Having a great school website is just not enough anymore; you need to reach out using Social Media platforms to broadcast your message to as wide an audience as possible. "Big up" your school: praise your pupils and their achievements. Everything your school has to be proud of, from exam successes to awards and scholarships, all these things can be shared with more people by using social media effectively.