“The first step in building strong relationships in
schools is the first step for building any strong relationships: talk to each
other. The more we communicate our hopes, desires, and needs within the school
system, the more ideas and solutions we will have to discuss, the more plans we
will have to put into action, and the more support and enthusiasm we will have
for seeing those plans through.”[1]
Communication is essential for building and maintaining relationships with
school stakeholders, but how can schools easily communicate information to the
masses without it becoming a time-consuming task? The prevalence of social networking has
increased drastically over the past decade and statistics are reporting that,
within Canada, 85% of citizens use at least
one Facebook account, 46% have a Twitter account, 45% utilize a Google+
account, and 91% of all citizens are using some form of social media on a
monthly basis.[2]
Social media is changing the way that people chose to get their information and
the way they communicate and interact with the world around them.[3]
This study will look at two divergent perspectives on the school use of social
media as an effective and appropriate means of communication with stakeholders.
Literature
Review
While the topic of social media use in education is
growing in popularity, there are still relatively few professional,
peer-reviewed papers on the subject; newspaper and blog posts are far more
prevalent. As such, this study focuses first on a blog post to support the
school use of social media as an effective and appropriate means of
communication. To argue against the school use of social media as an effective
and appropriate means of communication this study then focuses on the
con-approach of a comprehensive pro-and-con article on social networking and
society.
The first piece of literature, How School Districts Use Social Media to Strengthen Community, a
blog post written in 2011 by Jill Kenney, focuses on the use of the social
media platform Twitter as a communication tool for school boards. Ms. Kenney’s
study centers on three school divisions: West Vancouver SD45, Abbotsford SD34,
and the Toronto District School Board. It is identified that each respective
school divisions’ decision to operate a Twitter account was fueled by a desire
to, “...improve communications with their target audiences using new and
relevant tactics... social media.”[4] It
is important to note that each school division also operated Facebook and
YouTube accounts, although the study focuses purely on their use of Twitter. When
social media use was compared to more traditional forms of communication such
as newsletters, webpages, and emails, Twitter was identified as an additional
tool that, “...is used to assess the communications needs and to deliver
information to their community (followers), while being as accountable and
transparent as possible.”[5]
Ms. Kenney compiled statistics from each divisions’
Twitter accounts that included their initiation date, followers, and average tweets
per month. Furthermore, Ms. Kenney also identifies areas of success and tips
for other divisions who are interested in implementing Twitter in their own
communications plans. According to Ms. Kenney, the most important factor in
each divisions’ success is that their Twitter account is managed by a
Communications Manager who is in charge of, “a deliberate, planned, and
sustained effort to establish and maintain top of mind between an organization
and its publics.”[6]
She then identifies that even though each division had a different tweet
frequency, how often they used their account each month, they all excel at
including a variety of relevant and useful content for their audiences. By
examining each divisions’ accounts, Kenney shared that their Twitter accounts
were used to share, “sporting events, school closures, committee meetings,
educational news and relevant articles, crisis communications, job
opportunities, student highlights, etc.”[7] To
conclude, Ms. Kenney identifies four tips for other school divisions who are
interested in incorporating Twitter into their communications plans: 1. Include
content that facilitates conversations, 2. Hold weekly planning meetings on
what you want communicated that week, 3. Train the appropriate personnel on
social media use, 4. Implement appropriate social media guidelines that address
topics like transparency, negative comments, timely responses, confidential
information, etc.[8]
The second piece of literature, Are Social Networking Sites Good for Our Society?, an article
published by ProCon.org in 2014, identifies twenty-four arguments against the
use of social networking sites including: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest,
YouTube, etc. While the focus of this article is not primarily about the school
use of social media as an effective and appropriate means of communication,
this writer has identified five of ProCon.org’s arguments that can be used
against such use. The first argument identified states that social media
enables the spread of unreliable and false information. In fact, 49.1% of
people have heard false news through one of their social media accounts.[9]
Even with careful planning and forethought, miscommunication can result in
false information being distributed through a division’s social media account. Additionally,
with the public’s ability to respond to information, public comments could be
shared that take the original information out of context and/or present a false
perspective. Furthermore, a second argument is that social media posts cannot
be completely deleted and all information posted can have unintended
consequences. If a mistake is made by a school division such as false
information, spelling errors, unflattering information, etc, it cannot simply
be deleted as the information will stay online, in some form, indefinitely.
To
build on the argument of unintended consequences, a third argument states that social
networking sites lack privacy and expose users to intrusions. By presenting
information through public social networks, school divisions run the risk of
sharing information that could prove to be harmful to students or teachers. For
example, a division may send out a tweet wishing the Grade 4 class a good time
on their field trip to the city zoo and, while seemingly harmless, an estranged
family member could use this information to find a student in which they do not
have permission to be in contact with. The fourth argument by ProCon.org states
that social media causes people to spend less time interacting face-to-face; a
very big concern for school divisions who want to enhance participation by
their stakeholders. Statistics show that up to 34% of Americans report less
face-to-face time with the family in their homes due to the sharing that occurs
through social media platforms.[10]
If users are already showing decreased interactions with their own family
members, the use of social media may further deter stakeholders from actually
visiting the school and its events because they can simply get information
through an online network. Lastly, the article highlights that social
networking site users are vulnerable to security attacks such as hacking,
identity theft, and viruses. School divisions need to be cognizant that their
networks store sensitive information for hundreds or thousands of students and
staff and a security attack could leave the division liable.
Critical
Assessment
With 91% of all Canadian citizens having access to some
type of social media network[11]
and approximately 290 Manitoban school accounts already on Twitter and Facebook[12],
can it be argued that schools should not be utilizing social media? The purpose
of this assessment is not to debate the popularity of various social network
platforms or the use of social media to increase student learning. This
assessment, however, focuses on whether the use of social media can be used as
an effective and appropriate means of communication between schools and
stakeholders.
In regards to efficiency, when deciding on whether or not
to utilize social media, a school needs to consider the following: 1. What
social media platform(s) are going to be utilized? 2. What information will be
shared through this platform? 3. Is there a minimum use requirement to ensure
it is providing current information? 4. Is there someone who is strongly
interested or passionate enough to help fuel the launch? 5. Who is in charge of
the day-to-day management of the communication?
In regards to appropriateness, when deciding on whether
or not to utilize social media, a school needs to consider the following: 1. Is
there a need for online communication? 2. What audience will be targeted
through social media communication? 3. What social media platform(s) has/have
the highest use in the school’s specific audience? 4. Will social media
communication replace an outdated communication format or be added as an
additional option? 5. What form(s) of information can be shared through the
platform?
Implications
for Educators
There is no doubt that social media use is on the rise
and has tremendous potential to serve as a means of communication between
schools and stakeholders. The almost three-hundred divisions, schools, and
classrooms, which are already using social media for communication, highlight
just how many educators are recognizing the value of social media for connecting
with parents and community members. With various factors to consider before
implementing a social media account, schools should revisit how maintaining
communication can help enhance school success. Manitoba Education has published
a document, School Partnerships: A Guide
for Parents, Schools, and Communities, which highlights different
communication methods to encourage involvement from parents, families, and
community members:
1.
Seek input from the school community
2.
Maintain ongoing communication: share priorities,
plans, activities, meetings, announcements, and events
3.
Involve families
4.
Create an atmosphere of trust
5.
Give timely feedback[13]
When looking at the
suggestions provided through this document, one can make connections of to how
these could be accomplished through the use of a school or division social
media account. If a school’s stakeholders are already using social media for
personal use, providing an option that meets the audience where it is could
prove to be very beneficial for all parties.
Each piece of literature provides strong arguments in
support of their perspective and presents an overall indication that this topic
is one that needs to be addressed on a division-by-division or even
school-by-school basis. Every school and division has a unique group of
stakeholders that hold a diverse set of cultural, socio-economic, and familial
characteristics that need to be taken into account before any umbrella-mandates
are incorporated. By addressing the ten points of discussion listed earlier in the
critical analysis, a school can make an informed decision on whether the use of
social media can be used as an efficient and appropriate means of
communication.
Bibliography
J.M Arseneault, E.S. Orr, C. Ross, R.R.
Orr, M.G. Simmering, and M. Sisic.
(2009).
“Personality
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578-586.
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Schools,
and Communities.” Pg 10-11.
Manitoba Education, Citizenship and
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Problem
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Slide
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[1]Manitoba
Education, Citizenship and Youth. (2004). “Working Together: A Guide to
Positive Problem Solving for Schools, Families, and Communities.” Pg 5.
[2] We Are Social.
(2014). “Social, Digital, and & Mobile Use Around the World.” SlideShare. Slide 62.
[3] J.M Arseneault,
E.S. Orr, C. Ross, R.R. Orr, M.G.
Simmering, and M. Sisic. (2009). “Personality and motivation associated with
Facebook use.” Computers in Human
Behaviour. V. 25. Pg 578-586.
[4] Kenney, Jill. (2011).
”How School Districts Use Social Media to Strengthen Community.” Uploaded to
Get Fresh PR. Available online at: http://www.getfreshpr.com/2011/04/how-school-districts-can-use-social-media-to-build-community/
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[6] lbid.,
[7] lbid.,
[8] lbid.,
[9] ProCon.Org.
(2014). “Are Social Networking Sites Good for Our Society”. Pro and Con Arguments. Argument #1. Available online at: http://socialnetworking.procon.org/#pro_con
[10] lbid, Argument
#8.
[11] We Are Social.
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[12] Thompson,
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[13] Manitoba
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