Why schools should care about social media?

One of the biggest facts of this generation is that social media has infiltrated every aspect of our personal, social and even professional lives. Today, social media influences every decision of our life – from the way we dress to our vacation plans and even the way we make important life and career decisions.

Social media has also changed the way the education system functions. The use of social media is becoming increasingly common today with educators and school administration staff looking towards social media to enhance classroom activities with the aid of various online and social media tools.

However, besides the benefits of using social media in schools to increase classroom collaboration and communication, social media can also be used by school administrators to ease out the administration process and improve the online reputation on the school.

Here are some of the key reasons that school administrators need to have an active presence on social media:

Reason 1 – To reach out to a wider audience of parents

Today, almost every large organization and company in the world is using social media to engage their communities. People are increasingly relying on it as their main source of news and advice.  For parents who are looking for schools for their kids, the first source for information and guidance is social media. School administrators who have created a strong social media presence can leverage this to attract more parents to their school.

Reason 2 – To update existing parents about the various school events and activities

Keeping school parents updated about the various school events and sending out images and news about the activities can be a tedious and time-consuming affair. However, with the use of social media, these event updates, images and other content related to school happenings can be easily updated online for all parents to see.

The various privacy settings across social media channels will also ensure that these event announcements and images are secure and access is given only to parents of the school.

Reason 3 – Enhance the reputation of your school

Social media channels offer schools, colleges, and other educational institutes plenty a ready platform to showcase their various awards, rankings and the achievements of the students.

Usually, these achievements are showcased only in school newsletters or trophies displayed along the school corridors, but social media channels allow the school administrators to proudly announce the school awards and achievements across social media. This not only enhances the reputation of the school but it helps to create an image of a school that encourages students and brings out the best in them.

Reason 4 – Share key school events live with parents and key stakeholders

School events are usually in-house events that only the teachers, staff and students can watch. However social media offers schools an exciting option to allow parents, and other key guests to view the events live. This can be done easily without much camera equipment through the lives streaming option on various social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and even YouTube. These options allow you to share various events like school assemblies and school celebrations with the parents in real time!

Reason 5 – Get world class trainers to teach and interact with your teaching staff

Technology has revolutionized the way classrooms across the look and function. Today, there are a plethora of online tools and classroom management tools that can offer students a unique and personalized learning experience. However, it is important that schools train their teachers in these tools and using social media, one can get access to the latest videos and podcasts on new teaching methods.

Additionally, by joining various online teaching communities, the school administrator can ensure that the teachers in the school stay abreast of the new trends in teaching.