The suggestion of embracing social media in schools triggers a variety of reactions, from excitement to outright refusal. But teaching students and engaging families who live their lives in an increasingly digital world means the embrace of social media is no longer optional—it is imperative. Education leaders have the tremendous opportunity to leverage the rich opportunities of social media for teaching, learning, and communicating. And this work can be done safely and constructively through a risk management process built on policy, procedures, and professional development. Embracing Social Media: A Practical Guide to Manage Risk and Leverage Opportunity is a practical guide for anyone wishing to facilitate the embrace of social media in a school system. Included are steps for creating policy, procedures, and guidelines, as well as specific strategies to help open the minds of reluctant colleagues and leaders. Also included are best practices for social media, with numerous examples for teaching and learning, professional development, communications with parents, and successfully managing difficult situations online. Key features of this book include: •Encouragement and support for education leaders working to bring social media into their school systems. •A compelling case for why social media matters to schools •Understanding the risks and fears of social media in schools •Steps to develop policy, procedures, and guidelines that manage social media’s risks and leverage its opportunities in a school system •Examples of how social media can be used in the classroom for teaching and learning •Best practices for using social media as a communications tool •Specific strategies for managing challenging situations on social media

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Preface Dedication CHAPTER 1 Why This Matters to Schools ·Our “constantly connected” world o“The U.S. Digital Consumer Report,” February 10, 2014, http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/reports/2014/the-us-digital-consumer-report.html. ·Bring the Digital World Into the Classroom ·Communicate With Parents and Patrons ·Harness the Social Share ·Engage With Parents ·Support Your Employees ·Protect Your Reputation CHAPTER 2 Why Are We Afraid? ·Angry People Will Make Us Look Bad ·We Need Filters to Protect Us ·Ugly Headlines CHAPTER 3 Getting Started ·Articulate Your Vision oWhere Do You Want To Go? oWhat Are Your Opportunities? oWhat Are Your Challenges or Barriers? ·Grow Your Group ·Test the Waters CHAPTER 4 Policy: Expectations and Consequences ·Writing Your Policy ·Bullying and Social Media ·Handbook Guidelines for Employees ·Getting Your Board on Board CHAPTER 5 Procedures: Organize the Chaos ·Information Sharing Form oMake It Short, Simple, and Painless oEmbed Key Policies and Guidelines oCreate Value for the Employee ·Direct Support ·Social Media Champions ·Comments and Responses CHAPTER 6 Professional Development: Educate and Empower ·Starting Out Right ·The Digital Tattoo ·Ongoing Support oTraining New Teachers oAnnual Reminders to All Employees oOccasional Inservice oInformal Discussion Groups oSocial Media Champions ·Student Privacy ·Monitoring Accounts ·Expand the PLN CHAPTER 7 Social Media Best Practices ·Writing Your Post ·What’s a Hashtag? ·Make Sure Your Message Gets Through oUse Photos and Video oLink to Content oMonitor Trends oFacebook Algorithms oTwitter oInstagram oYouTube and Vine ·Paying for Posts ·Measuring Your Work ·Be Strategic About Your Use ·Facebook Basics CHAPTER 8 Teaching and Learning ·Real-World Relevance ·Hashtags to Extend the Classroom ·Digital Citizenship ·Partnering With Parents ·Empowering Parents CHAPTER 9 Communicating to Families and Other Stakeholders ·Tune into Station WII-FM ·What Wins ·Building a Site for Communications ·Growing a Community ·Let Your Fans Post ·Community Guidelines ·Tell Your Story CHAPTER 10 When Social Media Isn’t Easy: Nasty Comments and Crisis Events ·Ugly Comments oProvide a Simple, Unemotional Response oPrivately Contact the Commenter oSolve Problems, but Don’t Debate ·Nasty Posts on Other Pages ·Stand Up for Employees ·Sharing Bad News ·Use the Power of Social oIt’s Fast oFans Are Passionate oPeople Want to Share ·Be Prepared CONCLUSION