Reflection #2 - Why Social Media Matters by Porterfield and Carnes

Prior to being introduced to the social media tools we utilize in this class, as well as the reading of Why Social Media Matters by Kitty Porterfield and Meg Carnes, I didn’t understand the power that social media has in opening up communication in a school setting. Having taught in a district that was fairly “locked down” until just recently (and continues to be in some aspects), I just assumed that social media had no role to play. Porterfield and Carnes have opened up my thinking and now my wheels are turning on how I can use social media to connect all of the stakeholders at my school.

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, online blogging (and more!) give educators and digital leaders the opportunity to build relationships for every user, but also for the educational community. Porterfield and Carnes gave me so many ideas for how to use these tools to connect with my students, staff, parents, community and other educational leaders, while being safe and positive.

One thing that stands out to me from the reading for me, is the notion of a “sticky idea” that originally comes from Malcolm Gladwell. I’m a big Gladwell fan and sticky ideas interest me.  In my career as a teacher, I have encountered and worked with people who stand against new ideas, no matter what. I’m sure that I’ll continue to come up against those people as an administrator. Sticky ideas are ideas that hopefully spur change in people and systems and I want to have this in mind when I’m introducing new things to my staff. Technology (and everything it encompasses) tends to be a scary concept to some teachers, especially those that didn’t grow up in the technological age. Introducing new technology to these teachers will need to be done in a way that changes hearts and minds because it is crucial to the success of implementation. Making the message simple, unexpected, concrete and credible is a starting point. Connecting my staff to the concept by motivating them to care and connect emotionally through the use of success stories will help too.

Time and time again in this course, we’ve learned the importance behind that belief that it isn’t about the device and Porterfield and Carnes remind us of this again. A new flashy piece of technology is just a toy without learning the many ways that it can be used to enhance curriculum, instruction and communication. Social media is the same way. The point is to use the technology to connect with your stakeholders and to connect your students to their world. In the absence of this, the tool is just an expensive toy.

Finally, the major takeaway for me was that, in order for the use of social media to be widely effective, you also have to change your mindset and attitude. Social media helps create transparency for a system, but the leaders in that system have to be willing to hear what their constituents have to say and engage in that conversation – good, bad or otherwise. It is risky to put yourself, your school and your district out there in this way, but if done correctly the benefits far outweigh the risks.