Social media sites are a great way to communicate with teachers, parents and pupils. Following some basic rules will make sure you are using them appropriately and getting the most out of them.
1. Set up official school social media accounts
To make the most of social media, schools need to set up official accounts; either in the name of the school, or in the name of staff, but always transparently associated with the school – defining and delimiting the usage as professional and entirely school related. That way there’s no difference between a school attributed social media account and a school email, telephone or letterhead.
2. Communicate appropriately
Using a communication platform which is popular with the pupils is not the same as using the communication platform in the same way as the pupils. Boundaries and professional practice need to be considered at all times. For example, in real life a school might display posters for a school event on an official youth centre noticeboard, but a teacher wouldn’t go up to the children at the skate-park to tell them in person. Twitter and Facebook are no different.
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