SHOW AND TELL IN THE DIGITAL AGE: Using Social Media to ShowcaseYour Work and Build Community

Lisa ColtonChief Learning Officer, See3 Communications

President, Darim Onlinelisa@see3.com

@darimonline @lisacolton

The Plan…

• Your Goals• New Rules• What It Looks Like: Case study!• Your Questions

First…

WHAT THE *@!* IS A #?

Let’s try using #JewishECE

Your Goals?

Build Community Among Parents

Generate appreciation for your early

childhood expertise

Help people feel part of a larger

organization/community

Generate support for your school

(donations, volunteers, etc.)

Get a peek into other classrooms

What else?

Attention EconomySocial Skills!Add ValueBe Real

4 New Rules of the Game

#1 THIS IS AN ATTENTION ECONOMY

Bring Your Social Skills!

#3:

ADD

VALUE

Social Content is Social Capital

• Social Capital is the value of connections between and among nodes in social networks.

• Content should be newsworthy, unique, controversial, timely immediately useful and/or funny.

• 12:1 ratio of adding value.

Your Unique Value

www.superlame.com

#4: BE REAL

Make it

Personal

Make it

Personal

1. How our teachers are using Facebook.

2. How our parents are using Facebook.

3. What some of our goals are for our

Facebook page and how we are meeting

them.

Shannon HallAssistant Director Infant/Toddler/Transition

Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit

Sarah and Irving Pitt Child Development Center 

How our Teachers are using Facebook.•Prior to being a curator, we meet with the teacher to discuss our “vision” for our page and etiquette we expect.

•Most teachers just post pictures and are encouraged to comment on our posts.

•Has allowed parents to better understand the humor, character and values of our teachers through what they post and how they interact, making our community stronger.

Pictures the teachers post offer parents a chance to SEE the learning and positive interactions taking place.

Gives parents talking points with their child. For example, “I saw that you played outside to day. Tell me who you played with.”

How Parents are using Facebook.

•Past parents are reconnecting with us through Facebook.

•Giving us feedback/praise about the learning that is happening in their child’s class.

•Interacting with the posts we put up.

•Visiting the page for information about what is happening at the Pitt CDC.

•Looking to us as resource.

•New families are liking our page prior to touring and starting our program.

This was the parents idea while we were at the Apple Orchard field trip!

Even grandparents are liking & commenting too!

Goals for our Facebook page

We want people to look at our page and feel what the culture of our preschool is. What are our views on learning, our values, offer insight on current and relevant topics and more. We want them to be a part of our social community. Some of the following posts depict some of the ways we’ve accomplished this.

Supports our play based learning environment.

Offers parents a chance to sound off and have a voice

in our program.

Parents using us a resource and sharing their ideas and opinions.

#Pittsukkahs

Parents, Teachers and children got involved. This picture shows three families that got together for dinner during Sukkot. It was great to see

our families joining together for the holidays.

Families, and parenting,

are changing.

How are you evolving?

Your Questions?