The School Leader's Guide to Social Media

Citation

by Vonzell Agosto, R. and Harmeling, J. (2013), "The School Leader's Guide to Social Media", Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 51 No. 3, pp. 413-415. https://doi.org/10.1108/09578231311311555

The School Leader's Guide to Social Media (2012) by Williamson and Johnston provides an introductory text to social media that is organized into five parts: the potential use of social media for schools, school safety, school management, learning, and future trends. It is aimed at helping school‐based leadership grow accustomed to the tools, platforms, and terminology associated with social media. School leaders who are unfamiliar with social media may not be fully aware of the possible benefit of social media in their schools and may not see a need to purchase this book or one like it. For such leaders, this book is a response. A wide range of social media use is introduced in simple language and in connection to the multiple facets of school leadership.

According to the authors, “‘[s]ocial media’ is a method, or category of methods, to facilitate communication among social groups or individuals” (p. 4). Given this definition one might mistakenly include a conference call to others using a land‐based telephone as an example of social media. However, another definition that can be found in a simple search of the internet includes additional qualifying conditions to define social media such as being online (internet based) and/or utilizing platforms that allow people to “publish, converse and share content online” (Socialbrite.org). Clarity about what constitutes social media helps to provide leadership with a basic understanding and contributes to their development of effective school policy. In the authors’ discussion of the elements of an acceptable use policy for employees (definitions, privacy, confidentiality, “friending” restrictions, consequences) the importance of definitions is conveyed by the authors who direct school leaders to: “define what you mean by social media including specific examples” (p. 65). Given the importance of definitions to the development of policy guiding communication and technology use, leaders may do well to craft a definition of social media that draws from beyond the text. Furthermore, the broader reference to related technologies might be confusing for readers who are already unclear about what is included in the category of social media. For instance, the table in the appendix titled Tools by Type can leave readers to infer that a tool such as Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary (RSS) feeds (listed in the table and discussed in Chapter 10 (as Tools of Productivity) is an example of social media rather than a tool that support leaders’ access to and organization of web site postings. In such a case of confusion, readers might benefit from reading Chapter 16 (Working with Twenty‐First Century Tools), which provides more detailed descriptions of social media tools. I would urge school leaders to approach this book (i.e. its definition of social media) and their use of social media with the understanding that clarity about what constitutes social media is complicated by the fluidity and rapid development of technological tools and the innovative ways that people engage them.

The five parts of the book are further divided into digestible chapters with subtopics. A feature that is constant across the chapters is the text box. Typically these text boxes include additional information, exercises, scenarios, questions, or key points excerpted from supplemental resources. For instance, the text box titled “take a learning break” is featured in each chapter. However, the title is somewhat misleading since rather than taking a break from learning the suggestions in the box contribute to further learning by offering a related activity to perform, suggesting a line of inquiry to explore, or presenting another alternative way of thinking about the material presented in the section. Thus this box would be better titled as opportunity for reflection or extended learning. Also included in the text is an abundance of online resources that can enrich readers’ understanding of social media. Unfortunately, when browsing some of the recommended web sites, I encountered some links that were not functioning properly. Readers should not be flustered by this but should proceed with the understanding that the authors of the text are not responsible for maintaining the functionality of or accessibility to the sources provided. Instead readers should proceed with the expectation that at times they will have to embark on an extended search to find online resources that are relevant and accessible. Still, the abundant sources provided overshadow a few broken links.

In Part II Social Media and School Safety, Chapter 7 on developing acceptable‐use policies give short shrift to the unacceptable use of social media. Similar to discussions of cell phone use in schools that are one‐sided as either disruptive or productive to learning, this book presents social media use as a positive contribution to schools and gives little attention to its misuse or abuse. For instance, the discussion of cyber‐bullying is limited to a few lines of text and is discussed only as a practice that is committed by students which neglects the cyber‐bullying committed by teachers (Twemlow et al., 2006). Likewise, there is hardly any attention given to concerns about the technology gap or the digital divide (Gorski, 2005).

The single reference to the digital divide (p. 6) is bookended with a statement implying that inequity in the distribution and access to technology exists: What would education look like if “every kid had access to a computer or other device that linked to the Internet” (p. 214). While the gap between the millennial generation, digital natives born during or after 1985, and the previous generation who are primarily digital immigrants (Prensky, 2010) is included, the digital divide or technology gap is barely mentioned. While the section on globalization could have provided some context for addressing the technology gap or digital divide, it was instead over‐simplified and devoid of issues of inequality or civil unrest. For instance, the use of social media among youth across countries and in connection to civic participation is absent from the discussion of globalization. The positives could have been better balanced with the negatives of social media use in the discussions at both the school level and more broadly as part of social movements. Pairing this book with readings on critical media literacy and the technology gap/digital divide should support the development of school leaders who are interested in promoting the productivity, communication, and image of the school and its leadership with regard for the challenges and opportunities that come with using social media.

School leaders who are in need of ways to manage information and communicate with various colleagues and stakeholders are likely to benefit from the sections on productivity. These sections provide examples of how social media, and technology in general, are used professionally. For those interested in the relationship between social media and student learning, Part IV Social Media for Enhancing Learning would be a good place to focus. However, the discussion about the use of social media tools to support learning does not present the learning theories behind how and why such tools are used for learning. For those interested in school management, Part III Social Media and School Management begins with leadership trends and the role that social media can provide to support various responsibilities such as building trust to improve the school culture. These chapters might be more convincing to readers than Chapter 1 for they provide a more robust treatment of the growing role of social media and potential uses for schools. Overall, this book provides more than the title suggests for those working in schools across various leadership roles, especially for digital immigrants who want to overcome their resistance to innovations in the school environment.

About the authors

Vonzell Agosto is Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of South Florida. Her research agenda is comprised of two overlapping strands focussed through curriculum and pedagogy: anti‐oppressive education and educator preparation (i.e. teachers, administrators). Vonzell Agosto is the corresponding author and can be contacted at: vagosto@usf.edu

Jessica Harmeling is a Doctoral Student in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of South Florida.