tion. The Obama campaign reached 5 mil- lion supporters on 15 different social net- works over the course of campaign season. By November, Obama had approximately 2.5 million (some sources say as many as 3.2 million) Facebook supporters, 115,000 Twit- ter followers, and 50 million viewers of his YouTube channel (Aaker & Smith, 2010). Clay Shirky, in the book “Here Comes Ev-
erybody” (2009), provides a series of samples on how Web 2.0 tools are effective to catalyze societal changes. From simple acts such as posting photos or narratives to a blog during a period of oppression, these emerging tech- nology resources provide us with opportuni- ties to promote change at a scale that has pre- viously been inaccessible due to delays and challenges in connecting across the globe.
Education is inherently political From federal legislation such as No
Child Left Behind to the most mundane local board policy, elected officials are set- ting policy for our educational system, often with only the experience of having been a student in the education system. In the cur- rent economic climate, compensation plans such as merit pay and pension systems for public employees seem to be lightning rods for debate and controversy. While we as educators walk a fine line
when it comes to advocacy, we do not abro- gate our own political rights by virtue of our positions. Based on our experiences and expertise,
we would assert that educational leaders have a duty to share their perspectives to help politicians and the community navi- gate through uncertain times. We are pow- erful, not just because of what we know as school administrators, but because of our immeasurable impact as education experts in our private, personal networks. Turning our personal networks into action networks is where the multiplier effect can strengthen our messages, while the use of technology can positively impact public education.
Advocacy begins within So how do we best leverage these new
technology tools to advocate for students and programs, as well as market our own school districts so we have more control over
A leader’s guide to navigating social media
The do’s of social media 1. Develop a clear purpose. 2. Start with small steps. 3. Connect, friend or follow experts. 4. Adjust interactive settings to your comfort level (dis able comments, etc.).
5. Be genuine, authentic and conversational.
The don’ts with social media 1. Don’t abandon other forms of communication and expect social media to work
for all of your stakeholders. 2. Don’t be surprised if it takes a while to build your network. Your virtual network
will likely resemble your actual human network in the early stages. 3. Don’t use your professional presence for political advocacy. Just as district lead-
ers often use a separate cell phone during bond campaigns so that there is no appear- ance of using district resources for political purposes, separate your personal advo- cacy from your professional outreach. 4. Don’t go “all in” with a single medium – vendors and platforms change. Just like
with your investments, diversify your efforts and leverage tools that can cross-post to simplify your efforts. 5. Don’t post anything with the idea that you can “delete” it later. Everything on
the Web can be shared and archived, which means you are leaving a permanent foot- print with each post. If in doubt, consult with colleagues before publishing. The effort and judicious approach at the front end will simplify potential complications later. – Lisa Gonzales, Devin Vodicka and John White
the information going out? Movements are enhanced when there is: • a clear purpose; • the use of the proper tool for that out-
come; and • activity monitoring in a way that aligns
with the spirit of the endeavor. Take the Vacaville School District, for
example. Under the leadership of Superin- tendent John Aycock, district staff and par- ent volunteers used social media to build an advocacy campaign to “Save Our Students.” The “SOS” campaign was a creation that came about during rather heated high-pro- file discussions concerning school closures in the district. Over the years, Aycock cultivated a close
relationship with the leaders of the district’s parent groups. He called several special meet- ings with all the leaders of the parent groups at each school site for a specific purpose: to re-channel the anger from the thoughts of
school closures and redirect that energy into some positive pursuit. As discussions un- folded with parents, it became apparent the district was under-utilizing social media. Aycock reported, “Our younger parents
were very knowledgeable in the use of Face- book, YouTube, Twitter, texting and blog- ging. The social media outlets became the foundation for our outreach to raise funds for our schools. After a short, intensive multi-media campaign, we raised thousands of dollars and have thousands of contacts that we continue to use for our outreach and support for our schools.” So you see, it can be done. Grassroots ac-
tivism is at the heart of what we do in ACSA to share our message, and there are many tools and approaches from which to drive this work. Activism is an inherently social practice. Movements, campaigns and issue advocacy can’t succeed without the founda- tion of solid communication and effective
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