Using social media to enhance student learning

Q: What do you get when you cross a former social media nerd turned marketing guy with a couple of tech-savvy teachers and instructional technology coaches, plus an expert at integrating social media technologies into Jewish education?

A: A toolkit of social media case studies highlighting how teachers can use common social media and Web 2.0 tools and technologies to facilitate student interaction, collaboration and learning.

At Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, a community Jewish day school in the city of Chicago, we came into the school year with a healthy knowledge of what social technology tools were out there and a thought that we'd like to identify a few of those tools for widespread teacher and student use. Thanks to our participation in Darim Online's Social Media Boot Camp for Educators, we're heading out of the school year with some key technologies identified and faculty members who have designed learning experiences around those technologies that are scalable across the organization. In fact, after some in-house professional development, we already have teachers trying new things that have worked in other teachers' classrooms.

Specifically, we've recognized the power of simple platforms including Twitter, Skype and YouTube to both facilitate interaction within our school community (among students and teachers, for example) and to facilitate interaction with students, classrooms and experts in other states and countries.

A handful of case studies highlight how our faculty members have used these technologies to drive cross-cultural communication, collaboration and learning. If you've never heard of or conducted a Twitterview, or an author-Skype session or mystery-Skype session, or if you've never Explained Everything via a Youtube "flipped classroom" video, we can help…

These things don't just sound fun—they are fun, and, per the title of this blog post, they enhance student learning. Once teachers see what these tools can do and hear from colleagues about the excitement created around learning by incorporating these technologies, we're pretty sure they won't hesitate to try their hands with social media. Here at BZAEDS, after hearing from another faculty member at a professional development session about an eighth grade / author Skype session, one of our third-grade teachers set up an author Skype for her students, much to their excitement and enjoyment.

So if you'd like to hear more about our success with a social media toolkit of case studies, or read more about any individual case study and see photos or videos that accompany these, please don't hesitate to reach out to that former social media nerd (if you check my Twitter timeline you'll see how rarely I use it anymore–even Facebook is no longer a regular thing)—he's here to help!

Derek Gale is the Director of Communications at Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School in Chicago.  They participated in the Social Media Boot Camp for Educators, a year long program generously funded by The Covenant Foundation.  This series of blog posts this spring chart the learnings of the 10 teams in this year's cohort.

 

Jewish Day School Social Media Academy 2013-14

For the past two years, Darim Online has produced the Jewish Day School Social Media Academy to help schools advance their work in the connected age.  Through the Academy, schools learn about new tools and strategies for fund development, recruitment and alumni engagement in the social media age, and then put their new skills to work, and mature their internal operations.   Schools that have been accepted into the 2013-14 Academy participate in an intensive year of training, coaching and project-based learning, and are encouraged to share their learning and accomplishments with the field.   

“We have changed so significantly how we do everything. We communicate so much more effectively. For us it’s been an incredibly dramatic improvement.  I would do this Academy again in a heartbeat.” –- Denver Academy of Torah, 2012-13 cohort

“Our coach acted as mentor, cheerleader, consultant, expert and supporter.  It was invaluable.  It made all the difference.”   — San Diego Jewish Academy, 2012-13 cohort

Other schools and day school representatives are welcome to learn along with us.  We have a webinar series that is open to all, and we invite you to join and participate in the discussion in our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/jdssocialmedia/

Interested in joining our webinar series?  Sign up below!

 

 

 

 

 

Busting Through Tweeter’s Block

A friend of mine has just begun to tweet.  She was one of those people — which is very common — who created an account two years ago, and was feeling very hip and on top of the trends.  And then she never used it.

We sat down last week to build some skills and help her get into meaty conversations in her field.  She was a quick learner, excited and motivated.  And a week later I got the one line email: 

So, what am I actually suppose to be saying on Twitter?

Tweeter's Block is real.  (The Urban Dictionary even has a definition, and to think it did cross my mind that I may have made up the term just now.)  You'd think it would be easy to pound out 140 characters, but it's not so simple, especially if you're just getting started.  Thus, some suggestions:

  1. Don't stress to much about it.  Unlike many other media, Twitter is a constantly moving conveyor belt.  While everything may be searchable ultimately, the vast majority of people are not going to scroll back weeks or months of years to see every tweet, or especially your first tweets.  Unlike the opening sentences of a novel (which may or may not grab you), each individual tweet does not determine the rest of your tweeting trajectory or reputation.
  2. Get some clarity on what personal (or professional) brand and voice you want to be. This varies so much on Twitter, and you might be struggling with striking the right tone, as much as finding the right content.  Farra Trompeter from Big Duck has taught me to think about yourself (or your organization) as a color, a car, a celebrity.  What would it be?  Red, Porsche, Tom Cruise?  Or Lilac, Prius, Meryl Streep?  This might get you in the mood to strike the right tone.
  3. Consider creating a content ratio for yourself as a guideline.  At the gym you wouldn't only work your quads for weeks at a time — it would lead to an imbalance in strength.  You discipline yourself to do hamstrings and abs and arms too.  Similarly, a Twitter ratio can help you focus.  If you'd been doing a ton of promotion about your own work, it will force you to be conversational, generous and to add value.  For every 10 tweets, consider this as a guideline (may vary based on your style, work, and Twitter use, but this ratio is offered as a starting place to break your tweeter's block):
  • 2 tweets adding value around your areas of interest, expertise, and field. E.g. a book recommendation, a link to an article you enjoyed, a resource.
  • 2 tweets being generous, including responding to someone else's question for help or input.
  • 2 conversational tweets, including participating in a hashtag (beyond just using it as a bulletin board). This can include adding your voice to a conversation, or asking your own question to either help you in your work, or to deepen the conversation taking place already.
  • 1 tweet thanking or recognizing someone for a link they shared, their good work, replying to you, etc.  Use their username if they tweet.
  • 1 tweet for Follow Friday. Use the hashtag #FF and a username, then note why this person made an impact on your week
  • 1 self-promotional tweet, such as a plug for your event or a link to your own blog post.
  • 1 spontaneous or fun tweet!  Leave some room to be a little bit playful and spontaneous that doesn't have to fit into any category.  What's a highlight of your day?  A interesting observation or ah-ha moment? A small act of kindness that made your day?  A reflection "thinking about …" without a conclusion or specific answer. Authenticity builds trust and attention – so be real!  
  • In addition, retweet others a couple times.  What content do you think your followers will find useful and you felt was high quality or particularly insightful?  What people and/or orgs do you want to develop a relationship with?  In one click, you can begin to curate content other's have tweeted.

As you glance through your recent tweets, it should feel friendly, generous, thoughtful.  It should include a handful of usernames of other people (shows you're being conversational and social), a few hashtags (you're part of something bigger), and a few retweets.  There shouldn't be big gaps in your use. Some people tweet many times a day, some only a few times per week.  Either is OK, but big gaps show you're not engaged, nor listening to others.

Notice what other tweets you enjoy reading, replying to, and retweeting. What about their style and/or content is attractive to you? Use it as a reflective opportunity to get some insight about your own use.

What have you done to break tweeter's block?  What types of content do you focus on creating, and what gets the most traction for you?

 

Four Lessons from the Replyallcalypse

What happens when 40,000 college students suddenly realize they can email everyone on campus? A lot of crowded inboxes, first of all.

For those who may not have gotten wind of the “replyallcalypse,” here’s the gist. A message went out from the NYU Bursar’s office using an old listserv system. One student, intending to email his mother asking how he should react to the news, accidentally hit “reply all” and shot out a message to the entire student body. He immediately realized his mistake and sent an apology, but it was too late. Replyallcalypse had begun.

The emails that ensued varied from friendly to funny, from inane to downright angry. I highly recommend you check out some of the cream of the crop on this Buzzfeed article and this report from NYU Local.

But beyond the inevitable, aforementioned nonsense that ensued, there’s a lot to learn from this avalanche of emails and their aftermath. Here are a few of the key take-aways:

  1. Transparency rules. Skipping to the end of the story, the NYU employee who originally sent out the email using the faulty system sent a timely and genuine apology out to the student body. He admitted his mistake, took responsibility, and informed the campus as to what was being done to take care of the last of the mess. It brought the whole meshuggas to a classy close.
  2. People want to be heard. I always stress in my coaching and presentation that engaging in social media is an iterative process that begins with listening. While the social media revolution may be about talking, the social media revelation is about listening. That’s where the magic comes from. The fact that so many students sprung on this unusual opportunity to make a joke, ask a question, give a shout-out, or (ironically enough) to tell the others to stop talking and stop crowding everyone’s inbox, proves that ultimately everyone just wanted to be heard.
  3. Don’t underestimate the power of playfulness. The majority of the emails that went out were just, well, silly. One (a personal favorite) asked if anyone had a pencil the sender could borrow. Another sent around a picture of Nicolas Cage, referencing an old internet meme. While that playfulness may seem like nothing more than a waste of time, it also represents the beginning of self-organizing. When Twitter first came out on the market, it was filled with all kinds of foolishness (and that foolishness still exists, no question – just hear me out on this one). But those messages about finding a parking space or having a cheese sandwich for lunch demonstrated the power of the medium. Since then, Twitter users have raised millions of dollars for important causes, helped coordinate uprisings, and even saved lives. I can’t help but wonder: had the replyallcalypse been allowed to continue, what might the students have started? (As an interesting contrast, check out this story.)
  4. It all comes down to connection. The student who accidentally began this whole debacle said, in the end, “I think the best thing to come out of these emails is a rekindled sense of community at NYU (even if it’s based on being stupid).” While we may love technology, and new and shiny things make us happy as crows, social media is all about people and relationships.

Finally, dear readers, choose your technology wisely. Know how it works. Understand what tool is best for the job. And for goodness’ sake, be careful about hitting “reply all”!

Social Media Policy Workbook for Jewish Organizations

Some organizations jump into social media with great excitement. Others with great trepidation. What we know is that the rules of engagement in social media are in many ways fundamentally different than those of other communication tools we’ve used in the past.  A good social media policy provides clear guidelines as to how staff should represent themselves and the organization when posting and interacting with the community, freeing them up to think more strategically. A social media policy is also likely to help leadership feel more comfortable with the less formal nature of social media by letting them establish boundaries for its use. Often to gain comfort and confidence, we need to reduce the fear, get clear on expectations, and be on the same page with our staff, supervisors, board members, and the community.

This Workbook is designed to help you, as an organization, ask important questions about social media, and how you will manage it and use it to your advantage, thoughtfully.  The Workbook is offered as a PDF download free of charge, thanks to our sponsors, The AVI CHAI Foundation, The Union for Reform Judaism, and See3 Communications.

So, are you ready? Download the PDF below, then gather your team together, start the Social Media Policy Workbook, and enjoy the journey!  Make sure to report back and share your progress! Interested in learning from others who are working on their social media policy too? Join the discussion in the
Social Media Policy Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/socialmediapolicy

Jewish Day School Social Media Academy 2012-13

The Jewish Day School Social Media Academy is an intensive program designed to help Jewish Day Schools advance their strategic use of social media in areas such as communication, marketing, community building, alumni relations and development.  

The full Academy runs throughout the 2012-13 academic year, and includes live events, online training via webinar, and private coaching and consulting for each school. We've selected a cohort of 20 schools to matriculate through an intensive training, coaching and project-based curriculum during the 2012-13 academic year. 

The 10 part webinar series is open to all representatives from Jewish Day Schools, at no cost, thanks to support from The AVI CHAI Foundation.  Please use the form below to sign up.  We'll send you notifications and login information for each upcoming webinar in the series. All are recorded and archived so you can return to them at a future date if you're unable to attend live. Each school is welcome to bring multiple representatives to the webinars.  Our schedule (past webinars include links to replay the recording):

October 25, 2-3pm eastern:  Foundations of Social Media
November 6th,  2-3pm eastern: Maturing Your Facebook Use
November 20th, 2-3pm eastern:  Social Media Policies and Guidelines
December 11th, 2-3pm eastern:  Social Media Metrics
December 19th, 1-2pm eastern: Content Generation and Curation
January 8th, 2-3pm eastern: Social Fundraising
January 22, 1-2pm eastern: Using Photos and Video Effectively
March 5th, 2-3pm eastern: Brandraising Through Social Media
March 20, 2-3pm eastern: Integrating Website, Email and Social Media
April 17, 1-2pm eastern: Evaluating Shiny Objects

 REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR SERIES HERE:

 

Please see the full press release for this program, including a listing of the 20 schools chosen for the Academy, below.  Thanks to the AVI CHAI Foundation for funding the 2012-13 Jewish Day School Social Media Academy.

Jewish Day School Social Media Academy 2012-13

The Jewish Day School Social Media Academy is an intensive program designed to help Jewish Day Schools advance their strategic use of social media in areas such as communication, marketing, community building, alumni relations and development.  

The full Academy runs throughout the 2012-13 academic year, and includes live events, online training via webinar, and private coaching and consulting for each school. We've selected a cohort of 20 schools to matriculate through an intensive training, coaching and project-based curriculum during the 2012-13 academic year. 

The 10 part webinar series is open to all representatives from Jewish Day Schools, at no cost, thanks to support from The AVI CHAI Foundation.  Please use the form below to sign up.  We'll send you notifications and login information for each upcoming webinar in the series. All are recorded and archived so you can return to them at a future date if you're unable to attend live. Each school is welcome to bring multiple representatives to the webinars.  Our schedule (past webinars include links to replay the recording):

October 25, 2-3pm eastern:  Foundations of Social Media
November 6th,  2-3pm eastern: Maturing Your Facebook Use
November 20th, 2-3pm eastern:  Social Media Policies and Guidelines
December 11th, 2-3pm eastern:  Social Media Metrics
December 19th, 1-2pm eastern: Content Generation and Curation
January 8th, 2-3pm eastern: Social Fundraising
January 22, 1-2pm eastern: Using Photos and Video Effectively
March 5th, 2-3pm eastern: Brandraising Through Social Media
March 20, 2-3pm eastern: Integrating Website, Email and Social Media
April 17, 1-2pm eastern: Evaluating Shiny Objects

 REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR SERIES HERE:

 

Please see the full press release for this program, including a listing of the 20 schools chosen for the Academy, below.  Thanks to the AVI CHAI Foundation for funding the 2012-13 Jewish Day School Social Media Academy.

Jewish Values and Social Media – Meta Converastion!

This is cross-posted from Miriam Brosseau’s "Clips and Phrases" Tumbler.

Here’s the current state of a conversation about social media and Jewish values happening on my Facebook profile. What would you add?

Ok, everybody – favorite Jewish values and/or texts that could potentially relate to social media. And…go!

(Whaddya think, Anita Salzman Silvert, David Paskin, Rabbi Jason Miller, Elizabeth Wood, Carrie Bornstein, Arnie Samlan? Others?)

Elizabeth Wood Al Tifrosh min hatzibur – Do not separate yourself from the community (i.e. figure out always how to keep yourself connected!)

Irene Lehrer Sandalow Al Tifrosh Min Hatsibur. Social Media makes sure stay you connected to your community.

Miriam Brosseau Whoah, Elizabeth and Irene, you are totally on the same wavelength… and it’s a great call, thanks!

Isaac Shalev Emor me’at ve’aseh harbeh – say little and do lots – should be Twitter’s mission statement

Sara Shapiro-Plevan I’d say that “im ein ani li, mi li” and the rest of that mishna speaks beautifully to the fact that we are nodes in a larger network and not just in relationship with ourselves. Also, Pirke Avot ch. 6 talks about drawing close to colleagues and students, not separating one’s self from community, knowing and contributing to the knowledge of others, and sharpening others’ knowledge as well.

Carrie Bornstein Sara – you JUST beat me to it!

Carrie Bornstein If I am not for myself, who will be for me? (Have a voice in the online world – make your presence known.) If I am only for myself, what am I? (Engage your community – advocate on behalf of others) If not now, when? (Just do it – act in the moment.)

Anita Salzman Silvert I would add the whole Lashon Ha-rah issue. Just using some of the text in a little presentation on the jewish values found in “The Music Man” …think pick a little talk a little…!

Carrie Bornstein Eizeh hu chacham? HaLomed miKol Adam. Who is wise? The one who learns from all others. 

Naomi Malka Da Lifnei Mi Ata Omed—be mindful of your values wherever you go and whatever you say in cyberspace.

Yehudit Batya Shrager The essence of tsniut is being independent of the good opinion of other people. (For the DL on tsniut read “Outside/Inside” by Gila Manolson.) In other words, know what to share and what to keep to yourself and do not define yourself based on how many “friends/followers” you have or how many people “like,” your status updates.

Phil Liff-Grieff malbin panav- it is important to remember that one’s words have serious ripples (sort of a riff on the lashon ha-ra thread….)

Arnie Samlan What about the whole concept of a minyan? That there is a tipping point at which enough human-social energy gathers.

Lisa Narodick Colton Wow, this is great. I’ll add tzimtzum — needing to contract oneself to make room for others to create. good for community guidelines — don’t be a conversation hog.

Larry Brown Excellent topic, Miriam! I believe Pirkei Avot says to find a Rabbi/Teacher and sit at his feet and study. The whole concept of the Oral Torah is that one cannot truly understand Torah simply by reading text, one must learn from others. That is why our ancestors were so reluctant to write it down. Interactive social media can be seen as another way of learning from others.

Paul Wieder Pirsumei Nisah— from Chanukah. Want everyone to know about a miracle? Put it in the window!
“Who is wise? The one who learns from all”- Pirkei Avot
Arba Kanfot— the idea that, while Jews are spread to the “four corners” of the world, we are united.
“A father who does not teach his son a trade teaches him to steal.”— We are required to teach as well as learn, to pass on our knowledge.

Carrie Bornstein In case you haven’t seen it, this thread keeps reminding me of this: http://www.cjnews.com/index.php?q=node%2F90054

Stanley Mieses Kol Yisroel and Derech Eretz. There is no them….only us.

Geoffrey Mitelman I’d add that in our ever-more-interconnected world, g’milut chasadim and tikkun olam are becoming more and more synonymous.

P.O.S.T. Planning Worksheet

Inspired by the book Groundswell by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, Darim has developed the POST Planning Worksheet.  POST stands for PEOPLE, OBJECTIVES, STRATEGY and TECHNOLOGY.  While many jump into social media thinking "Oh, Twitter is the latest hot thing, we should be doing THAT", to use the tool successfully to meet your goals takes a bit more thought.   Creating a plan can be an indepth and complex process, or can be on the back of a napkin.  Either way, asking the right questions in the right order is incredibly helpful. 

You can view the worksheet here, and feel free to click through to download this worksheet and use it as a tool in your planning process.  Gather a couple other people to think through each step with you.  And let us know what you learn by going through the POST process.

P.O.S.T. Planning Worksheet

Inspired by the book Groundswell by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, Darim has developed the POST Planning Worksheet.  POST stands for PEOPLE, OBJECTIVES, STRATEGY and TECHNOLOGY.  While many jump into social media thinking "Oh, Twitter is the latest hot thing, we should be doing THAT", to use the tool successfully to meet your goals takes a bit more thought.   Creating a plan can be an indepth and complex process, or can be on the back of a napkin.  Either way, asking the right questions in the right order is incredibly helpful. 

You can view the worksheet here, and feel free to click through to download this worksheet and use it as a tool in your planning process.  Gather a couple other people to think through each step with you.  And let us know what you learn by going through the POST process.