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Social Media Mind Shift

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I teach in Howard County, the 3rd most wealthy county and school district in these United States of America.

But my school, since being part of the opening team in 1997,  has always fought a bad reputation.
Warning, this post might load slowly because of a lot of embedded cool social media! 
A photo posted by Gwyneth Jones (@thedaringlibrarian) on



Being Fabulously Diverse Since 1997! 

You see, we're literally on the other side of the tracks of our fancy county. Laurel, Maryland is on the southern outer edge of our district closest to Washington DC. 

Our kids are delightfully multicultural and come from diverse family backgrounds. Some kids live in 500K houses, and some live in apartments, townhouses, homeless shelters and mobile homes. We have 35% free & reduced lunch- one of the highest in our county.

We've never had SMART boards, we're not 1:1 school, and I just lost my full time Library Media assistant. (They were considered a luxury and all were "re-purposed" in every Middle & High school last year - Not that I'm bitter, much! LOL Don't worry, to quote Tim Gunn - we're "gonna make it work!")

Before Social Media I used to said we were the best kept secret in Howard County. Because when people visit from the other side of the county, they're always amazed at how beautiful our school is and the positive school vibe that's a palpable atmosphere in the hallways! Now, because of social media, we don't have to be a secret!

When Sharing on Social Media Remember to:
Be Passionate
Be Positive &
Be Professional

Never vent about school frustrations via social media! Don't Tweet yourself out of a job. This changing the world, changing a mind means to be positive at all times!


I LOVE the vibrant and rich tapestry of of our school, with many interesting cultural threads that include kids from many nations and living experiences! My kids are bright, inquiring, daring, and decidedly FUN!


But somehow, someway, from the very first day we opened, we've gotten reputation in our district as being "rough" or "tough" compared to the other affluent zip codes and schools in our county. I prefer and celebrate diversity!

Social Media Can Shift Minds. And it's FREE.

I passionately believe that part of our job (as educators and librarians) is to sing the praises of the great things that our kids do,  and the amazing things that go on every day in our schools.

Using Twitter, Vine, Instagram, whatever suits your fancy, just share! I do this for our Daring School Library Media Center, but I also applaud and try and show the other great things that I see throughout the building. We all have our cell phones handy, don't be too shy to share! And it's FREE! Doesn't cost a dime!

I like to share Math Barbie Bungee Jumping experiments! 
(AUDIO Tip: click the small microphone X watermark to listen to our Vine videos)
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Or impromptu choreographed dances while I'm sitting in the front hallway during 7th grade lunch duty! (don't be jealous!)  
Introducing the Croissant Dance by Esther!
 
 
From MHMS Peter Pan Production: 3 Pretty Fairies! 
A photo posted by Gwyneth Jones (@thedaringlibrarian) on

A photo posted by Gwyneth Jones (@thedaringlibrarian) on
 
Here are some of my MHTV camera guys getting into our cultural Tuesday song! This was not rehearsed, it just happened!  Lucky I had my phone handy!


 
We even sometimes create cool products for ELA classes. This was a political propaganda Vine we did last year with some of our kiddos. Love how Vine makes it easy to do many quick cuts and still frames all with a tap tap!
-- 
 
Here's Mr. Mark Dunbar & our GT Advanced Film production kiddos on their way to the theater for the Environmental Film Festival!
A photo posted by Gwyneth Jones (@thedaringlibrarian) on
Here are some of our kids at the farm!  


Leverage the Power of Social Media 

I blogged about this before, Say YES! To a School Instagram. But, no matter what you do or which social media avenue you choose - share the amazing, varied, and great things that go on every day in your school! Shout out often the positive!

The More the Merrier!
Try and encourage as many teachers as possible in your school to share the awesome! The more voices out there highlighting the positive, the better for the kiddos and the school! Parents love to see positive. The community needs to see the positive, so don't forget to hashtag your district! (I forget this sometimes! Ours is #HoCo!) Tag your PTA, tag your Superintendent! Tag your principal!

I confess, I always get SO excited and honored when my principal Mr. Josh Wasilewski retweets, favorites, or mentions on of our shares or something about our Daring School Library Media Center!
And  it's also nice to thank some AWESOME PTA parents who make an splendid lunch for you!

Inspiration Credits!  




"We have the power to shift the mindset of those in the public sector if we shout out the great things that kids do in our schools" everyday.  --from The Power of Branding: Telling Your School's Story by Tony Sinanis, ‎Joseph Sanfelippo

I found this amazing quote and was SO inspired by it, through a great presentation called Social Media for Schools by Silvia Tolisano (@langwitches)

I was inspired also to write this blog after an earnest conversation with one of our amazing parents and MHMS PTA President, Mrs. Thalia White. Thank you for your generosity towards our school, your commitement to our kiddos, unflagging support & enthusiasm.

Your turn! I invite you to give your ideas in the comments!

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