Do you ever feel like you are on an island when it comes to social media for your school?
I hear it all the time, which is why I want to work harder to connect you with each other. What better way than Facebook Live??

On April 25th, I scheduled a Facebook Live interview with Greg Turchetta, Executive Director of Communications for Collier County Public Schools in Florida. Technology was being a little difficult, so the on-camera, side-by-side interview that I had planned didn’t work out.

Instead, Greg, being the great sport he is, went live on my Facebook page on his own to have a great conversation with more than 25 people across North America!

Did this already pique your interest? Here is a link to the 30 minute broadcast.

I thought I would give you a quick, written summary of what Greg covered. A cliff notes version of the value bombs that Greg shares in this video include:

• Greg’s background is in TV – 22 years!! He made a shift because he wanted to make a difference in the lives of kids.
• Education is tough to change, so that is a challenging part of his role. More has changed in the last five years when it comes to communication than has changed in the previous twenty years (and Greg predicts the next five years will offer even more change). We are change agents!
• Greg has really embraced the social media role in school communications. We need to take a leadership role in using technology to best communicate to students, teachers, families, and communities.
• The mission of social media is simple – Show (not tell) the innovative and exclusive learning opportunities that go on in our classroom every day. Open the classroom window for parents to see what’s going on. In an era of school choice, we need to be the best choice!
• Our job, as school communicators, is to be our own news outlet!
• Join in on the #K12PRchat – every other Tuesday.
• Change is not hard unless you don’t explain it properly. Start with WHY! It’s critical for buy-in. Make sure your staff are your brand ambassadors.
• Social media is valuable on the sunny days, but on crisis days, that is where it really pays off. Greg talks in-depth about the use of social media after the hurricane hit his county last September.
• In addition to all of this, Greg talks about getting school boards and leadership to buy in to social media, encouraging parents & community members to follow the pages, establishing a communications position inside of your district, and more!

Most importantly, I think surrounding yourself with people like Greg is critical to social media success in your school district.