The big game. The flashy science experiment. The spelling bee. Graduation.
All of these events are made for social media – right!? The photos and videos are obvious and the captions are easy. Your audience expects them to be covered and as a school social media manager, you’ve had them on your radar well in advance.
But that’s not what 99% of your school district is all about. Most of what makes your students and staff awesome happens in the classrooms. Capturing stories about student learning may not be as obvious or easy, but they are just as – if not more so – important than the blatant examples mentioned above.
Lakeville Area Schools in Minnesota found a way to crack open the doors to its classrooms and share everyday learning successes through the “What I Learned This Week” feature. Let’s explore what it is and how they did it!
What is the “What I Learned This Week” Feature?
What I Learned This Week
What I Learned This Week – Distance Learning Edition
Stephen Rydberg, Communications Specialist for Lakeville Area Schools, said that the feature was born out of a simple idea: How do we better highlight our kids? Stephen and his colleague, Grace Olson, were already spending time in all of the Lakeville school buildings. They decided to start with a simple question – “What did you learn this week?” – and see what kind of quotes or footage they could capture.
He said that the benefits of the feature have included more online engagement and appreciation from teachers.
How to Start the “What I Learned This Week” Feature
Your feature could be a video, an audio clip, or a written quote. If you go with a written quote, make sure you capture a photo of the child, too!
Stephen said that he and Grace do not prompt or script the children they interview. They simply ask the question and record the response. Of course, sometimes it takes asking a few times to really get a good response, but the key is to capture the authentic words of the child. Each interview takes only 2-3 minutes.
Before showing up to film, the Lakeville team lets the school principals know they are coming, so that the principal can work with teachers to identify a couple of students to interview. They also track which schools and grade levels they are featuring, so they are able to get a good cross-representation of the district.
The examples you see above include a Photoshop background that was imported into Adobe Premiere Pro software. Your video production could be more or less fancy!
What do you think? Could this feature work at your school? Start small – maybe 1-2 times per month – and consider making this a weekly feature that your audience will look forward to seeing!
Ready for more? Click here to learn the simple secrets behind social media for K12 schools. Andrea has trained thousands of schools across the country – and now, her best tips are available for FREE in this three-part video series!
A guest blog from Emily Rae Schutte, MBA. Emily is a small business owner who left her corporate job to serve other small businesses with content marketing services. Emily loves her role on the #SocialSchool4EDU team. She finds working with schools to be incredibly rewarding. Emily also enjoys working with members of the Social Media Crew for Schools Facebook Group as they develop their skills and share ideas as communicators.
