While most school leaders are Gen X and can remember a world before the internet and mobile phones, most school parents are digital natives.
To them the digital world is as much a part of their world as the physical world, and in this setting the digital community is very influential. The challenge for schools is how to engage current and future parents in the digital community, particularly when schools are navigating this on the run.
To some school leaders, entering the digital community is as intimidating and frightening as walking into a dark alley. Which is why many choose not to. However, while we all have the right to disconnect, it is not always the best option and joining in is not necessarily as scary as it seems. Like any community, the easiest way to join is through a friend, and schools have lots of friends! But there is also a right and a wrong way to participate.
Before a school gets actively involved in the digital community it needs to have a plan. The internet has become the ‘splinternet’ – with the number of social media channels and group apps continuing to grow. Each of them has its strengths and weaknesses and local communities will have their own preferences and ways of using them. All this needs to be understood before stepping across the virtual threshold.
Further to this, it is important to determine how the school is going to be digitally represented. What role the digital community has in the school and what role the school has in the digital community. Very relevant to this is what resources the school is willing to commit to the digital community and how can those resources have the most impact.
Eddee provides digital engagement plans and packages for schools that take a holistic approach to the use of SEO, paid content and social media in a school context. Whether your school is just embarking on the development of this method of communication or already has a digital footprint, Eddee can provide guidance to ensure it is sustainable and the right balance for your community.