Preso for Davis Publication's Davis Virtual Retreat 2010 by Craig Roland and Matt Cauthron for art educators across the country interested in using social media to promote art programs.
• offer you some strategies for getting started with social media in your roles as art supervisors • showing some social media tools you can use to promote your art education programs • point you to some useful how-to guides and resources where you can learn more about social media.
Start with some quick answers to two questions: 1st - What is "social media?" 2nd - Some may be wondering, “Why use social media?”
We’re in the midst of profound change in the way that people communicate, interact with others, and share content online. Cultural change as much as it is a technology change.
The proliferation of social media and digital tools is driving this paradigm shift. (leads to two points)
(First) Before (social media came along) we depended on 'the media' for our news, our entertainment, and to make our stories public.
Now we are the media—each of us can create our own content and broadcast it around the world on our own channels.
Some signs of how things have turned around: Nearly 24 hours of video are uploaded to You Tube every minute. TechCrunch May 2009 Most news organizations now (like CNN) encourage viewers to send in stories.
The other important thing to understand about social media is it’s not about information or Web pages, it’s about connecting with people. . . . If you want to go where the people are today and connect with others—locally, regionally, nationally, internationally—you need to learn how to use social media and integrate these new tools into your professional lives.
(Third question) You may be wondering how you’re going to fit “social media” into your already busy schedule. . . We’d rather that you think of social media not as something new, but as a better way of doing some of the things you already do. . . Now, let's look at some strategies for getting started with social media.
We’ve organized this presentation around 4 key areas or questions.
First,up, What are your social media goals?
Davis has presented one possible goal for you as a challenge: To show why art education is important in the 21st century using 21st century technology.
As you consider how you might use social media to advocate for art education keep in mind this quote from Laurie Anderson > gets at the heart of what’s happening on the Web today. We’ll all gathering around campfires and telling our stories.
There’s a similar theme in this quote from Charles Leadbeater: “ The web matters because it allows more people to share ideas with more people in more ways.” This idea of “sharing” is one of the BIG IDEAS I hope you take away from this retreat.
Some examples of art teachers sharing stories and information via twitter.
So, the question we have for you is “What stories do you have to tell? “ What great things are your teachers and students doing that you can share on the Web?”
There are other social media goals for you to consider: >like building connections with people (local, regional, nationally, internationally). > Some call it “social networking.”
Social networking is not a new idea. • We all have our own networks away from the computer. • The computer and the web open up possibilities for greatly expanding your network and audience.
A great example of social networking is, of course, Art Education 2.0.
Another possible goal to pursue though social media: >To enhance relationships with your community. > Posting announcements about upcoming student art exhibitions and other news items on facebook, twitter or other networking site.
Another possible goal to pursue though social media: >To enhance relationships with your community. > Posting announcements about upcoming student art exhibitions and other news items on facebook, twitter or other networking site.
One of your goals can also be to get people talking about your programs (for you). You want people tweeting and sharing information about your programs.
What all this does is help build a audience for art education in your community (and beyond).
Another possible reason to use social media is to set up collaborations with others (between teachers/classrooms/schools/programs). Consider that you’ve been participating in visual seminars here that were planned by people living all over the country . . .all with the aid of social media.
Lastly, social media allows you (and your teachers) to find new digital colleagues. This is a small part of my personal learning network through twitter, a group of people from around the world >that I often turn to for ideas and answers to questions I have.
Social media offers opportunities to do all these things and more . . . . >Keep in mind that There isn’t a “one size fits all” solution. >Different things for different people >Lots of choices on how you can tell your story, create your brand. >But, remember that this won't happen overnight. >Using social media should be seen as part of a long-term communication and advocacy strategy.
Let’s turn to Question two. In the earlier presentations, you saw some fantastic examples of art teachers using social media to promote their programs and grow an audience. >Theresa, Tricia, Ian, and Jeff all have great stories to share. > I'm sure you got some ideas from them.
Received a copy of Chip and Dan Heath’s book Made to Stick that offers 6 principles or strategies for crafting your stories and stories and messages. . . . If they were to offer advice on how to talk about the importance of art education today, I imagine they’d urge you to >keep your message simple and The language concrete, >to include an emotional hook, >and make it easy to remember.
There is something else that you need to consider: Making your content social-media friendly.
Some examples of social-media friendly content: >lists, tips, photo galleries, videos >great titles or headlines on your pages.
Some other ideas: >make your content easy to share (share buttons); Encourage comments and respond to them, >one of the more challenging things to do, make frequent updates to your sites/content.
Lastly, its important to spread your content around. >some of my identities on sites that I use to distribute my content on the web. >This is something that Matt it going to address in more detail, so I’ll turn it over to him now.
(as there are many) You need to survey the social media landscape and choose the right tool for the job
Basically, using social media involves delivering your content (or story) through FOUR media channels: Text: Twitter, Blogger Audio: Podcasting, Voicethread Images: artwork / photos to Flickr, Picasa, Animoto, Artsonia, Ning, Video: artwork / photos as stories to Vimeo, You Tube, Teacher Tube, Ning
What's amazing is the fact that you now have the ability to open up new ways of sharing and communicating this content to others that did not exist before
Each channel has its own set of tools for communication * Many are free and very useful for the educational community * Many overlap and are multipurpose It is necessary to explore the different channels to discover what works best use for you * again, looking for the best tool for the job Audience participation and feedback are part of the interaction of such tools * Pushing your content online for people to view, share and discuss
For example, if using photos to show student artwork is a worthwhile goal... adding a photo-sharing site as a tool for art teachers to use might be better than having them submit images of student work to a school website or CD * easier updating, broader exposure, and potential for audience feedback * Add (embed) to blogs or websites, tweet about new galleries Of course, some of you are likely thinking it will be a challenge to get your school district to buy in and agree to sharing student-generated content over the Web. * It is often necessary to show the benefit first (be a good sales person!) * In reality, it is a CELEBRATION of the work- it is authentic publishing, it is not just placing work online o Its for parents, community, admin, staff, & students to enjoy o As well as your online community colleagues + In the DATA program we use to joke about the fact that more people knew about our program outside of school then on the campus (Why? Because we push out our content) * Getting written permission from families is important before hand! Once your content and strategies are in place, there is actually less work * Promoting your program is made easier by constantly pointing to these locations and embedding it into other sites o Email it, tweet it, blog it, post on Art Ed 2.0 for the world to see
Lets start with three goals: 1. Generate original content from or with teachers 2. Get your content online using the best tool for the job 3. Share the content locally, regionally, or globally through the four channels Encourage interaction and participation from your audience/community * Invite teachers, students, parents admin, community to comment o No worries, comments can be moderated!
Use a mix of social media outlets or channels, work across web platforms... not putting all your eggs in one basket.
* Utilize content management sites like Flickr and Picasa...
* Vimeo and You Tube... * blog it, tweet it, post on Art Ed 2.0
* This helps to spread the word and build new audiences * As people discover your work, word will spread if you keep at it
Tag your content so it can easily be found via a search engine * and also from with in the network it is loaded on (Flickr, Picasa, Art Ed 2.0, Vimeo) * this is another way to make your content social media friendly
Make your start manageable * look at this as creating a long-term strategy * As work builds it acts as an ongoing archive of achievements
My shoe box theory... * Before we use to keep pictures in an old box under the bed or in the closet * NOW its online, in the cloud, on social networks o in places like Flickr, Picasa, Nings, Vimeo, etc o and yes, always keep a copy up on your hard drive as back up! So... , the question is are you going stick all your stuff in a shoebox to collect dust, or will you create content to share and celebrate?
The content management sites mentioned are a way to create rich archives for achievement and celebration vs. just adding a video or photo into a web page * These sites store your content for free and are easy to share or embed
You'll need a home base such as a blog or school website to... * Showcase your original content * Provide information on your program * Direct visitors to your various media channels * Also nice... to put on a business card or as an email signature! Again, all this is Easily shared throughout your communities through Twitter or email
* Students create designs * Votes are casted online * A winner is chosen and printed
* Student models are photographed
A student makes a video of the event and posts it on Vimeo
* Winning student is quoted and shot for blog
* Images are posted to Picasa * A blog post gets written o Picasa slide show is embedded
The post gets tweeted
* People see it, student work is celebrated, the archive deepens, readers comment
Example 2- Paint the World with Light Hits NPR.org ***We don’t always know the outcome of our efforts, sometimes we just have to try***
* I plug away in my classroom o Students work / I create my sites: blog, a main site...
o launch a Ning, create photo / video galleries
* ... I stumble upon Art Ed 2.0 o Share my content there o find collaborators with similar curricullum... I tell more people... * Ideas are shared, ideas gets developed, people are invited through various channels o discussions are created as a place for people to gather...
* Collaboration is born!
* We tweet it, Blog about it... word spreads...
* One morning we get an email from a writer at NPR.org * Student's work and collaboration gets coverage * HEY, we are the media * the story continues....
Twitter: "the best way to share and discover what is happening right now" * Streams of information in 140 characters or less * You have followers and those you follow * Can create 'lists' to focus your streams Vimeo: "the home for the videos you create" * Host and share video * Collect video from others as Likes * Create Channels, Groups, and Albums * Embed slide shows from Vimeo into other sites * Has less audience then You Tube but is visible in many schools Picasa: "a photo sharing website from Google" * Host and share your still images * Create Albums as 'galleries' * Embed galleries from Picasa into other sites * large amount of free storage and is accessible from many schools * Works in concert with your Google account Art Ed 2.0: "A global community of art educators exploring uses of new technology" * A network of 5,600 + art educators around the planet * Personal page w/photos, videos, discussions and groups * Connect w/others in discussions and groups * Art Supervisors & Davis Retreat Discussions???