Edutopia Introduces Primer on How to Develop Social Media Guidelines for Schools

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., May 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Edutopia, produced by The George Lucas Educational Foundation, today released a new primer designed to help educators develop comprehensive social media guidelines to safely and effectively integrate social media into the learning process.

Titled "How to Create Social Media Guidelines for Your School," the primer was developed in collaboration with Facebook and will be featured on the Facebook in Education Page.

Edutopia's primer aims to help schools across America successfully embrace the prevalence of social media by offering educators a step-by-step process to follow in creating social media guidelines. For each step, the primer also provides "Questions for Reflection" as well as additional links to expert resources to better help educators determine the best approach for their community and customize their social media guidelines accordingly.

Teachers across the country are already having success introducing Facebook and other social media tools into the classroom. Most recently, 2012 National Teacher of the Year Rebecca Mieliwocki, a 7th grade teacher at Luther Burbank Middle School in California, was honored at a White House ceremony where President Barack Obama noted her forward-thinking use of Facebook to help families of her students stay connected with the classroom.

"We're delighted to collaborate with Facebook to bring this important primer to a broad audience," said Cindy Johanson, Executive Director of The George Lucas Educational Foundation, publisher of Edutopia. "The power of social media is propelling innovation in education as educators, parents and students collaborate and share new approaches, lessons learned and inspirational successes."

"Facebook is committed to helping educators understand how to use social media throughout the school community," said Joel Kaplan, Facebook Vice President of U.S. Policy. "We are thrilled that Edutopia, a leader in identifying new teaching resources, has developed this effective guide for creating social media guidelines."

The lead author of the primer is Edutopia contributor Steven W. Anderson, a District Instructional Technologist with the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools in Winston-Salem, NC. Anderson regularly travels the country talking to schools and districts about the use of social media in the classroom. 

The primer can be found on Edutopia.org and in the Resources section of the Facebook in Education page.

About Edutopia
Edutopia is produced by The George Lucas Educational Foundation, an operating foundation dedicated to improving the K-12 learning process by documenting, disseminating, and advocating for innovative, replicable strategies that prepare students to thrive in their future education, careers, and adult lives. As one of the world's leading sources for change-makers in education, The George Lucas Educational Foundation spreads the word about ideal, interactive learning environments and enables others to adapt these successes locally. Edutopia.org contains a deep archive of continually updated best practices, from classroom tips to recommendations for district-wide change.  To find and share solutions, visit Edutopia.org, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.

SOURCE Edutopia