February 2022
With the popularity of social media, it is no wonder that schools are using it as a tool to disseminate information to the public. Parents, students, and the community rely on social media to stay up to date with school news and to keep track of events.
School administrators, teachers, public relations professionals, and tech professionals contribute to the school’s feeds and tell their school’s story. It can be an overwhelming responsibility to cover it all and highlight everyone, so building a collaborative team is just a good idea.
Class Intercom has created a social media certification course to help educators become storytellers, and engage others to contribute. Here are 5 reasons why educators should get CI Certified:
1. Trains users consistently.
When contributing to a collaborative platform, it is important that all users know how to use it correctly. With the CI Certification, educators have peace of mind because they have a training system in place when students or other educators join the social media team.
- Team members can log on at any time to become certified.
- All collaborators are receiving the same message about posting social media content.
- CI users can join the team, at any time, and receive the same training as their peers.
2. Allows for easy training scheduling.
Scheduling a large group training in the educational setting can be a challenge. Educators are in class with students, along with coaching and sponsoring activities before and after school. The CI Certification training course allows users to:
- Access the essential information about content creation at their convenience.
- Move through the tutorial videos at their own pace.
- Become a part of the Content Generation without one-on-one oversight from an administrator. The training videos are short and to the point, so when a team member is ready to contribute to the school’s storytelling, they simply go through the training and begin collaborating with their school team.
Upon completion of the approximately 30 minute video series, users will take a short quiz to become CI Certified.
3. Demonstrates commitment to your profession.
Educators show their commitment to the profession in a variety of ways. They are life-long learners. They commit to bringing curriculum alive for students. They participate in professional development opportunities throughout the summer. They meet the needs of individual students. Becoming CI Certified shows that you:
- Are committed to professionalism, high standards, and continued learning.
- Meet students where they are with social media.
- Tell the stories of the successes and challenges you face, and highlight the magic students bring to the educational space.
- Have school pride and want to share it with others.
After becoming certified, you will have the confidence to collaborate with your team in telling your school’s story.
4. Improves confidence in being a content creator.
Sometimes trying something new can be a little intimidating. Creating content for your school rather than yourself can pose its own challenges. We can get into the cycle of asking so many questions we are unable to get started. Going through the CI Certification program will build your confidence as a content creator. You will learn exactly what you need to do to create a post and collaborate with your team. Then all you need to do is trust that your stories are worth telling! If you post it, they will come. Followers are craving insight into education, so your posts can help them understand your school’s story.
5. Engages you in professional development that will directly impact your classroom and stakeholders.
Ensuring all team members are engaged in professional development about school storytelling is powerful. Staff and students who are CI Certified will be able to engage in content creation that is meaningful and relevant. The authentic content created will allow the community to see the school from the inside out. Educators, students, and the community will be able to engage through social media and relationships will be strengthened. Becoming CI certified allows you to become a part of a mission to spread the good news about your profession, your students, your school, and your community.
Overall including additional certifications in schools for both educators and students has many benefits. (Read more about certification benefits here.) Including a social media content creation certification in your school will focus attention on telling positive stories. If you don’t tell your story, someone else will, so build your team and provide stories about the amazing things happening in your district.
