At MEWA, we are a community active on social media. Our school utilizes Facebook daily to keep our
students, staff, and parents informed of what’s happening. We also post about education news, show off
student work and achievements, and help everyone get to know our staff a little
better. MEWA is not just a school, but a
family, or team, in which each individual contributes something important and
creates a winning combination. On
Twitter, we send out tweets with important information on everything from blog
posts, to eating healthy and study tips.
Our Pinterest profile visually shows what the MEWA experience is about,
as well as offers tips on how to organize your online “classroom” and what to
expect when it comes to higher education.
Finally, our blog is where we tell you all about, well, everything that
has to do with MEWA. Here, you can read
the updates from Principal Gray in his messages and get tips on how to be successful
as a member of the MEWA team. Social
media is meant to inform, to be shared, and to build a community around a
common interest.
In the latest Principal's Message, Dr. Gray outlined some
bullet points with concepts that student’s should be aware of as they begin to
use social media more and more. The
author of this particular article that Dr. Gray quoted, mentioned the shift
being made in the “real world” when it comes to finding employment. As our students begin to achieve their
academic goals and build a career path, there are some things to consider now,
in Junior High & High School, when it comes to social media.
- Social Networking has become more prominent in everyday life, while email use has declined. Part of this comes from our need to have immediate answers; we no longer like to wait for someone to login, check, and respond to an email. With social media, tweeting, Facebook chat sessions, and Google hangouts have become the quickest form of communication when answers are needed fast.
- Job searching has become much more complicated, in the sense that networking lunches and LinkedIn have become more popular. Now Human Resource departments check to make sure a job candidate is active of social media before bringing them in for an interview. People want to see how much of an influencer you are, or where you are most creative. Social media is sometimes the best way to gauge what you are most interested in.
- LinkedIn has become the number one network in which employers and employees can both actively and passively participate in the job search and hiring process. You can now even turn your LinkedIn profile into a resume, without using Word or another program like it!
- Social media is about showing, and focusing on, your passions. Be honest, but remember, what you write within the digital space, really does stay there! Ask yourself this question before writing a status update, tweeting, sending a Snapchat, or posting an image on Instagram: “What will my employer 3, 5, and 10 years from now think of this?” If you don’t like the answer, or the thought, it’s probably not something that needs to be shared with the world.
Social media is nothing to be afraid of. Merely, it should be thought of as a tool
that will help you build a strong future, no matter what you decide to do with
it. If you have questions about how to
best use social media, ask your counselor for some tips. Make sure you are following MEWA for even
more tips and to stay updated on what’s happening!
What's your favorite social networking site to use?
