This book provides specific and practical ideas for using social media tools to enhance communications, instruction, and professional development within the K–12 school environment—invaluable information for school librarians, instructional coaches, technology specialists, and educational administrators.
Social Networking for Schools is the only book to take a comprehensive look at the topic of social media use in schools. Starting with the numerous justifications for integrating social media into schools, it provides real-world examples of how to seamlessly integrate social media within your classroom or library, examines the methodologies for crafting the necessary policies and procedures to ensure that staff members are prepared to use these tools effectively, and discusses the policy and legal issues surrounding the use of social media in schools.
The work uniquely identifies the three core ways that social media can be integrated within a school: as communications tools, as instructional tools, and for professional development. The collaborative effort of a former school librarian and current school administrator with a practicing school attorney, authors Steven M. Baule and Julie E. Lewis bring perspectives and critical insights to the topic not normally considered in similar literature.
Steven M. Baule, EdD, MLS, PhD, is superintendent of North Boone Community Unit School District 200 in Poplar Grove, IL. He was named one of the Top Ten Technology Savvy Superintendents in 2010 by eSchool News. Previously he served as superintendent in Community Unit School District 201 in Westmont, IL, and has also been a high school principal, assistant superintendent for information technology, high school administrator, middle school library media specialist, and a classroom teacher. Baule was the executive director of the New Trier Township Technology Cooperative, which provides wide-area-networking, email and Internet services to New Trier and its six elementary sender districts. He received his masters in library science from the University of Iowa, a doctorate in instructional technology from Northern Illinois University, and a doctorate in educational leadership from Loyola University of Chicago. His published works include several books on historical and educational topics, including Technology Planning for Effective Teaching and Learning and Facilities Planning for School Library Media and Technology Centers.
Julie E. Lewis, JD, is a partner with Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins, Ltd., Chicago, IL, where she concentrates her practice in school and municipal law. She has served as general counsel for a large metropolitan school system in Georgia; as deputy general counsel for the Georgia Department of Education; and as an attorney with The Weatherly Law Firm, a firm that specializes in the representation and defense of school agencies exclusively in the area of educating children with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the No Child Left Behind Act. Lewis has also served as senior staff attorney for the National School Boards Association in Alexandria, VA, and as legal counsel and legislative specialist for the American Association of School Administrators in Arlington, VA. Her published works include a chapter in The Yearbook of Education Law; Caregiver Alliance for At-Risk and Dangerous Youth: Establishing School and Agency Coordination and Accountability; and Safe Schools, Safe Communities. She is a member of the Oxford Round Table on Educational Policy where she co-presented a paper entitled "Providing Children an Education to Participate in a Democracy." Lewis graduated with honors from Northwestern University and received her juris doctorate from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
Reviews
"This detailed book will help schools incorporate social media tools into communication, curriculum, and professional development. . . . This is an excellent resource that provides a blueprint for utilizing social media to facilitate teaching and learning."—Library Media Connection, January 1, 2013
