The Dark Ages have been banished by the enlightenment of the modern world. The blinders have been removed and the eyes opened. The Kirkwood School District has finally made the leap.
In other words, Kirkwood finally has a Facebook page.
“It became more and more apparent that just having a website was inadequate,” Dr. Thomas Williams, superintendent, said. “We think that [Facebook is] going to be the communication of choice for people in the future, and it seems like more and more people are using that as a tool.”
Registered as “Kirkwood School District,” the fan page is run by Ginger Fletcher, district director of community relations and development.
“We had heard from some parents that they thought we should get a district Facebook page up,” Fletcher said. “We wanted to make sure that the information we were providing was information that parents and students of a certain age would want to see featured.”
The current page includes official photos and district news updates. When the new turf field was laid at KHS, for example, the district page put up several photos. Users viewing the page can see press releases and breaking news. The page also prominently displays a “page etiquette,” which grants the district “the right to remove content, including personal attacks and comments that are not relevant.”
“You can only make comments on things that I post,” Fletcher said. “I think that as it evolves, we’ll probably open it up, but for right now, you can comment on something I’ve posted. We’ve had a lot of people post questions, specifically with the bond issues, so I want to be able to keep up with the questions and not miss anything.”
The two bond proposals on the Nov. 2 ballot would fund improvements for Kirkwood schools, including a potential aquatic center, renovations to outdated science classrooms and a kindergarten program at each school. Numerous comments have been made on the page both in support of and against the propositions.
“A lot of times there’s misinformation,” Williams said. “[Facebook] is helpful and we can know what kind of questions people are asking and respond quickly.”
Fletcher agrees the Facebook page has been extremely advantageous in creating more of a dialogue between the district and the community.
“I think it’s great,” she said. “I want people to post direct questions on the Facebook page so that we can answer them and everyone can see the answer. I would rather have direct questions posted on the Facebook page than sent out in emails.”
The district is not the only official Kirkwood Facebook page. The KHS football program started a fan page and a Twitter account over the past year to better promote events and games. Coach Matt Irvin said both accounts effectively distribute information and start dialogue with alumni and fans.
“I think it allows people to connect in a way that is more direct in some ways and more immediate,” Irvin said.
The football program has two official pages for Facebook and two accounts for Twitter; one is a general page that updates the community on local game coverage, photos and more, while the “alerts” version caters to game reminders, time or venue changes, cancellations, scores and statistics.
“I think it’s very important,” Fletcher said, “and I think it’s great to keep our students, parents and alums informed about what’s going on. People want all that information, and they want it immediately. Besides, it’s easy to do. You can get updates from your phone.”
Irvin said the Twitter accounts are used less because fewer Kirkwood students are on the site, and Facebook allows for more of a visual component in addition to providing information.
“We weren’t sure what to expect,” Williams said, “but I think the feedback that we’ve gotten so far has been positive.”
English teacher Amy Barker began using a Facebook group this year to communicate with her AP Literature students.
“I use it as a reminder about assignments,” Barker said. “I use it to give hints, and when we do a project, I use it to post the results online. One thing that’s really nice about using Facebook is that students use it on their own time after class is over, so they can keep learning.”
Just like the district and the football program, Barker appreciates how Facebook lends itself to more of a dialogue as opposed to a traditional website.
“The nice thing about it is that students can ask me questions and make sure they’re on track,” Barker said.
Although the district has been utilizing social networking sites, most are still blocked on school networks. The district is unsure if Facebook will be unblocked in the future.
“My concern with it being opened up everywhere is technology issues with viruses or worms,” Fletcher said. “We have to be careful when we’re on a computer if it’s just open without any guidance, and then the computers are down or it gets in the network or some of our security is threatened. If it goes down and we can’t access our email or the grade book, then it becomes an instructional issue.”
Loosened restrictions, however, are a possibility. According to Fletcher, district officials have discussed how students and teachers have been using sites like YouTube for educational purposes.
“There are great resources out there,” Fletcher said. “The superintendent has used YouTube videos in different meetings we’ve had, educational YouTube videos. It has been a discussion, but we have to set some guidelines and be careful.”
Despite the increasing technology, both Fletcher and Irvin maintain traditional communication is just as important.
“You have to be really careful about using technology as your only tool,” Irvin said. “It’s still very nuts and bolts. We prefer to make connections face to face, talking and listening.”
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