Dear Editor,
The nation is now in a post-Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) frame of mind. The results of the 2015 GSAT are now available and our students are about to embark on further primary studies.
As expected, some students are happy to have been placed at their school of choice, while others — who fall in the minority 25 per cent — are wondering what went wrong why they were zoned.
We are very much aware that some of the high schools in Jamaica are more sought after than others. This is due to the public perception of effective management, as well as the schools' track record.
Regardless of which school a child is placed life goes on; 'you can bloom wherever you find yourself once you apply yourself and remain focused' with the help of parents and guardians.
For the most part, our schools have not done a very good job at promoting their strengths to the general public especially during an era of social media. An added benefit of using social media is that schools have the opportunity to reinforce their 'brands'. We tend to associate branding in the world of business; however, social media, such as, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook can be creatively used by our educational institutions to highlight to the public the diverse and enriched programmes unique to each school.
Our schools need to incorporate more of the available social media technology to communicate with parents and guardians and students. The fact is many of our parents and students are already using and sharing on social media sites. The time is now for us to be innovative and capture our students' attention by using more of social media which will undoubtedly benefit our schools and students.
As a society we must do more to ensure that all our children learn regardless of socio-economic background and school attended.
Wayne Campbell
waykam@yahoo.com
@WayneCamo
Up social media use in schools
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The nation is now in a post-Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) frame of mind. The results of the 2015 GSAT are now available and our students are about to embark on further primary studies.
As expected, some students are happy to have been placed at their school of choice, while others — who fall in the minority 25 per cent — are wondering what went wrong why they were zoned.
We are very much aware that some of the high schools in Jamaica are more sought after than others. This is due to the public perception of effective management, as well as the schools' track record.
Regardless of which school a child is placed life goes on; 'you can bloom wherever you find yourself once you apply yourself and remain focused' with the help of parents and guardians.
For the most part, our schools have not done a very good job at promoting their strengths to the general public especially during an era of social media. An added benefit of using social media is that schools have the opportunity to reinforce their 'brands'. We tend to associate branding in the world of business; however, social media, such as, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook can be creatively used by our educational institutions to highlight to the public the diverse and enriched programmes unique to each school.
Our schools need to incorporate more of the available social media technology to communicate with parents and guardians and students. The fact is many of our parents and students are already using and sharing on social media sites. The time is now for us to be innovative and capture our students' attention by using more of social media which will undoubtedly benefit our schools and students.
As a society we must do more to ensure that all our children learn regardless of socio-economic background and school attended.
Wayne Campbell
waykam@yahoo.com
@WayneCamo
Up social media use in schools
-->