During the Midwest Educational Technology Conference (METC), Rockwood Superintendent Eric Knost, taught others various ways on how to use social media to join together strategic planning and culture.

Knost is known for his twitter page where he keeps parents and students updated on things happening around the Rockwood School District. Although it may seem simple, Knost insist that social media is a very helpful tool in building relationships between himself and his community.

“If we create an envoirment where kids and adults are made to feel extraordinary, then we will see extraordinary results,” Knost said

With this, Knost says that these relationships made through social media are needed to join together strategic planning and culture in a school district. From these relationships, an enviorment is developed where learning is easy.

“I think you can have culture without  strategic planning, but you cannot have strategic planning without culture. No significant learning can be done without significant relationships,” Knost said.

Also social media can be used as a time to showcase those of the staff talents, who they really are, and how passionate they are about teaching.

“When i’m interviewing for a job, I’m creating the culture that I’m going to perpetuate before they even see it. That is the power of social media, ” Knost said.

Overall, Knost message was that school’s needed to use as many tools as they could to continue moving towards the goal in helping students thrive.

“I believe that no matter what a mission stament says, what words are utilized, it needs to say this; it needs to say that as educators we are here to help kids thrive in the world,” Knost said.