Traveling around the country as part of the edSocialMedia crew, speaking with schools about social media, we’re often asked, “how do I get started with social media?”

Such a straight forward question is generally followed by a lengthy response, but for the purposes of this post, I’ll share our 30 second answer- build on something that already works.

Take this simple example- is your school newspaper a success? Does it enjoy a strong following? Consider weaving social media into the online version-  allow for comments, use RSS to pipe to other social media platforms, etc. Mix & match; see how the community responds; use it as a testing ground for future projects.

Another possibility- consider sharing work that’s being produced in the classroom. Might come in the form of featuring an oral history project as a podcast series or sharing an art portfolio via flickr. Lots of possibilities exist.

This brings me to the video below produced by students at Midland School, a progressive, co-ed boarding school in Los Olivos, CA.

Derek Svennungsen, the school’s Director of Admission, gave me the backstory that as part of his Film Studies class, “students (and teacher!) had to create a “Midland Opening,” similar to how tv shows have an opening before the program starts.”

Clearly the kids had a great time producing the short and, as a viewer, I appreciate how they cracked the window open just enough for me to peek into the school and it’s community.

Win, win all around… so why not share this with world? Glad Midland did.