Social Media Expert Provides Advice to Collegiate Upper and Middle School Students

During three separate assemblies — one for 7th and 8th Graders, one for Upper School students and one for 5th and 6th Graders — Ms. Tierney explained how The Social Institute will partner with Collegiate this year on social media education using a game that is appropriate for each grade level. 

 

In advisories throughout the year, students will play the game “Win at Social” and have discussions about the content. Collegiate Middle School students will focus on navigating social media in high standard and positive ways and Upper Schoolers will learn how social media can help them strengthen their soft skills (i.e., creativity, persuasion, collaboration, adaptability and time management).

 

The game poses questions to students and features videos of real high school and college students offering their thoughts. Ms. Tierney and her team collaborated with more than 50,000 students across the country to develop the game, which grows more complex as the grade level increases. 

 

“Students are on the cutting edge of social media so they should be leading the charge,” Ms. Tierney said. “We have to have high standards when we use social media. All of this is practice for the real world.”

 

Not a typical game, “Win at Social” does not result in points or a final winner. Its focus is to teach students how to use social media in positive ways — a practice that Ms. Tierney reinforces with the hashtag #winatsocial.

 

“What winning looks like to us is playing to your values and character,” Ms. Tierney said.  

 

Ms. Tierney is a former four-time Duke All-American field hockey player and a digital native who has curated social media platforms for several major brands, including Duke basketball and ESPN. She spoke to Middle and Upper School parents last evening about best practices and tech tips, including how to install the safest privacy settings and details about the most popular apps students use and how.

 

“We are building a program to equip students throughout the year,” she told parents. Learning to use social media effectively “is critical to helping kids be healthy, healthy and successful.”

 

For more information on The Social Institute, click here.