Oceanside Schools gets ‘Smart’ about social media with Smart Social app

Oceanside School District is looking to get parents up to speed with how their kids are using social media and they have started by introducing parents to Smart Social.

Smart Social is a website and app that helps keep students safe on social media. The app’s goal is to help students avoid social media mishaps by teaching them to use social media with a purpose and make a plan. The app provides access to free resources, including expert tips and app guides. Smart Social also offers a webinar that provides access to over 30 workshops that teach online safety.

The app has a strong presence in school districts on the West Coast and Oceanside is among the few districts that have started offering smart social services to parents school officials anticipate the app’s popularity to grow.

“We’re always looking for ways to support our students and our families and navigate the world of social media and being their best selves,” said Diane Provvido, Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Research.

The District has rolled out the implementation of the app through the Parent University. Parent University is a collaboration of administrators, faculty members, and parents. The program offers parents, workshops and seminars that cover a wide range of parenting topics.

Parent University implemented a community survey to gauge the topics that parents were interested in learning more about. One of the topics that was highly voted on was how parents could help students harness the powers of social media.

“When this came to us, we knew that it would meet the survey results that there are parents a good portion of our parents who are looking for more information on this topic,” Provvido said.

Every family in Oceanside has the opportunity to register and have a membership on the Smart Social site. Over 500 families have already registered. The district’s goal is to get as many parents registered to have access to the site’s materials and the live webinars. The district hopes to get feedback on smart social through PTA meetings and find the best videos to promote the specific school communities.

“The district really heard what we were and what parents needed,” said Oceanside parent Lorie Dawson. “I know for myself, I’ve watched a couple of videos and it’s teaching me how to use these apps so that I know what my kids are looking for and we can have that healthy balance of screen time and enjoy it together as a family.”

In Oceanside, all students have a smart device available to them. Kindergarteners and 7th and 8th graders are issued iPads. High school students and students in grades one through six are issued a Chrome book.

“If they didn’t have a device already at home, they have one in school, so it’s not going away,” said Oceanside school board member, Laura Lisi. “It’s not going away so we have to figure out how to make the best of it and embrace it.”