By Juli Valentine |

The Social Media Lounge is well-poised to go virtual this year as it continues to offer activities and sessions for conference-goers who are interested in expanding their social media literacy and their professional learning through social networking.

The Social Media Lounge on the AASA conference platform is led by social media-savvy superintendents whose efforts have paved the way for colleagues, not just within their school districts but also for other education leaders, to share ideas, network and learn from one another.

“The Social Media Lounge has become a fixture at NCE and something we all look forward to being a part of,” said Susan Enfield, superintendent of Highline Public Schools in Burien, Wash. “It allows us to connect, learn and hopefully motivate others to share their district’s stories. Today, more than ever, as leaders we have the responsibility to use social media to celebrate the power of public education and the promise of our students.”

Conference attendees can look forward to a breakout session covering equity, inclusiveness and making real change through social media, moderated by Edward Manuszak, superintendent of Dundee, Mich., Community Schools. A tweet chat on this topic will run simultaneously on the AASA Twitter account to allow for more engagement from the audience.

New this year, the Social Media Lounge also will host two Ed Chats for networking on digital citizenship and social-emotional support on social media. These informal discussions will be moderated, respectively, by Tanzy Kilcrease, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning at Bibb County, Ga., School District, and Michael Kuhrt, superintendent of Wichita Falls, Texas, Independent School District. The full schedule for all three Social Media Lounge sessions and more information can be found here.

“I have benefited personally and professionally by connecting with a number of other superintendents from around the country who I would otherwise not have had the chance to meet,” said Benjamin Churchill, superintendent of Carlsbad, Calif., Unified School District, who returns as a panelist this year.

Although the conference has moved online, the Social Media Lounge remains the virtual site for some fun. Participants should keep an eye out for scavenger hunt items that will be announced on AASA’s Twitter account and be ready to share their findings to win prizes.

All conference attendees are encouraged to include #NCE2021 in their Twitter, Facebook and Instagram posts.

Questions about the conference’s social media activities can be sent to Gayane Minasyan at gminasyan@aasa.org or Juli Valentine at jvalentine@aasa.org. Also, read the press release here.

(Juli Valentine is co-managing editor of Conference Daily Online and the digital content editor at AASA.)