In This Issue
President's Message
 As we edge into the Year of the Tiger and the Olympics, your Board of Directors continues to organize events that will bring value to the CPRS-VI membership. Our January Lunch and Learn event was sold out days in advance. We even had a Toronto member attend: Everett McCrimmon APR. Through the sharp eyes of Pro-D Chair Shannon Drew-Burrows, the Magnolia Hotel squeezed in additional chairs to accommodate the overfill requests. The message from such events is clear: when the membership is interested, response is quick and interest is high.
Unfortunately, interest was not as high for the BC Provincial PR Communications Leadership Awards, which was launched in 2007 in partnership with CPRS Northern Lights and CPRS Vancouver. Submissions were lower than expected during the program’s two-year life. As well, CPRS Vancouver advised us in August 2009 that its Awards budget was being streamlined to address financial considerations in overall board operations, resulting in a second round of research by the Provincial Ad Hoc Committee. As a result, CPRS-VI unanimously passed a motion in November to temporarily discontinue our chapter’s involvement with the BC PR Communications Leadership Awards. Sincere thanks to all who worked so diligently on this program since its inception.
The good news is that there are other avenues for member recognition. Consider showcasing your outstanding PR work by applying for one of the 18 Awards of Excellence offered through CPRS National. These are some of Canada’s most coveted PR awards, saluting the best in member achievements, dedication and contributions. Visit our website for more information.
Happy Valentine’s Day and Gung Hay Fat Choy!
Ange Frymire APR MBA
CPRS-VI President 2009-2010
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Social Media: Infiltrating Institutions
By Steve Hutchings
There is no shortage of evidence to suggest that social media is changing the way PR professionals do business – Facebook, Twitter and other online platforms transcend the way the industry has always worked, ushering in change quicker than you can type the latest meme into Google. The fact that the technology that enables social media didn’t exist ten years ago means that most people have learned how to use it as it has developed, either on the job or on their own time. Now, a new generation is required to use this technology daily in one of the world’s older institutions – high school.
Social media in schools raises issues that only science fiction fans could have imagined thirty years ago, and is changing the way students think, learn and ultimately grow. Alice Kedves, Librarian at Chemainus Secondary High School, illustrates this point with Moodle, an open-source elearning software program. Much to the chagrin of kids everywhere, students can no longer claim that their dog ate their homework, as Moodle requires online assignment submission.
“Social media with students is about participation, it’s about engaging them in the present,” says Kedves. She describes the work done by Marc Prensky, an American Writer and advocate for technology in the classroom, as being a key point in the argument for integrating social media into public education. Prensky, author of On the Horizon, coined the term "digital native" referring to a person whom has grown up with digital technology, and illustrates a complete integration between student and technology, in which the student’s dialogue with the computer, or the act of inputting information into a program, becomes more essential to the learning experience than does reading and writing.
Pat Duncan, Assistant Superintendent of School District 61 in Greater Victoria, says that local schools are removing technological barriers from the classroom. “Before last year we were trying to block (social media) from the schools. Now we’re saying ‘it’s here, it’s ubiquitous.’”
Duncan agrees that putting social media in the classroom presents challenges that previous generations did not face. The School District is trying to maintain a distance from YouTube, for example, and he believes, as does Kedves, that the classroom is growing with the technology. He maintains that the traditional classroom model of 30 students and one teacher will remain the same, albeit with fewer textbooks and more online resources. Does this mean a better education? It’s too early to tell.
“The real world is digital. We have to prepare kids for that,” says Duncan. Whether this means a smooth transition to adulthood and the responsibilities that come with it, careers, families and relationships, remains to be seen.
Check out this issue’s Island Outreach to see what up-island school districts are doing with social media.
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Celebrating Successes
First Lunch and Learn of 2010 Sold Out in Advance!
Thanks to everyone who attended the Lunch and Learn on Social Media on January 29. It was a sold-out event, with much gleaned from presenter Richard Fisher’s presentation. If you attended the session and would like to receive Richard’s slides, please email him at richard@trapeze.ca. Hope to see you at the next Lunch and Learn on March 2 – visit our website or read on for details.
A Thank You to CPRS-VI Members
When Leanne Kopp from The Prostate Centre submitted her volunteer posting to CPRS-VI’s website, she didn’t expect such an enthusiastic response. In a thank you note to the Board, she wrote: “I would like to extend my sincere appreciation for your help in forming several new partnerships with some of your members and my Centre. The response was amazing!” And a big thank you from all of us at CPRS-VI for being such responsive members! Visit our website for more information on volunteer postings.
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Spread the Word!
CPRS-VI welcomes your stories and PR-focused events for distribution to other members. Or, if there’s something you want to see covered here, let us know! Please contact Sarah Milner, Communications Chair, at communications@cprs-vi.org and help spread the word!
Member Benefits
Looking for a Career Change?
Visit the CPRS-VI Career Page. Be the first to be notified of upcoming positions in PR and Communications. Read more >>
Accreditation
The CPRS accreditation program allows practitioners and members of CPRS to earn an APR designation. The purpose is to assess the candidate's experience and competence in the professional practice of PR and to recognize this achievement through the APR designation. Read more >>
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