Social Media in the Classroom

Social Media Connects Students with Others at All Times

After becoming a connected educator myself, I began to understand the possibilities of connecting my students through social media. After checking our Responsible Use Policy and lengthy discussions with district administration, I began slowly incorporating social media, specifically Twitter, into my lessons. We started slowly, with positive tweets for #celebrateMonday and more experienced Twitter users helping those students who had just set up accounts. With a little practice, students were able to have full discussions (even outside of school hours), reach out to authors and experts, and even bring instructional ideas to class through their social media outlets. Our positive, educational use of social media transformed their understanding of the purpose of these tools and gave them the guided practice and teacher support to use them effectively.

Challenges or Obstacles:

A big challenge is the age of the students you may teach–students under 13 cannot have their own social media accounts for most services. I’ll share some workarounds to build social media savvy in students while keeping yourself legal and your students safe.
A second challenge may be access to social media–your school or district may block these services. I have some tips for opening the lines of communication with decision makers.

Benefits and Successes

Using social media in the classroom changes student perspectives on the possible uses social media, and with a teacher monitoring and guiding that use, they have a safe place to practice these skills.
Social media sharing helps students make connections with experts, authors, and other classrooms around the globe. They see learning can happen 24/7, anywhere rather than confined to our classroom or our school day.
My students’ enthusiasm for school and for my class increased immensely with the incorporation of social media–see http://laughinglearningleading.blogspot.com/2015/04/social-media-and-power-of-positivity-to.html for examples!

Additional Information:

Social-Media-in-the-Classroom

Submitted by: Chantell Manahan, Angola High School