When looking to use social media as an avenue in ones’ classroom, it is important to consider your end result; what do you want out of using social media. Only then can you choose what social media is appropriate to use. To be honest, before this class I viewed social media as having more of a personal use for me; I did not really see it as something I can use with my students; on the contrary, I have actually declined student requests on Instagram and Facebook. Yet, this class is allowing me to see how I can effectively incorporate social media use with my students. I am realizing that as professionals we can use Instagram and Facebook among other social media to post homework assignments and class discussions. In the past I have communicated with my colleagues mostly through e-mail or text, and a few times I have had the opportunity to collaborate them through the use of Google docs and surveys. Yet this class has opened my eyes to how social media can help me develop, collaborate and communicate through social media with my colleagues and many other professionals in education. Pinterest and twitter are a couple that I am currently exploring for development, collaborating and communication with other educators. As I explore, a bit more, the use of social media I have come to realize that there are so many connections that I have yet to make and that my networking possibilities are endless…Now if only I was better with this Twitter thing; handles and hashtags, oh my!
If I were to come across an inappropriate post made by one of my students outside of school, I would definitely address the issue at hand. Depending on the severity of the post, I would involve administration and the parents. I would also speak directly with the student in order to communicate the importance and severity of his or her actions. I would not make it a discipline matter, instead I would use it in the classroom as a teachable moment. I would not use the student’s name, but I would still let the students know that it was a post I came across, so that they feel the authenticity of the experience. I would use this time to teach about digital footprint and how even though we might think it is private, it is public information. I would also use examples that I have read about where Universities have declined a student even though they were a great candidate. Something that they think is a simple post can affect them in the future in an extremely powerful manner and I would like for them to understand that.
5 Comments
Diana L Moore
3/3/2018 02:24:11 pm
I agree with so much of what you shared in your blog. I understand that social media is everywhere but I have also had a hard time with the idea that it should be used in the classroom. I use my own accounts for personal reasons rather than for parent/student or colleague collaboration. I guess for me, I see my facebook page as a place to share my non-teacher related experiences. I see how it could be used, but then that would mean having one less avenue to share that portion of my life. I am not sure I am ready to give that up.
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chrisitna schreiber
3/3/2018 02:41:12 pm
I agree with a lot of what you said. I also viewed social media as something I used in my personal life and it was an eye opening experience to start using it in my professional life. I can honestly say I enjoy reading what educators are posting on Twitter now than I enjoy all of the viral junk that is on facebook and other social media. I like to have seperate accounts for personal and for work contacts and information.
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Shawn
3/4/2018 07:40:04 am
I think it is important for us elementary grade teacher to expose our students to some sort of social media. I don't let my students use the big name social medias on their own in my class, but they do get to interact on google classroom, and flip grid and as a class we will tweet out awesome stuff going on in our class. I think this is important to expose them to proper etiquette of using social media so that way as they move up in grades they have had some exposure.
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Scott Marsden
3/4/2018 03:00:30 pm
I think using mistakes students make with social media as a teachable moment is great idea, Teresa. You also mention practicing within the "closed garden" of Google Classroom to help your students learn how to post appropriately, which is another good idea.
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Mayra Cindy De la Torre
3/6/2018 10:00:16 pm
I agree that this class has opened the way we view technology. We are getting more and more tools under our belt to help our students succeed in the 21st century. I like how you would take a student's mistake and turn it into a teachable moment.
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