This week we discussed the role of social media in the classroom and discussed some of the formats that we would use in our future classroom; the most popular being Twitter and Instagram. Not only am I a fan of using social media as means of communicating with parents but also as a way for students to communicate with other classes or experts on relevant subject matter.When used effectively and safely, social media can be a very powerful teacher tool, they key being when used effectively and safely.
Personally I would keep my personal Twitter account separate from my classroom Twitter account, although there are many teachers who have one account for both purposes. One of the main reasons I would like to have two accounts is to limit the interaction that can be had between my personal account and my students accounts, not so I can spout out whatever I want without my students seeing it, but rather to maintain a private life outside of teaching.
It is important that if a teacher is going to take on social media in the classroom that they commit to using it effectively. If I were a parent there would be nothing more frustrating than having a teacher tell me to follow their class on Twitter for updates, receive updates for a month and then not have another post between October and June. Even worse would be to follow to learn updates about my child's class and receive nothing but information that is not relevant.
Using social media is a commitment, although it seems daunting, it really isn't. Effectively implementing social media can be as simple as a quick post each week outlining what you are doing. It is a great way to keep parents in the loop without having to always fire away emails. Having the students use a class Twitter in the classroom is a great way for the students to see a role model for social media and connect with experts despite the distance barrier.
Joy Nelson of edudemic.com said that social media "is more than a way to find cute cat videos" and I know we all love cat videos but she also said "it is a powerful entity that can impact how you teach and how you relate to your students." Don't be afraid to try social media in your classroom!
You are so right, if teachers are not going to fully commit to using Social Media it is not worth beginning. Depending on what age group that your teaching will depend on how you implement those sites in the classroom. I have recently read posts by an Edublogger who talks about how her students like to participate #mathphotoaday and how it has greatly impacted their Math Daily 3 program. Learning how Social Media has impacted her class, makes me excited to implement the use of Social Media in my own classroom.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you that it is important to be consistent if you say that your class is going to use social media to communicate with parents. I like the idea of using twitter to communicate with people outside the classroom (ie. Experts) rather than using it to communicate with parents specifically.
ReplyDeleteGood Post Trent. I myself am not very tech savvy, but after seeing all the creative things you can do with your class by using technology, I am going to prepare myself to the best of my ability. If I am going to commit to learning the different uses of technology, then I am all in. If you want to use technology as a teaching tool then you have to be all in. If your not, stick to the traditional way. I will definitely be incorporating social media into my classroom.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that you need to keep it consistent and it would be easy to do because you only have 140 characters on twitter. Even once a week, like you said, post what is happening that week that would be important. Something like due dates, test dates, field trips, & school activities. This way the parent will feel a part of your classroom as well. I never thought about using it with parents.
ReplyDeleteIf you are using social media for the right reasons, there is no harm. Each and every single source of information uses social media in some way. It is the way of the world to have everything "out there" and to be accessed "as fast as possible."
ReplyDeleteOur students need to know what to look for and what is valid in the world of social media. If we avoid it, the students will find it, plus more. We might as well use it as a teaching tool and hopefully keep a positive light on it when it comes to education.