How to Be the Example

It's been a great ride, everybody. I'm glad that you came along with me to investigate some of the advantages and obstacles associated with successfully implementing Social Media in the secondary classroom.

I'd like to close (?) our conversation with a brief discussion about responsibility. No, not student responsibility, but parent and teacher responsibility. 

As teachers and parents, it is our duty to model the way (Richard Covey, anyone?) to our children. Let's be appropriate, people. 

This is a great example about Being the Example. Katie LeClerc Greer is the former Director of Internet Safety for the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and Intelligence Analyst for the Massachusetts State Police, so, she knows what's up. 

Additionally, Brooke Giles, a freshman at UMD, has a great piece on Social Media and cyber-bullying that is worth checking out. 

The take home point, for me, is that Social Media is not going away. We, as educators, need to find a way to navigate what might seem like uncertain waters to help our students become responsible, effective adults in the world. 

Let's Talk Strategy

Now that we've weighed the pros and cons of implementing social media programs into the secondary classroom, I think think it's time to look more closely at strategy.

If you've left feedback on the previous posts, I sincerely thank you! As for me, having weighed the options, my official stance (at least for now) is that the advantages outweigh the opposition. Instead of fighting the moving wheel, I'm going to hop aboard. But, my hope is that I will be able to implement existing strategies to make the best of this process. Has anyone tried any of these strategies? How have they worked for you? Let's take a look. All ideas came from the following website. It should be noted that the website also expands on the advantages of incorporating social media - in case you needed more convincing.

Twitter – Many of my colleagues have created professional accounts to stay connected with students. Twitter can be extremely useful for sending updates regarding assignments or providing an interesting article to the group. Some even use twitter for "quick formative assessments" where students contribute to class discussions. This article also encourages creating a class hashtag (#O'HaraHMBW) so that messages are directed to the right audience. 

Facebook – Alright, I know, I know - it's scary thinking about connecting with students and parents through Facebook. The website has a great resources for dealing with concerns regarding friending parents and students for those who are feeling queasy. The key here is to connect your Twitter account to Facebook to keep things consistent. You can also use your Facebook to celebrate student achievements! 

Finally, let's talk about a slightly more advanced tool:

Google Plus – Through the easy to use "circles" application, Google Plus lets you connect with different groups of students, colleagues, and other professionals for collaborative purposes. 

Look Who's Talking!

This is a great how-to for teachers hoping to implement Social Media strategies in the classroom. Matt Davis, a freelance contributor to edutopia outlines several different user-friendly strategies that including utilizing Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest in this great article posted to a Social Media blog.

ed Social Media is a great blog that focuses mainly on secondary and higher education strategies for implementing social media in the classroom. This would be especially helpful for senior level teachers and those preparing their students for the workforce.

Robert Bochnak has a great blog about what matters in Social Media. Again, the focus is mainly higher education, but I think for most secondary teachers, discussing the importance of these interfaces in a real-world context is SO important for prepping our young people.

What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media in the Classroom Part II

In my last post, we previewed five advantages of using social media in the classroom according to this article. So, now let's look at some of the obstacles and discuss. Is the juice worth the squeeze? We shall see...

1. Social media can be a distraction in class

Recently, our school went BYOD (Bring Your Own Device, clever, right?). The expectation is now that students will take notes on their devices, will access materials for the class through the sanctioned website, and will read textbooks online. The problem with this (as any graduate student will attest to) is that distraction is a mouse-click away. Don't I need to check my email? What the score of the O's game? Have an iPad? Let's message each other. The distractions are vast and endless. But, is the way of the future? 

2. Improper use of social media in the classroom

See above. Not only are students distracted, but they are dabbling on the fringes of inappropriate....or are just, plain inappropriate (I'm looking at you High School Junior Boy). 

3. Using social media in the classroom can detract from human interaction

One of the novels that I teach to my Honors Major British Writers class is Huxley's Brave New World: a futuristic, dystopian world where everyone is manufactured and society has lost touch with genuine human interaction. Sometimes I feel as though we are closer to that reality than we realize. 

4. Cyber bullying on social media websites

Angry with a friend or colleague? Don't have the maturity to discuss conflict face to face? Send a raging email. Post a scathing message. Public humiliation that can never be redacted.

5. Posting inappropriate content on social media websites

This combines many of the previous issues. If student social media use cannot be regulated, it is possible (if not probable) that the boundaries of appropriate behavior are crossed. Often this leads to bullying or dissemination of materials that could result in disciplinary action. 

So, is the juice worth the squeeze? Is there a way to navigate these disadvantages? Post your thoughts below!

What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media in Instruction?? Part I

Recently, I read an article (see below) outlining some of the basic pros and cons of social media in the classroom, and I'd like to use it for the basis of our discussion. Read the full article here. 
According to Vancouver Tutor Susan Cumberland, here are the top 5 pros - let's take a look, shall we?

1. Social media sites can increase student collaboration

By design most social media platforms function to help increase collaboration. Students (and teachers) can easily access these platforms, contribute to an existing idea, and see responses from peers in real time. It's easy to see how this would be advantageous for group projects and assignments. 

2. Using social media in the classroom can encourage more participation

We all have had students who participate less actively than others in a classroom environment. Often, these students need processing time to uncover questions or to formulate more complete thoughts. Through social media, less vocal students may feel more comfortable articulating themselves, as well as participating in group forums. 

3. Social media sites can be useful for homework help

Social media can also be  a great platform for asking for homework help from peers - maybe this would reduce the number of late-night emails during research paper time?? An English teacher can only dream. 

4. Share resources quickly when using social media in the classroom

Printer broken? Forgot to make those last minute copies? No problem with social media - simply send the document, assignment, or instructions via social media for immediate dissemination of information. 

5. Social media helps keep parents, teachers and students all on the same page

The same web page, that is (see what I did there?). By keeping everyone on the same page, information regarding activities, policies, events, or even snow days, are readily available for all stakeholders.

So, what do you think? Are these advantages worth the hype? In the next post, we will examine some of the disadvantages in order to weight the pros and cons. 

A Brief Overview...

As a teacher-leader and aspiring administrator, I am constantly looking at new and innovating instructional strategies to implement. And, as much as I have tried to restrict the use of social media in my classroom, I am coming to realize that I am fighting a losing battle.

Hey, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. AmIright?

I distinctly remember sitting in my college dorm room, resisting the urge to join the new-fangled Internet sensation that all of my friends were talking about. I thought to myself, "I don't think this Facebook thing is going to take off. I'll just stick to IMing, thank you very much." Well, 11 years later, I am not only Facebook messaging, but tweeting my colleagues, Instagraming my vacations, and Pinteresting my dinner selections.

Social media is here and it doesn't seem to be going away. So how can we harness it for educational purposes?

If you're willing to indulge me, I'd like to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of using social media for instruction over the course of the next few posts. Through this journey, my goal is to uncover what some of the advantages are for using social media, what the obstacles might be, and how to successfully implement it in a classroom setting.

I am also hoping to alleviate some of my (and other's) existing concerns regarding social media: How can we regulate it? What are the legal ramifications? Where is the line? How can we ensure students (and teachers) are "behaving" themselves?

If, at the heart of the matter, we as educators are seeking to prepare our students for a lifetime of learning, we would be doing them a disservice by not demonstrating for them how to use these tools responsibly. In my next post, I'd like to discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages of using social media for instruction. Let me know what you think!