Ever since I was a high school student when social media apps and websites came into popularity, it was well-known and established that those apps had no place in the school setting. You keep your phone on silent and don't you dare pull it out in the middle of class. Most teachers weren't engaging or interacting on these sites, and they couldn't tell you much about them. Flash forward to today, and many teachers have social media accounts themselves, as well as children even at the elementary school level. Social media has taken over most forms of communication and infiltrated the phones of many, if not most people. We use these apps and websites constantly throughout the day to connect with people and share information.
So, why not use them in schools? Why not utilize and take advantage of the resources our students already have access to? Integration of technology into our classrooms is more easily accessible than we might think. By utilizing a resource most students have access to and already use, we are narrowing the equity gap that so many teachers worry about when it comes to technology use in the classroom. We are removing the need for access to a laptop or computer, and taking advantage of the access most students have to a smart phone.
Many teachers are using Twitter with their students to connect them with representatives and other politicians in their communities. Skype is making it possible for students to video chat with other students in classrooms throughout the world. Through email, students are writing to authors of books they've read in class. These social media apps and websites are allowing students to connect with others across space and time using mediums that are easily-accessible and widely used!
I think it's important for teachers to integrate technology that is already being used and meeting students where they are at with their knowledge of technology, and then expanding their learning through that medium.
Hello Kaylyn,
ReplyDeleteIsn't it mind blowing to think of allowing social media in school?! I think this is a place where teachers can do a lot of good if they approach it correctly. Like Jeff was saying, students need to learn how to have a positive social media presence. There is research that says "the ways in which people engage with social media platforms help to predict and can influence their mental health." I think that having it used in class to help with learning and applying what they have learned is a great way to start positive relationships with social media. Thank you for your ideas!
-Lily
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evidence-based-living/201903/the-complex-links-between-social-media-and-mental-health
I love the ideas you present on how we can use social media in the classroom. The ability to expand on their existing knowledge is something we have learned about in so many of our classes already stress this point so why not extend it to the classroom. Do you have any ideas about how you would incorporate tech or these ideas in a school that has a policy against personal devices in the classroom?
ReplyDelete