"No cell phones in class." If I had a nickel for every time I had heard this from my teachers in high school, I might have been able to make it out of college debt-free. However, times are changing; technology is being given a chance in classrooms all over the country and social media networks are being used to keep them connected.
In the past, technology has been thought of as a distraction from education when actually it can be used to increase student engagement and focus. Kids today are using phones, iPads, and computers to communicate comfortably with their peers. If we can get them to focus their tweets, posts and pictures on something we are teaching in class, it can make the material relatable and more memorable.
Social media is a way for kids to connect with one another and build each other up (if used properly). When comments and likes are attributed to a post, it increases the feeling acceptance and can help students feel involved in current topics and discussions. I really like the #comments4kids hashtag because it gets people outside of a student's normal "friend-bubble" to share their opinion, validating the work of a student as well as encouraging them to keep working hard.
Below is a site in which I used #comments4kids to write back to a student post:
https://www.writeabout.com/2017/06/frenemies/#comment-192634
I totally agree with you! Crazy to think we can reach kids where they are (their phones) so easily. How do you think you would implement the use of phones/social media in your classroom? Anything specific? Good stuff Ms. Shannon :D
ReplyDeleteYour opening life is fantastic! It is so incredibly true and even being in schools today it seems to be getting worse. I was talking to my neighbor last night who is 14 and a freshman in high school and she was telling me that in her high school you are not even allowed to have them in your pocket otherwise you get them taken away. It is crazy to me with everything we learned today that this is happening in high school. I completely agree that there are certain times for social media. I wonder what some of the specific times you are talking about that you will implement in your classroom? Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
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