It's for educational purposes... I promise!

As an up-and-coming teacher in the post COVID world and, one could argue next industrial (digital) revolution, I am asking myself, how much innovation is too much? My biggest worry about connecting with my students is the use of social media. Even after the class sessions of very positive outlooks on using social media, I am still very apprehensive to go "all out" in this realm. Will getting involved on a deeper level in social media create more distractions than lesson engagement? Will there be too many distracted learners in the classroom who are only worried about who is going to post what next rather than focusing on the present?

I am not saying there is not benefits to using social media. Some research has shown that social media use can bolster student learning engagement and strengthen the connections between students and teachers. I know that it is not all bad. It would seem that we as teachers must know how to properly and appropriately navigate it from a learning standpoint so we do not end up on the national news in the wrong way. Some have even started calling it Educational Networking when it is used for learning purposes. This seems to reduce the negative connotation that accompanies the term Social Media.

So what about the distractions? I have a worry that when I release the social media beast in my class, I may lose students engagement because of the distractions. Some research has shown that students become too focused on their social media which can create anxiety and loss of focus. This can then lead to distracted learners who worry more about missing out on reading posts than they do about focusing on completing a project or assignment in the classroom. With multiple devises in the class, how are we to mitigate the distractions if we are contributing to them?

I am not against the use of Educational Networking in the classroom, but I want to ensure that it does not take away from the learning environment. There must be a balance as there should with everything in life. Social Media is not going anywhere, bit that does not meant that it can be a hindrance to students and teachers if it is not managed appropriately.