Journal 3: Social Media in Schools

Kessler, S. (2010, September 29). The Case For Social Media in Schools. Retrieved October 20, 2014.

In the article "The Case For Social Media in Schools" the author discusses the several benefits of using social media sites in a school setting.  The benefits she highlights include students being engaged and therefore learning better, the several available free and safe tools available to use social media in the classroom, the collaboration that is created when social media is used in the classroom, as well as the amount of time students spent on the internet doing homework versus the amount of time they spent procrastinating on the internet. The point I found to be the greatest lesson from this article is that no matter what schools and teachers do there is always going to be a risk when using social media in classrooms.  However, the best way to prevent the risk is to teach students how to be responsible when using social media.  When used in beneficial and responsible ways in the classroom, social media can have greater benefits to the students and their learning than the potential risks. 

Q1: In what ways do you, or will you, use social media in the classroom? 

A1: Although I am not currently a person who uses social media widely, I know that my students will be, and it is for this reason that I would use social media as a tool to engage and connect with my students in a deeper level of understanding.  By using the free social media tools mentioned in the article I can see myself creating blogs and discussion boards for my students to post on to share their thoughts and opinions on topics relating to the class. I believe this form of collaboration can have a much greater impact on their learning than the standard group project. 

Q2: How would you teach your students about being a responsible social media user? What topics would you discuss with them?

A2: I think the most important topic to discuss with my students before implementing the use of social media in the classroom would be the aspect of privacy and personal safety.  For example, discussing with them the potential risks and threats that come from providing too much personal information, as well as connecting with, or talking with people they don't know.  Social media is a great tool to connect with people who share interests with you, but you also need to maintain their security.