Social Media and The Classroom

Social Media and The Classroom

How social media could be used positively in the classroom.

When presented with the topic of Social Media in Schools, we were asked to evaluate the positive uses of it and why it could and should be used in the classroom. Throughout research we have maintained the opinion that the use of social media would be more of an asset to the learning process than a hindrance. Social media allows for a door to the ever changing world called the future, which even by today's standards most interpersonal communication takes place online or in text. Social Media can enable you to engage in a two-way conversation with a community of colleagues, and stay on top of breaking news and trends. (John Hartford Foundation 1) To some people, its the only way for them to keep track of what is going on in the world, its their only information source.

In analysis of the current Wood County Acceptable Use Policy Agreement they have listed that according to policy 2.1, which gives who the policy applies to, “Regulations set to districts (counties) schools, students, educators, other school personnel, parents, guardians, county boards of education, Regional Educational Service Agencies (RESA's), West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) and other users.”, but as you read further, it states at policy 3.1 “An effective educational system develops students to succeed in a digital word.” Which, by 3.1, you would think that they would have tried to incorporate more of the digital world into the curriculum and into the core of the educational system.

Certain outlets on the web give, get, and distribute a wide variety of information. Facebook for example has many “pages” that are similar to individual profiles that are able to share upcoming events, information, links, and messaging/feedback.(John Hartford Foundation 1) This could easily be implemented to be involved in the classroom. Teachers could make a page for each class, give answers, tutoring, help, and online videos inaccessible at school due to other restrictions, all in order to help the student. Twitter allows you to give live updates and get instant feedback and answers. Twitter lets you get things out quick and in real time unlike LiveGrades or Edline. YouTube gives true visual representations of organizations, specific programs, video tutorials, services, and educational videos. YouTube is one of the best sources to implement in school, it would allow teachers to aid those outside of the classroom in that it gives either a personally paced lesson to student that may either struggle to learn in a classroom setting or those wishing to brush up on things that they may not have got a grasp on in the classroom.

The process of incorporating the true digital world into the schools will be a very long and strenuous one, but it must be done to fulfill even policy 3.1 completely. According to “The Benefits of Using Social Media in the Classroom” by Laura Devaney, “Starting with the Administrators, they first step to allowing social media in schools is by teaching them how to properly and effectively use them.”“To be able to know where to find people and connect is one of the most important things we can teach our students to do, if we can find out how the world is ticking things are changing from [using] social media tools outside of the classroom and schools, I think its past time we started to embrace that tradition in our classrooms.” (Larkin 1) There will always be students that feel like bending rules, that’s where harsh punishments come into play. If we were to “scare” the obedience into the students, then they would have fewer outbursts of defiant behavior. To influence the stigma attached to the words social media, we need to start at the root of the typical uses for it. Introduce new ways to make money, get a job, get into colleges, and even form professional relationships with others on the web. (Ian Collins 2)