Now that we have talked about BYOD I thought this would be a good time to talk about using social media as a teaching tool. This is something I have not tried until this year. Last week I started a Facebook page and Pinterest page for my High School Choir Classes. We are not using this in class but as an extension of the classroom. Find an article about teaching with social media, post the link, and share your reflections.
42 Comments
Heather Carlton
2/18/2013 04:32:49 am
I read "5 Steps to Implementing Social Media in the Classroom" at http://navigator.compasslearning.com/technology/5-steps-to-implementing-social-media-in-the-classroom/. These are steps teachers should take before including social media in their teaching.
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Melissa Lovette
2/20/2013 10:34:40 am
I really like point 5. While social media sounds like adding fun and excitement to a lesson, teachers must make sure it's something students will learn something from. Also creating policies is extremely important not only for the parents to know but the parents as well.
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Cassandra Nappier
2/20/2013 01:38:59 pm
Heather,
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Prof. Myers
2/21/2013 10:12:00 am
Those are all good points.
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Zech Bowman
2/21/2013 11:56:06 am
I really like the point on #3. Students do need us to help them know what is appropriate and inappropriate. That is not just for work they do in school but on the social aspect as well. I can count on 3 hands the number times I have had to confiscate a phone or ipod because of the images that the students had on them. Many of their parents do not know what is on there and a lot of them don't even care to educate their kids about what is and isn't appropriate. It truly does fall to us.
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Kayla Y.
2/22/2013 12:55:17 am
I loved point number 4. Because I think that is the biggest road block to incorporating social media into the classroom. The students may be very well educated, but the remaining population from parents to administrators aren't and that makes them nervous. If we properly educate our schools and communities on the benefits that social media can provide in our classrooms then I think they will be more open to the ideas of using it.
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Mary McGee
2/22/2013 02:42:18 am
I love that you put so much thought into students and parent education regarding social media. I feel like we must educate regarding the use of such media before we implement it into our classrooms!!
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Colie Trawick
2/22/2013 02:50:24 am
I like how this article has steps and guidelines you should follow and educate the parents and children before implementing it in the classroom. Im all about it as long as everyone is prepared and trained to handle it.
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Dane Frazier
2/19/2013 05:33:10 am
I personally like the idea of using social media in the classroom. I feel like there are many kids who put things on their Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites when they are young that can effect whether or not they obtain a job in there future. I have heard many stories of people failing to be hired because there employer went through their Facebook and found pictures or comments that they didn't want associated with their work. If we are using social media in the classroom we can teach children at a young age about being smart about what is put on the internet and prevent them from making a mistake that could cost them in the future.
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Laurel Thornton
2/20/2013 05:34:54 am
Dane-
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Heather Carlton
2/21/2013 01:58:38 am
Teaching students at a young age about the risks of social media is incredibly smart. I see so many from my generation that post anything and everything online; it's as if they have no filter whatsoever.
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Kayla Y.
2/22/2013 12:58:58 am
I agree completely. Students have no idea of the risks of social media, and it's evident in the stuff that they make public for all to see. Sometimes it's unbelievable the things that I see, blows my mind.
Colie Trawick
2/22/2013 02:55:35 am
Yes, we have to teach, educate and train our children to use social media ina more respectable mannar. As well as train our teachers and parents in it as well.
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Armegis Spearman
2/25/2013 09:42:53 am
I agree with teaching our students totally. I also think that the first emphasis has to go towards educating all of our educators with new technology. I feel that a number of our fears and problems will slowly dissolve with more education, starting at the top. We as teachers, coaches and administrators are responsible for the security of our kids and this part of the job cannot be effectively done if we have to ask the kids how to turn the computer on!!
Kayla Yount
2/20/2013 12:04:18 am
The title of the article that I found was "Using Social Media In The Classroom For Real-World Learning", and it can be found at
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Caleb Haynes
2/20/2013 05:03:07 am
I really like the idea of using social media as projects for the class because with todays world students need to learn how to use technology well. I know that just from this class I have learned a lot already so I know students can really benefit from using social media to help them in their studies the problem is that it may just become a distraction. Social media is a great thing to use in the classroom in my opinion if it is used the right way.
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Heather Carlton
2/21/2013 02:50:06 am
I agree that social media makes it much easier for teachers and students to communicate outside of the classroom. I like the idea of students being able to go to these social media pages to get help or to ask a question outside of the classroom.
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Zech Bowman
2/21/2013 11:59:05 am
I will echo what Caleb said about using social media for projects. Just from making the web quest I have been able to find other resources to add to my classes to help my students with being able to use and apply math.
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Wendy Walker
2/20/2013 01:11:53 am
I read the following article entitled Teachers Embracing Social Media In The Classroom, http://www.technewsdaily.com/421-teachers-embracing-social-media-in-the-classroom.html.
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Caleb Haynes
2/20/2013 05:00:11 am
I do not have a pintrest, but I have heard many great things about it. I agree with you that there is kind of a fine line whether social media could be very helpful or harmful for students in the classroom. It can present many positives, but also many negatives. I just feel the teacher has to really lay down the law in how the students will use it to help make it a success.
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Melissa Lovette
2/20/2013 10:41:19 am
I agree I would not use Facebook for my classroom and mainly due to the age group I have. I would also only use social media as an extension of a lesson. I am already pressured to complete core material and do not have the computers nor resources to use social media at this point. I feel however, at the older grade such as middle school is a good time to incorporate soical media.
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Heather Carlton
2/21/2013 02:55:51 am
I agree with Facebook statement ... I think there are just too many risks involved. But twitter would be a great way to get short bits of information out quickly; for example, when an assignment is due, what will be worked on in class the next day, etc. I think middle school and high school students would really appreciate that type of resource.
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Armegis Spearman
2/25/2013 09:33:44 am
I agree that our kids are being handicapped when they are not being properly taught the uses of social media. The issue for me comes with the subject matter and the use of social media to cover the subject. The availability for some students who may not have access to this technology at home will definitely be a major topic of discussion also. How are educators expecting those students to practice the things that they are not excelling at if they have no access to the required technology? I agree that social media and the use of technology cannot be ignored any longer but, I also feel that we have a long way to go before we can fully implement these tools without being unfair to many disadvantaged students.
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2/20/2013 04:56:28 am
I read the following article which was titled "Students use social media as classroom aid". This article was a very good article and emphasized that social media use could be very effective in classrooms if the teacher chose to use it. One really good example that the article gave was one teacher used a facebook page to set up a study sessions for students. I think this is a great idea and I definitely think that social media if used right in certain situations could be a huge help for students to do many academic relatated things for the classroom. This article was kind of divided in opinions of certain faculty while some thought social media was a great thing for students because it could be used to make students more tech savy, prepare them for the future, and used as a classroom aid. Other members thought that social media could be a huge distractions for students. In my opinion I can see both sides I think for it to be successful the teacher has to put in place a firm ground of stipulations, but I do think it could be very beneficial in certain areas to help students.
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Dane Frazier
2/20/2013 07:39:28 am
I agree that social media is a great idea for the class room as it engages children in class and technology which will be a major part of the future. It doesn't surprise me that the article has divided opinions on whether or not it is right or wrong to have social media in the class room as there is many controversial topics when technology is involved in the class room.
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Cassandra Nappier
2/20/2013 01:47:47 pm
Caleb,
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Wendy Walker
2/21/2013 01:21:25 am
I don't think social media is a distraction to students, just something they would rather be doing. If it is incorporated in the classroom efficiently, it is greatly beneficial. I think the facebook page is a tricky idea in that it would have to be monitored more than daily to ensure it is being used for its intended purpose and that it is being used appropriately.
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Laurel Thornton
2/20/2013 05:27:45 am
Below is the link to the article I chose for this post, entitled “Can We Use Twitter for Educational Activities?” from the 4th annual International Scientific Conference, eLearning and Software for Education.
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Colie Trawick
2/22/2013 02:59:15 am
I think any form a technology is beneficial in the classroom, if taught and used correctly. as well as monitered so that it is a safe environment for everyone involved.
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Melissa Lovette
2/20/2013 10:29:25 am
I found my article on the following website: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/education/story/2012-03-04/facebook-twitter-social-media-classroom/53358382/1
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Cassandra Nappier
2/20/2013 01:26:25 pm
The article I found is a great example of using a social media as a form of classroom extension. The article title is, Critical Care Training: Using Twitter as a Teaching Tool by Virendra Mistry. I used EBSCOhost to find my article. The URL is: http://www.centralmethodist.edu:2089/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=1e1942cf-3afc-4902-8798-af77ac6c7978%40sessionmgr111&vid=4&hid=128
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Troy Holbrook
2/24/2013 01:23:49 am
Twitter as a teaching tool could be problematic the way I see it. Tools that allow interaction on Twitter are very limited, even the number of characters that are allowed per post. I can see using Twitter as a means to teach students a mode of social media, but I would be reserved about using Twitter to do "assignments" or "activities" that support common core standards or curriculum requirements. Perhaps using Twitter as a supplemental activity would be the better alternative.
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Crissina Kemp
2/20/2013 11:41:21 pm
I reviewed the article, "Don't Let E-Safety Worries be a Barrier to Using Social Media in School" by Alan Mackenzie which discusses ways to be prepared for risks and improve safety and security for the use of social media in schools. Below is the link to the article.
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Troy Holbrook
2/21/2013 11:32:48 am
My concern here is with the legalities of enteracting with students in these social environments. Crissina, remember a couple of weeks ago in our Public School Law class we were talking about the state law that was passed about two years ago that made it illegal for public school educators and administrators to interact with students on social media sites. It would seem to me that any laws or policies that restrict educators from enteracting with students from public schools would negate this entire initiatives.
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Prof. Myers
2/21/2013 10:21:37 am
I started using Facebook and Pinterset as a way to share things with my students last week. It has proved very helpful. I got our CMU Music Fest times and our District Contest Times with several days before I would see my students. I was able to put the times on FB for them all to see and start thinking about. I have been able to share videos with my students of songs that we are doing in class so they are able to listen to them when we are not there. I have plans to post about vocal health and other topics that we may not have time to cover in class. I think of it as an extension of the classroom.
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Troy Holbrook
2/21/2013 11:10:48 am
I found the following article published by the eSchool News.
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Crissina
2/22/2013 09:55:32 am
It's probably a good thing that school administration stays on the cautious side when it come to implementing social media in the classroom, particularly with all of the legal issues and liabilities that have come from social media and cyberbullying over the past few years. I agree that there are many benefits to both students and teacher to using social media, but we should be aware of all of the risks and liabilities before jumping in and using it with students. Teachers to need to become comfortable with using social media, and also make sure they fully understand the ins and outs of it so they can address issues that may arise when students begin using it. I agree that effective policies that outline guidelines for proper usage among school personnel, as well as students, must be in place as a first step to using social media.
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Zech Bowman
2/21/2013 11:50:16 am
My article is titled "6 things to teach students about social media" It can be found on the following website:
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Mary McGee
2/22/2013 02:40:20 am
The article I found can be located on the CMU library resources section. The link is:
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2/22/2013 02:43:28 am
The title of the article I picked is "Old School vs. New School: How Social Media Can Give Us the Best of Both Worlds in Education." I choose this article because it talked about companies like Schoology and Edmodo who are working on trying to build a safe/restricted social media area that will be available for classroom use only. So that all the childrens sensitive information isnt just out on the internet. It will be a program designed to specifically for educational systems.
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Crissina Kemp
2/22/2013 09:50:16 am
Thanks for introducing us to this article. I have never hear of Schoology or Edmodo, but I'm going to check them out and learn more informatoin about them. I think it is smart for schools and teachers to make sure safeguards are taken before jumping into using social media for the class. Our youth seem to jump in without heistation when it comes to putting their information or pictures out on the internet without knowledge of the damage it can cause in the present and future. If we can help assist parents with teaching them about safe use and providing tools that allow them to use the technology better, it may prevent danger for them in the future.
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Armegis Spearman
2/25/2013 09:24:04 am
The article I chose is http://www.voxxi.com/social-media-schools-curriculum/. It is called Teaching social media in schools: What should the curriculum focus on? This article starts by speaking about the paranoia that has parents and some educators hesitant to entertain the thought of social media as a teaching tool. I too agree that the security of our youth is absolutely the main concern and should be the number one priority. With this being said, it is our responsibility to figure the issues out with security and any other issues that we may face when it comes to the quality of the education of our kids! The lack of effort to improve our issues with technology should not interfere with the opportunities that our kids will miss out on by not advancing their education, including educational advancements in the technology world. With the emergence of younger kids that have started companies that are compelled by technology, the chance of a lifetime can easily be squandered or missed by misinformed teachers or administration that refuse to see the facts that truly cannot continue to be ignored. The example used by the high school teacher in Arizona that explained the experiment using ice and the ways that social media could enhance the learning experience serves as a prime example of positive uses of it as a tool. I think the common sense approach is a must but, the role of the teacher is monumental in the overall scheme of things. They, along with the parents, are responsible for explaining the difference in personal and professional demeanor when dealing with the online community. Students must know that consequences come with the misuse of any resource and give examples of the unforgiving nature of the online community.Students must know that social media can be used to create tremendous opportunities and build superb relationships that can open doors around the world, if used responsibly and correctly. We must teach our kids more of the positive aspects of this tool rather than the vast amounts of negatives that we all see commonly on sites such as facebook and twitter. I truly believe that this can be accomplished with the proper positive approach.
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Class BlogThis blog is for class conversations for Ed 514 at Central Methodist University. We invite input form other teachers about how they use technology in their classrooms. Archives
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