Read the article "10 Great Ways to Use Social Media in the Classroom", describing some simple ways teachers can incorporate a variety of social media sites into their classrooms. Do you think you would try using social media in your classroom? What challenges and/or benefits do you think will result? If you were to use one social media site which one would you be most likely to use and why?
20 comments:
On "Ten Great Ways to Use Social Media in the Classroom," I thought this article was most interesting and actually brought back past memories in the classroom. When I student taught at Lynbrook North Middle School, my cooperating teacher introduced Twitter into the classroom. Originally when he mentioned the idea to me, I was a little confused, but after witnessing how it was introduced in the classroom, I thought it was brilliant. In relation to the article, my cooperating teacher developed a Twitter account of the class and placed it on the board. Throughout the lesson, through group activities and split classroom readings, students had their phone on their desks and would Tweet questions to the board that was made into a Socratic Seminar and discussion to end the class. I thought this was interesting and fun for the students as it brought technology into the classroom for them to use while developing a creative new way to discuss questions and different topics on the board.
I thought the development of Facebook in the classroom was quite interesting. As we use a program in school called Edmodo, I drew many parallels between the two. To develop a Facebook group for each class I thought would be convenient because it would be an interesting way to keep in touch with events and activities from the classroom and keep a timeline of events that have occurred throughout the course of the year. In my opinion, I thought it would be a pretty convenient way to keep a teacher organized of each class and can also be used to update students on homework and assignments.
I thought each piece of technology posed positive and different ideas for the classroom. One app I use in the classroom that is a form of media and technology is the Remind App. Its a text message link between the classes where students can text remind about assignment dates and questions on content that a teacher can reply to. The interesting part is that the teacher can see all the texts in the Remind App, but the student can only see the messages they sent between the teacher, keeping a level of anonymity in the app so students don't have to be shy about asking questions.
I found the article "10 Great Ways to Use Social Media in Classroom" interesting. However, would I try social media sites in my classroom, probably not. The only ones I would consider using are Pinterest, guest speakers through Skype, and possibly Flickr. Facebook, twitter, and the rest I personally feel are used to much by students as enjoyment and pleasure that they would get distracted easily. I think the students would think more positive of the teacher, such as they have the "cool" teacher if they use Facebook and twitter in class, but I feel you can get the same outcome through the old fashion ways. I know with my sons daycares that they have Facebook groups for the parents, so that they can see pictures of the children, post notifications of closings or events, but for high school students, I don't see the same benefits. The one social media site i would use in my classroom is Pinterest. My sister is a speech pathologist and loves Pinterest. She gets many of her projects and ideas from the boards. I like the idea that it benefits the teacher and the students. The students can find a topic and research boards to put together, then create their own project, or research paper off of that to present to the class. Or flickr. I like the idea of going to a museum and having the students take pictures, that they can contribute as a class, and create a presentation through. Or put the pictures that they took and create a powerpoint or Prezi on the information they learned from the pictures.
As the author has stated there are challenges and benefits of social media in the classroom. Although, I personally think their are more challenges. Not every student may have a cellphone, or access to a tablet, or computer. If some students don't have a phone or form of a computer, social media sites are pretty much out of the curriculum, because you can't teach it when not every student can be included. Especially since students come from different income families. Some parents may not agree to let their child sign up for some of these sites, or agree to use of the sites in class in general. Each school is different, and may have different policies on social media in the academic environment, or have restrictions on their computers that don't allow non-educational sites to work in the school itself. The college that i went to for undergraduate, blocked the use of social media sites on campus, so not student could access it. Besides the greatest drawback of "distraction", I don't see it being the best option for high school students. I personally think that their are other means of technology that can be used in the classroom that would benefit the students more. Also social media seems more for notifications, updates on homework, communication between classes and students, rather than actual school work. Blogging and research are the only benefits I personally see benefiting the students academically, and that the students can communicate more with each other. However, it also means it gives the students more of a reason to have their nose in their phone than it already is.
In response to Christopher's response, I liked that he took a completely different view of the blog than I did. I like that he brought up a different social media sites called Edmodo and Remind App, I have never even heard of either of them. I like the sound of the Remind App, it keeps the students on top of assignment dates and students can ask questions anonymously without feeling pressured to raise their hands or get embarrassed. However, I wouldn't like the idea of the students having their phones on their desks so they can tweet questions to the teacher in class. I don't feel like it prepares the students for the college experience, where many professors don't like cellphones out. NOT in response to Christopher's answer, but I feel like their is so much pressure on students to prepare for standardized tests and college that i don't see how social media is benefiting high school students for these. Unless that student is going into teaching or computer science. I really liked Christopher's perception on the blog and his positive outtake.
The article "10 Great Ways to Use Social Media in the Classroom," was a concept I never really thought of before, so I found this article very interesting. I agree with trying social media within the classroom because it's what the students are familiar with in today's day. This can either engage or distract the student so I think it's important to really learn your classroom before making any decisions on using social media within the classroom.
If every student has access to the Internet at home, and depending on the grade level, I think there are a few social media concepts I would use within my classroom. First being, a private Facebook group, I think this would be a good way to post information or any helpful links so every student has access to it. This Facebook group will give students the opportunity to appropriately respond to any questions or ask any questions within the group. Another great social media experience would be the guest speakers. I think using MysterySkype can be a great opportunity for the students to be introduced to people and places outside of their school; this can be very engaging and exciting for all ages. Hosting a podcast or video channel is another great way to keep the students engaged. This concept of social media can be very time consuming for the teacher, but extremely beneficial for the students. Social media has grown so much within the last few years and I think it would be a great way to incorporate it appropriately within the classroom.
While reading “10 Great Ways to Use Social Media in Classroom” I related my personal experiences with social media in the classroom, as both a student and student teacher. During one of my student teaching experiences in the Roslyn School District, my cooperating teacher set up a Skype session with a Shark biologist in California, for the entire second grade to participate in. Students were able to ask questions, and learn about sharks in an engaging way through an interactive powerpoint presentation, while being technologically connected with someone in a different state. In addition, I have also experienced Twitter in the classroom. In one of my undergraduate classes, my professor used Twitter as a way for us all to have discussions on a specific topic and communicate with one another through our class hashtag.
Due to my personal experiences with social media in the classroom, I would try to incorporate it myself, but to an extent. Within a childhood classroom, I would try Skype sessions as a means for guest speakers, and blogging. I believe there would be a challenge with blogging because of individual student’s access or lack of to the internet at home, which would ultimately hinder their ability to complete the assignment. With that being said, I believe there would be benefits to Skype sessions in order to present students with an outside source of information about a specific topic. I think it would be a great way to enhance student’s learning experiences within the classroom, and could easily be tied into any unit plan within a variety of content areas.
If I were to use one social media site I would most likely use Pinterest. I would choose Pinterest solely for educational resources for my students and myself. I like the idea that was mentioned within the article about having students create boards for specific topics discussed in class, as well as a great use for collaborative projects.
In response to Briana Gallagher’s comment: I agree that incorporating social media in the classroom could either be an engaging addition or a distracting one, and that it would be in the teacher’s best interest to first know their students and class as a whole, in order to judge whether it would deem helpful or not.
This was a very interesting article, and I never personally thought about using social media in the classroom setting before reading this. I have seen many times on social media a classroom with students and a teacher asking for “shares” to show how powerful it is, but I never stopped to think whether or not it would be a tool I would utilize. I think that I would definitely use some of the ideas mentioned in this article in my classroom, perhaps for the upper classes. One idea that I really liked was the guest speaker via Facebook, Skype or YouTube. I think this would be a very engaging tool for students to get information first hand. The challenges that I think will result in the use of social media would be glitches in the system as well as accessibility. I would have to be aware of each of my student’s backgrounds and I may have to just keep the use of social media in the classroom if not all students have access at home. I think I would use a class Facebook page, so not only my students can connect with each other but also if their parents are interested in what is going on in the classroom during the day, they will be able to see what their child is doing. I also agree with Briana and Alexa, about getting to know the students personally and then viewing how the class interacts as a whole, because if students are easily distracted then the use of social media will not make it any better.
Yes, I would definitely try using social media in my classroom. Students in today’s classrooms are consumed by social media and technology. If we can incorporate school work and learning within this sphere we can possible get them to learn the subject material in a way they enjoy.
Challenges of introducing technology could be having access to internet, computers and smartphones. Students in lower income schools/areas/homes might not have the same access to technology that students in other districts have. Another challenge might be getting parents on board. Some parents are strict on which social media they allow their children to have, if any. As a teacher you will have to get permission from parents. The benefits are greater than the challenges. Using social media in the classroom is a more relatable way to teach. Teachers can keep a conversation going outside the classroom by using Facebook, twitter, blogs etc. Students can interact with each other in positive and educational manner through social media accounts. Incorporating guest speakers and students from other schools could be a great way to learn through other people’s experiences.
I would most likely use a class blog just like this one. I could post different articles that relate to what we are learning in class or current events. Students can respond to questions and one another by commenting on the blog posts. This is a great way to connect with students and bring the classroom into their homes.
reply to Claire McKenna;
I agree with your thoughts on guest speakers. I think its an awesome idea as well to have guest speakers “come” to class via Skype, Facebook and youtube. I also this having a class Facebook page that allows parents to monitor and follow along with what we are doing in class is a great idea. Parent/home involvement is very helpful to students success.
I believe that using social media in the classroom is a tricky task. Not all students have smart phones or tablets available to them during the day, so students may not be allowed to have social media accounts. Other than the logistics of figuring out materials, it would be near impossible to control what the students do or say on social media accounts. In addition, many school like the one I am currently working at do not allow students to use cell phones throughout the school year. Changing this in one classroom could upset the balance of rule throughout the school. Currently I am using Google Classroom in 2 of my technology classes. One class so far has shown maturity in using the blog post on the page while another class is struggling with following directions. I am interested in using the blog posts for assignments to look for progress.
Reply to Laura Maksym:
I agree that in theory using blogs or social media groups can be beneficial in continuing dialogue with your classes. I also agree that using a class blog has many benefits in receiving and answering questions between students and the teacher or from student to student.
The article "10 Great Ways to Use Social Media in the Classroom", described some simple ways teachers can incorporate a variety of social media sites into their classrooms. I'm young and I actually use social media a lot but I honestly don't really see myself using it in a classroom setting or incorporating it into my future classes. The only way I could probably see myself using it is by creating a blog site where my students can log on to. I agree with the article on how blogging can be used as a fun and useful activity for students. I think some benefits a blog can provide is that it can be a good place to have class discussion about a specific topic that was taught. It can also help student's earn some participation credit, because I know some student's can be shy and may not speak much in class but expressing their ideas/opinions in a blog can be much easier for them. The only challenge I think with this would be that not every student has access to a computer or smart phone.
I like the idea of incorporating social media into the classroom, to an extent. I think that in this day and age, many students actively use social media sites and it is considered part of their daily life. I think students would respond well to it, because it's a change of pace from what they are accustomed to in the classroom. I believe using social media to introduce a topic or activity would grab the students attention and the overall interest in the activity would increase. I would be more likely to use Pinterest and Flickr in my own classroom, as well as a class blog. I think these platforms would be the best way for students to express themselves and become engaged in a lesson than any of the other suggestions, such as Facebook. I think it's important to recognize limitations on what exactly should be included in the classroom and I think Facebook and Twitter are things that are more difficult to regulate the use of. Additionally, as Kaitlyn Wissert said, many students may not have access to their own smart phone, and many schools do not allow students to use their phones during the school day. Social Media use in the classroom is not something that one could just jump right into spontaneously, it would need to be a well thought out plan used on a trial basis.
Using social media in the classroom is definitely something I would be interested in trying especially given it’s prevalence in our society. It has the potential for students to learn in a manner that they enjoy and maybe they can relate to the material more if it’s told through a medium they identify with. Potential pitfalls could be ensuring that it’s used in a academic manner, as lots of schools are trying to limit the access students have to their phones and social media during school hours. Furthermore, students in disadvantaged schools might not have the same accessibility as students in other schools. One big aspect of social media is it allows teachers to extend the learning experience outside of the classroom, as students can log in and learn or interact with classmates from virtually anywhere. In that sense, social media and it’s online aspects are a way for people to connect. Some online college classes utilize Skype as a way to meet and it connects people from all over the world. I teach at Brookville Center for Special Needs and we constantly utilize social media and the internet in general as a means for finding a way to connect with students that otherwise would have great difficulty learning. Overall, while I think there are challenges in terms of accessibility and ensuring that you are using it in an educational manner, the potential benefits outweigh those challenges.
After reading the article, I would definitely try incorporating social media into my classroom. I think it is a great way to expand on discussions that were active in class, outside of school in the home setting as well as reviewing additional content to further comprehend any particular subject that students may have had difficulty understanding in class. Although I would want to incorporate social media into my classroom, there may be some challenges that would affect the overall result. Most districts, similar to my own, do not allow cell phones to be used during the school day. Therefore, students would be limited to using the social media in the classroom unless it was directed by myself, the teacher on a SMARTboard or chrome book where supervision was present. Students would not get the opportunity in class to use social media in appropriate manners since many school districts to not approve of the use of cellular devices throughout the day. Teachers also must be aware that not all students may have access to such devices at some due to economical status's. While using social media, teachers need to be aware of cultural differences and develop appropriate lessons that will suit the needs of all students in their classroom.
If I were to incorporate one social media site into my classroom I would use the Youtube Channel to create video lesson plans and review sessions for students to expand on their knowledge from the classroom and clear up any confusion or misunderstanding that students may have had throughout a particular lesson. The youtube channel will also allow students to upload video presentations or class projects that incorporate the use of technology and can be viewed and shared with the entire class. While using this form of social media, it is again, important to be aware of the accessibility of such site and how to develop an appropriate channel suitable for students within the classroom.
Reply response to Joe Mateo: I definitely agree with Joe when he stated the prevalence of social media in our society. Since it is very relevant in today's society, it is therefore, important to try and incorporate lessons that use social media into the classroom to allow students to apply their outside knowledge and experience with social media to the content and subjects within their own education. I also agree when he states that students can learn in a manner that they actually enjoy. Students interests and needs are the top priority, in my opinion, for teachers to be aware of and taken into consideration when developing instruction. Using social media sites that students are familiar with will only broaden their knowledge both in school and out of school when they have the opportunity to apply their learning together as a whole.
I would definitely use social media in my classroom. Throughout my lessons, my students use google classroom. Google classroom reminds me of a school version of Facebook. It gives them an opportunity to discuss and communicate with their classmates on a different level. it also helps me when I post important documents or activities. The students know where to find it, as well as turn it in in the correct place. A challenge I find with using social media in my class would be the class work continued as homework. What if a student didn't have access to a computer at home and can't complete the homework or activity. One social media site I would be most likely to use besides Google classroom would be Pinterest. I love Pinterest so much. I go on it for inspiration for my lessons and class projects. I would have my students use Pinterest to find educational resources, as well as different activities they can use while presenting to the class. Having them think outside the box and become extremely creative.
Reply- I agree with Kaitlyn about students using Google classroom. Last year some students took it seriously and others joked around on it. With that, I learned how to get rid of the nonsense by reminding them I can see everything they do or say on this website. Thankfully they didn't mess around on it anymore.
I believe that this article is very important for not only new coming but existing teachers as well to allow them to see news innovative ways that they can teach. There are all types of learners and technology allows those who are visual learners the opportunity to learn in ways that best suits their learning style. I believe that the point of us as teachers setting an example is very important because our students do follow us as teachers and if we set a good example of how to incorporate technology they will do the same. It is a good start when teachers create blogs for their students to follow up on because it allows them to feel like adults in a sense at it paves the way for students to think outside the box and elaborate on different ideas they may have. This article promotes the use of social media to the extent of them being watched or having parental controls so they do not delve into other non educational sources to take them off task. They also present a positive way to embrace social media such as;creating an official profile of the class and post updates that all students and parents can see and use this to promote the achievements of your students, and post frequent updates on daily experiences.This article is very resourceful in the ways that it introduces new and positive ways to incorporate technology which are both educational and fundamental for students.
I agree with Claire about not thinking about using social media in a classroom. However, after reading the article and work with Deaf students, it has proven to be very effective in a classroom setting. Every year children young and younger are using a form of social media.It creates a big challenge for teachers to engage students without it. Nevertheless, this articles proves that social media can be used to educator advantage. In my experience, youtube has been a very helpful outlet for learning. My students are able to see step by step procedures done, watch historical footage of Theodore Roosevelt, and see rockets blast off. Using social media can also allow teachers to discuss computer safety, cyberbullying, and how to research for papers or projects. I believe this is very beneficial for not only the students but teachers as well.I also agree with Shannon about utilizing social media to an extent and fackbook could present challenges with the inability to monitor it completely. However, my school uses Edmodo which is similar to Facebook but more geared towards a school environment. Teachers and students are able to be apart of groups and discussions in a safe open environment. This is another tool that has been proven to be helpful in our school.
I believe that using social media in the classroom has its pros and cons. Some students are visual learners and will learn a lot better from participating in a lesson in a more of a hands on way. In today's world students are also very familiar and comfortable with social media, this may encourage/excite them to be engaged in a specific lesson. Teachers who arent that familiar with the new social media websites may not be open to trying it. There are many workshops and online tutorials to help teachers understand how to use certain social media websites for the benefit of the class as a whole. I agree with many of the comments regarding pintrest. Pintrest if full of ideas, activities, lessons and print outs that arent only educational, but that are super fun and engaging. This article really expresses the positive affects that using social media in the classroom and portray. A lot of students may not be able to access a computer or social media websites from home so the homework aspect could be an issue. Its also risky to rely on the internet for certain projects or lessons. Creating a paper based lesson to go along with the online content, could be very time consuming but is almost necessary. Having access to social media for lessons etc, could be an amazing opportunity for teachers to take advantage of but i definitely wouldn't become reliant on it.
Students are constantly on their phones and social media so I think it is a great way to get them engaged in new lessons and discussions. Teachers can use Twitter to promote conversation. Classes can use a specific hashtag that allows the students to easily search one another's tweets relating to the class. I have seen YouTube videos being used a lot in classrooms. Teachers will post videos on YouTube as a resources for students to watch when they are not understanding a particular topic. Blogging is a great way to promote discussion. This is what we are doing right now in this class and I think it forces students to think and voice their opinions. I would definitely use social media in my classroom because I think that it promotes conversation and because technology and social media is the way of the future. When students graduate they will have to use some of these platforms at their jobs and this will give them some practice and experience.
One challenge that you might face would be students getting distracted on other sites online. There is so much to look at on the internet and students may spend time focusing on other things. There will always be inappropriate content on the internent so when dealing with young students it is important to monitor what they are exposed to.
I would most likely use YouTube in my classroom. I have had a lot of math teachers in the past that have posted instructional videos that have really enhanced my learning and understanding. Sometimes students need to see a lesson for a second or even a third time. Youtube is a great resource for teachers and students.
Responce:
I agree with Kaitlyn. I think that Pinterest is a great social media tool for teachers. There are so many great ideas on there for lessons and things to do with students. The internet is amazing because it allows people the chance to share new ideas.
Yes, I would definitely try to incorporate Social Media into my classroom. I think it is a great way to keep students engaged and creates an interactive lesson that the students will enjoy and remember. However, I think that it has to be grade appropriate. I think using Social Media in the younger grades can help teach students and encourage them to use technology in and out of the classroom. Yet, you cannot expect a first grader to be able to go on a Facebook group message, create a blog or make a video. I think it would be necessary for the teachers to develop grade appropriate lessons and model the activities for the students that they want them to do. After the lesson is developmentally appropriate I think there could be many benefits to having Social Media in the classroom, such as it gives the students a way to connect that they haven’t used before. Using Social Media in the classroom could also help teach researching skills as well as video making skills. I remember as a student learning about Spain and the culture.After the lesson we Skyped with a flamingo dancer in Spain and she explained her culture more and gave us dance lessons. I chatted with this person in the third grade, yet I remember it toady because it was such a memorable experience where I was able to see first hand what I was learning about, rather just reading it in a textbook. These types of experiences can also come from using Social Media in the classroom and allows students to see and experience what they are learning. Although, there are benefits to using Social Media in the classroom, there are also many challenges. After it is developmentally appropriate, the teacher also has to make sure it is safe for the students. Today many people can access Social Media and say and do whatever they want and we as educators have to make sure that the students are being monitored as well as being taught how to correctly use the Internet. The Internet and Social Media is a great educational tool, but we first have to teach and implement guidelines to make sure our students are safe. If I had to choose a Social Media site to use in the classroom I would choose Skype because you are able to connect with people all over the world. In using Skype you can connect with various people and then set up a presentation or interview for your students so they can learn more. For example, I could ask the students to research a specific topic such as Vietnam War and then once they are done researching I could connect them with a solider that fought during the time or someone connected to the war. This will give them first hand knowledge of the topic as well as allow them to ask questions and learn how to ask questions.
In response to Alyssa:
I like how you would implement YouTube in the classroom. In creating lessons for students I have also used YouTube for introducing a topic, playing a song about a specific topic or showing a video that has step-by-step explanations. I think it is a great way for students to engage in the lesson as well as see and hear someone other than the teacher explain a topic, because they might not have understood it the first time.
I understand the point of this article, but not necessarily agree with it. Students are very tech savvy and enjoy keeping their eyes glued to their screen and constantly refreshing the page to see what their friends have posted. I also understand that being on social media to promote a closer relationship with students and families, but I have tried this and have watched other teachers try it, even some of my college professors and students get easily sidetracked. There is also cyber bullying happening without many people knowing and I feel that in some cases, this will encourage it to happen more and puts the teacher at risk for getting in trouble if something were to happen to the students. I also believe that it takes away from real life connections where face to face interactions becomes discouraged. It is so easy to hide behind a screen and find resources for information that it makes me question whether or not the student is even understanding the point of social media use. Besides all of these cons, I do enjoy using YouTube in my class. As a Spanish teacher, I like to use songs as a motivation to a new unit or even to wake them up in the middle of class if I see that they are dazing off.
Educators can incorporate social media into their classrooms and curriculum to relate to their students. It is important to teach students the importance of learning and establishing a good reputation online, because the internet is open for all eyes to see. Blogging can be a great way to have students write about a topic they enjoy and have a passion for. Writing about something a student has an interest in, also helps them to stay focused on their grammar and writing skills. Using TED Talk videos can be a way to have students to watch and connect to guest speakers and their new research. Students will have access to brand new information that they may not have been able to learn from textbooks. I would use social media in my classroom, but to a certain extent. There would be limited times in which it could be used, since it can become a great distraction to the students and the school may have a policy on social media use. Blogging would be one of the ways I would incorporate social media into my classroom. Students may find that writing on a subject, that they like, more enjoyable and they may want to keep writing.
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