Although students are evermore connected to the social web, many of these networks remain out-of-class digital playgrounds where students congregate. In a 2014 survey of 1,000 teachers, just one in five said they use social media regularly with students.
Of course, it can be a challenge to incorporate social media into lessons. There are many gray areas for teachers to navigate, like setting guidelines, accessibility at school, and student safety. But to help teachers navigate this ever-changing landscape of social media tools, here are some of the best guides on the web for four popular networks, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.
The Teacher’s Guide to Social Media
Facebook for Educators and Community Leaders Guide: Published in September 2013 by Facebook, this guide is the perfect resource for teachers interested in using the world's largest social network with students. Three main subject areas are covered, including digital citizenship, mobile safety, and guidelines for social media at school. Also check out these resources:
Using Instagram in an Educational Context: The EmergingEdTech blog is a wonderful source for tips, strategies, and ideas for using social media and other new technologies in the classroom. This guide is a great primer for understanding what Instagram is and how it can be used to teach and reach students. "5 Ways Teachers Can Use Instagram in the Classroom" is another great blog post from the site. Also check out these resources:
The Educator's Guide to the Use of Pinterest in the Classroom: EducatorsTechnology.com published this useful guide for teachers interesting in using Pinterest with students. Here, you'll find everything you need to get started, including tips for building boards, pinning basics, and ideas for using Pinterest in the classroom. Also check out these resources:
In addition to those great guides, there is a lot of useful information right here on Edutopia. You can explore all things related to the subject on Edutopia's social media page; here are a few of the more popular, recent posts:
In addition to dozens of activity ideas, the text and companion website include self-reflection exercises, voices from the field, a glossary of terms, and seven annotated, original, classroom-tested lesson plans that illustrate different approaches to media literacy in the classroom. In a time of hectic schedules and ever increasing expectations, the authors help teachers reframe their instruction to focus on the skills students need to succeed in the digital age.
For advice and support with social media issues relating to you, your school or young people you work with, you can contact the Professionals Online Safety Helpline at helpline@saferinternet.org.uk or by calling 03443814772.
(Testunau amlfodd) Texts that have more than one mode, such as print and image (still or moving) or print, image, sound and movement to create meaning. Most of the texts we use in everyday life are multimodal, for example newspapers, magazines, websites, and social media sites.
Be aware of your students' emotional state. Do they seem depressed? Fearful? Distracted? Pay attention to what's happening for students socially at lunchtime, in the hallways, or in other areas of your school campus. Has their friend group changed? Do you sense a conflict between students? Are you overhearing talk about "drama" or "haters" (two words kids might use to describe cyberbullying situations)? Don't be afraid to check in with students directly about what's going on. And reach out to their support networks including parents or caregivers, the school counselor, a coach, or other teachers.
As educators, it's our responsibility to teach students how to use digital media in respectful and safe ways. This includes helping kids learn how to identify, respond to, and avoid cyberbullying. Given the demands on teachers to meet school, district, and state goals, it can be a challenge to figure out where these lessons fit into the school day. Fortunately, as technology becomes part of every aspect of our lives, including how we teach and learn, more schools and districts are giving teachers the time and resources to prioritize these skills. Here are a few ways to approach cyberbullying prevention in the classroom:
Gen X was the first generation to regularly use modern communication technology (think computers and cell phones) from home at a younger age.[4] Because they can remember a time before this technology, however, they may not be as dependent on it as later generations. They are generally comfortable with technology and navigate smartphones or social media platforms with little trouble. Gen Xers are more likely to prefer in-person parent-teacher communication than younger generations, but they still appreciate digital messages.
Additionally, Millennials spend an average of six to seven hours per week on social media.[2] Consider putting together a Facebook group or Twitter page for your parents to join or follow. That way, you can provide a space for these parents to stay up-to-date on class announcements and communicate with each other.
For example, if you want to sell online Spanish courses, you might find that most teachers offer general language courses. To stand out from the crowd, cater to specific professionals. Spanish for nurses, doctors, construction workers, or social workers can be more lucrative ideas.
Have you found yourself re-thinking friendships based on what is posted on social media? Are you disappointed with people you thought for sure thought just like you? Are you dreading the holidays and the inevitable generational arguments about whoever wins the office of president?
This year, students studied art from around the globe, and connected it to issues they learned about in class. This resulted in creative expressions of their feelings about social justice topics through poetry, music and visual media. While learning about ancient civilizations, students analyzed commonalities and differences in division of labour through human history, and how recent cultures developed only through the work of lower classes and slave labourers and the ethical questions that raises
Social media tools have expanded the possibility for long-distance connections for us all. The networking it provides inspires methods of communication beyond immediate, physical speech. It encourages people to communicate in the ways that work best for them. With an ever-growing list of applications, websites and tools coming available as social media evolves, teachers can explore a variety of different channels for challenging and engaging their classrooms.
If you search YouTube, you can find vloggers capturing everything from their travel stops and meals to product reviews and skill tutorials on video. Because social media sites are often international platforms, videos feature narrators speaking a wide variety of different languages.
Students flock to major social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Teachers can creatively use these popular applications and sites in the classroom, but there are also specialized social media tools designed to foster a student-friendly learning environment on the Internet. These sites can both connect teachers and students and help track student progress to foster an inclusive learning environment.
An online social media and social networking provider where users create a customized profile; add other users as friends and message each other; post status updates; and share photos, videos and links. There are also opportunities to join common-interest user groups.
While allowing social media in schools is a source of controversy, there can be benefits to incorporating social media platforms into a classroom environment. Teachers should consider the pros and cons of including social media projects in their lesson plans. School and district policies may affect the level of engagement permitted. Take a look at some ideas for working through some of the arguments with creative ideas for social media integration.
According to the Pew Research Center, teens are growing more comfortable sharing more information on social media each year. University of South Carolina Marketing Professor Eva Buechel believes social media allows people to communicate indirectly, which could help students with social anxiety in public settings relieve some of their fears about opening up.
After students have participated in the social media feedback session, be sure to open the subject up for in-class discussion. Invite students to explain their thoughts and feelings on the film, refer back to their comments online, and encourage the in-person social bonding that some students may initially fear.
There may be concerns about how appropriate both the questions and the answers will be, depending on who the expert is, what field they are in, the social media platform used to ask questions, and who else online is asking questions.
Social media is already an outlet for spontaneous thoughts and complaints about everything from homework to current events; why not remind students to use their social media posts as a way to record and track their academic improvement as well? Darrell M. West, vice president and director of Governance Studies at Brookings research group, suggested that social media could engage students in full-time learning and that technology could track student progress in his piece about personalized learning.
The lines of privacy laws have been challenged in the age of social media. Reading through past tweets or posts can bring insight into an individual's personal history, but could it also be an invasion of privacy? Sharing information over the internet can lead to dangerous situations if students are not cautious about what they share. 2ff7e9595c
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