Activity 7 Social Media in Teaching and Professional Development

Why do I use Social Media?

The above diagram summaries the key features that benefit myself and my students as I become more connected with other professionals from across disciplines, when accessing and using social networks. Blogging was the first time I had to explain to a wide audience of professionals how I approached solving pedagogical problems and found the blog to be a great place to reflect and organise my thoughts.
The Google + community groups have enabled me to ask questions, comment and discuss ways to lead change in e-learning and develop a vision, policies and strategies to integrate ICT into learning for my school. For example exploring students bringing their own device to support learning.

The Challenges of using social media.

Along with using social media with students comes the social responsibility of ensuring the digital safety of the disabled students I work with. Not only do I teach them to be digitally responsible citizens (cybersmart) but I actively encourage other strategies such as their parents being friends with them on Facebook. For some of the students the only contact they have with friends when they leave school is on Facebook. Although Youtube has given me the opportunity to expand my students' worlds from local to global and get them closer to their heroes it is an on-going task to educate them about using such tools in a safe way and why.

Opening My Classroom to the Parents / Whanau

Having a class blog meant that the students were able to share the work they do in class with their families. For me, the idea of parents having the ability to see what my students are doing and communicate about it, was a bit scary at first but now, it's the goal. The students love the feedback and it encourages them to write without my direction. This becomes a digital record of their time at school and will always be there for them to access after they leave school and continue sharing with family and friends. I have added share buttons to encourage just that 'sharing' and intend to qr code the students blog and make a eportfolio ish kind of record of their learning - namely their blogs.

Why do I continue to blog?

Initially, it was about doing it because it was expected part of being a member of an online community and part of the Manaikalani Outreach vision - visible learning and teaching.Now, it's about learning - rewindable learning. It's about my journey and the feedback. Blogging, for me, has become more than working through a thought process. It has opened my ideas to a responsive audience. Sometimes a post allows my learning network to point me in a direction I haven't thought of. It could be a thought or a resource that I would have never learned about if people didn't read my posts and share their thoughts. 

Professional Development

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 Twitter via Edudemic: This is a great guide from Edudemic for all teachers -- both the experienced tweeters and those new to the platform. You’ll find everything you need to know about using Twitter in the classroom, including a list of useful education hashtags, search strategies, and ideas for the classroom. Also check out these resources:
  • "Dipping Into Social Media in the Classroom," via EdSurge
  • "Guide to Using Twitter in Your Teaching Practice," via KQED
  • "Twitter For Teachers," via Scholastic Instructor
  • "One-Stop-All-You-Need-to-Know Guide to Twitter," via David Truss' blog
  • "50 Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom," via TeachHUB
     
• 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. The guidelines were co-produced by Edutopia: "How to Create Social Media Guidelines for Your School." Also check out these resources:
  • "A How-To Guide for Teachers Using Facebook in the Classroom," via Education Week
  • "Does Facebook Really Have a Place in the Classroom?" via The Telegraph
  • "7 Ways Teachers Use Social Media in the Classroom," via Mashable
  • "The Facebook Guide for Teachers," via eLearning Industry
     
• 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:
  • "10 Ways to Use Instagram in the Classroom," via We Are Teachers
  • "The Educator’s Guide to Instagram and Other Photo Sharing Apps ," via The Edublogger
  • Free Parents’ Guides for Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook from ConnectSafely, via ConnectSafely.org
  • "Using Instagram in the Classroom: Five Activities," via Education World
     
• 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:
• "The Teacher’s Guide To Pinterest," via Edudemic
• "Infographic: The Role of Pinterest Inside & Outside The Classroom," via Getting Smart
• "37 Ways Teachers Can Use Pinterest in the Classroom," via TeachThought
• Reference" http://www.edutopia.org/blog/social-media-resources-educators-matt-davis

The Social Media Myth

The myth about social media in the classroom is that if you use it, kids will be Tweeting, Facebooking and Snapchatting while you're trying to teach. We still have to focus on the task at hand. Don't mistake social media forsocializing. They're different -- just as kids talking as they work in groups or talking while hanging out are different.

You don't even have to bring the most popular social media sites into your classroom. You can use Fakebook or FakeTweet as students work on this form of conversation. Edublogs, Kidblog, Edmodo, and more will let you use social media competencies and writing techniques. Some teachers are even doing "tweets" on post-it notes as exit tickets. You can use mainstream social media, too.

12 Ways Teachers are Using Social Media in the Classroom Right Now

1. Tweet or post status updates as a class. 
2. Write blog posts about what students are learning. 
3. Let your students write for the world. 
4. Connect to other classrooms through social media. 
5. Use Facebook to get feedback for your students' online science fair projects. 
6. Use YouTube for your students to host a show or a podcast.
7. Create Twitter accounts for a special interest projects.
8. Ask questions to engage your students in authentic learning.
9. Communicate with other classrooms. The Global Read Aloud, Global Classroom Project and Physics of the Future are three examples of how teachers use social media to connect their students as they collaborate and communicate.
10. Create projects with other teachers.
11. Share your learning with the world. 
12. Further a cause that you care about.

It's in the Standards

If you're going to ignore social media in the classroom, then stop pretending that you're 21st century. Stop pretending that you're helping low-income children overcome the digital divide if you aren't going to teach them how to communicate online.

Social media is here. It's just another resource and doesn't have to be a distraction from learning objectives. Social media is another tool that you can use to make your classroom more engaging, relevant and culturally diverse.

Reference : http://www.edutopia.org/blog/guidebook-social-media-in-classroom-vicki-davis