social media and education

Social Media and Education

I'll be the first to admit I'm not a great social media user - I don't really comment or use Facebook hugely. This meant I did find some aspects of this part of the course challenging,  publicly commenting and putting my ideas and opinions out there for others to read is something that I have found difficult. However - we are using social media in the classroom in a way that is having a positive impact on our children and how their learning is being shared with others.

My 5 year old students are able to tell us what social networking sites they go on at home and what their parents use. One has told me that they found me on Facebook, others have added me on Instagram (thank goodness for privacy settings!) I was in my late teens (possibly early 20s...) when I entered this world of social media (Bebo and MSN Messenger!) Our children are using the language and the tools so much earlier, so it would be silly for us not to take advantage of the fabulous digital tools and social sites out there and connect with our students learning in a whole new way.

In our classroom, all (58) children have an active Seesaw account -  a platform on which they can share their learning and experiences at school with their families - both near and far. It has provided a safe, easy to use way in which this information can be shared with those not at school, without posting to a public place.  Many children receive comments and 'likes' from family members almost instantly, providing them with instant feedback from those that mean the most to them. Our youngest children are asking daily now what they should be putting on Seesaw and if they can upload this or that (or, if they are still not able to do so independently, can we upload for them). 

Using Common Sense Media, we discuss with the children how to use social media in a safe and sensible way. The children are now familiar with Seesaw so we use it as an example for lessons taught around digital citizenship. All posts created by children and posts made by parents must be approved by one of the classroom teachers before it goes live on the app - avoiding potential disaster! The Education Council believes (2012) that there are benefits to using social networking tools in classrooms, however there are challenges that come with it. We shouldn't let these challenges stop us from allowing our children the chance to interact online and use the tools in such a way that positively impacts their learning. Using tools such as Common Sense Media, educating parents and having ongoing discussion with the students helps to combat these challenges and be ready to face any problems we (or the children) may have. 

Sharlples et al,. (2016) discusses how platforms such as Facebook and Twitter provide us, as educators, learners and facilatators and our students, as learners the chance to direct access to experts and a whole new world of information. There are so many positve experiences that children and their learning can have as a result of social media in the classroom. However, as we encourage these more and more we need to ensure we keep educating children about how to use them safely and appropriately. 

There is so much left for me to learn about how to effectively use social media in the classroom. While we have made a start with Seesaw, completing the Mind Lab course has sparked my interest and introduced me to so many new ways we could be using such sites in ways that promote sharing and learning for our children and their families.

References:

Education Council (2012). Establishing Safeguards. (Video File). Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/49216520

Sharples, M., de Roock , R., Ferguson, R., Gaved, M., Herodotou, C., Koh, E., Kukulska-Hulme, A., Looi,C-K, McAndrew, P., Rienties, B., Weller, M., Wong, L. H. (2016). Innovating Pedagogy 2016: Open University Innovation Report 5. Milton Keynes: The Open University. Retrieved from http://proxima.iet.open.ac.uk/public/innovating_pedagogy_2016.pdf