Social Media and Education

I have viewed social media in general as a distraction and up to taking this course have not considered it's benefits to both teachers and students. After reading the articles, I think that Twitter could be an important resource for myself as a new teacher and all throughout my teaching career. Building a PLN through this platform can reduce the feeling of isolation that new teachers frequently experience and thereby reduce the chance of burning out. I learned that there is available support on educational chats and that it does not necessarily demand excessive time that is so valuable in education. I will most likely create a twitter account for the importance of connecting with and communicating with experienced educators, colleagues, and possibly parents. I suppose Facebook and the other social media sites could be used in the same way, but for myself, I worry that keeping up with too many sites would cut into time that could be used for other important things.

I have been anticipating this part of the course to discover the ways in which social media can actually be beneficial to students' learning. Blogging has proved to be an effective tool that I would like my students to use in the classroom, but as far as Facebook and the other social media sites to "friend" students I feel that there is already a sketchy line with teacher/student relationships. This is apparent in the USA Today News case with the substitute teacher who unfortunately was not able to connect with students because of a known case of inappropriate relationships between a teacher and student in the district. I think that it could maybe be supported by administrators and implemented with formalized training for teachers on how to effectively use it in class, who can then teach their students how to effectively use social media in a professional way like Chris Lazarski teaches. He says that teens are "digital natives" who have grown up with the technology but don't necessarily know how to use it correctly. With the younger students I plan on teaching, I could expose them to benefits and dangers of social media and teach them the importance of keeping a positive image for their future. Since social media is so common in today's society, I can't resist or ignore it any longer, especially when it comes to the impact it has on my students learning and my own professional development. Social media has significant benefits to educators and students if it used cautiously and reflectively.

image: http://rlina.blogdetik.com/files/2012/03/dd_social.jpg
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"Can Tweeting Help your Teaching?"
"Teachers, Students, and Social Media: Where is the Line?"
"Using Twitter to Break Down Classroom Isolation"