Social Media In Classrooms: A Case For Why It Belongs

This piece comes to us courtesy of Education Nation's The Learning Curve blog. Social Media Explorer CEO Jason Falls writes. He is also a member of the board of directors of the National Center for Family Literacy.

Teachers that resist using social media in the classroom are stripping their students of an essential component of their future success. Avoiding -- or worse, banning -- social media platforms for students prohibits them from being successful professionals in fields like accounting, chemistry, the arts and more

Why so declarative? Because social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and blogs) have become the fabric of how the world communicates. Yes, traditional methods of connecting and collaborating still exist -- you can still pick up the phone or write a letter -- but you can also route messages or share ideas with clients, colleagues, vendors and others using collaboration platforms, social networks, wikis and more.

In today's business environment, someone lacking not just an understanding but a working knowledge of social media and social networking tools is at a competitive disadvantage. Not preparing our young people - whether in elementary, secondary or post-secondary education environments - to not only have but also excel with these skills means we are failing in our mission as educators.

[Read about a school in Silicon Valley that has chosen not to use technology in its classrooms here.]

In May 2011, the state of Missouri banned teachers from communicating with their students on the popular social networking site Facebook. While Governor Jay Nixon altered the bill to the point of essentially repealing the ban, all of the state's school systems have been asked to create their own social networking policies by March 2012.

While this may seem like a victory for the teachers and students -- not to mention social media -- it's only a baby step in the right direction since many school districts will likely decide that social networking is not an appropriate way for teachers and students to communicate.

For any school district that does outlaw teacher-student communication through social media channels, this could mean teachers will not be able to:

• Communicate with students on the popular communications platforms they're using outside the classroom - sort of like banning teachers from saying "hello" to a student at the movie theatre.
• Share lesson plans, extra learning resources and ideas on social platforms where their students are spending much of their free time.
• Create a classroom wiki or shared document (like a Google Document) where students can work together to take notes on a lecture or add robust resources like YouTube videos or other online links to class notes to enhance the learning of everyone in the classroom.
• Effectively teach technology and social networking skills their students will desperately need when entering the workforce.

And each of those just scratch the surface.

This piece has been truncated. Read the full piece at Education Nation's The Learning Curve.

Comments

[ifquilt]

10:44 PM on 12/13/2011

Where is this school? Dang all the students are white and have nice hairdo's I have four ancient computers in my room and students who don't own cell phones because they can't afford them. I hate to say it they are falling further and further behind the learning curve of their upper middle class counterparts. It is really sad. Controlled social media is an excellent tool for educators and students. New teachers in California are required to use it to communicate with other teachers to help eachother. Without collaboration this whole planet is sunk! Let's teach kids how to use for good, not for evil!

[Jay Gould]

07:29 PM on 12/13/2011

Young Americans trust banks much more with managing mobile payments than Facebook and other social media and technology companies (Apple very much included). That is the surprising conclusion of a new study. Perhaps even more surprisingly, the survey was conducted in November, when the fury against banks' debit card fees reached its climax.

The only way I can make any kind of sense of these results is that the youngsters' familiarity with all potential m-payments providers leads them to trust each one of them to provide solely the types of services they specialize in. So Facebook should stick to social media, Apple – to making cool gadgets, but mobile payments should be processed by banks. http://blog.unibulmerchantservices.com/young-americans-may-love-facebook-but-leave-mobile-payments-to-banks

[Goldzilla]

08:24 PM on 12/12/2011

Social media is not necessary to education. Period. End of discussion. Next topic please

[elblanc0]

02:02 PM on 12/12/2011

Unless you can come up with a unique and worthwhile application of social media as a teaching tool, and not just make up some potential uses like...uh, make a wiki (which does not require a social media platform by the way), it should not be part of the curriculum.

This is another example of, "hey, tech is cool and kids should get some more tech because that's innovation!" Wrong. I see this all the time in corporate training -- hey, we should start designing training to be delivered via mobile phones because I read an article that says its the next big thing! No, it's not. Think it through.

I think teaching kids how to navigate the numerous issues that could potentially arise from social media, say in high school, may be useful, but as a teaching tool?

Waste of time.

[stopnlisten]

08:01 PM on 12/11/2011

Anyone else here think the social medias are addicting for some kids to a degree that needs REAL attention? It's a part of their arm and they can't think an original thought without tapping on a plastic box to make sure it's approved by another addict. Some adults are their too but they need to feel in control...."Is Johnny breathing?"

[stopnlisten]

07:58 PM on 12/11/2011

Bologney. I think this is being sold by technology companies laughing all the way to the bank. Most kids need to learn to communicate face-to-face first. That's a skill they have lost. They can learn how to Twitter and Facebook on their own time. Follow the money trail and asked the folks who developed the technologies "How did you learn?"

[Mr Anonymous]

09:13 PM on 12/10/2011

Ha ha ha, yeah ok. Apparently the other 8 hours of the day that they're not in school or sleeping and constantly using social media isn't enough.

[Learical]

07:18 PM on 12/10/2011

Damned good thing my children are grown for I will never have FB or Twitter. Unfortunately, my oldest grandson (13) has been brainwashed by his ex-mother (yes, she signed away her rights, another good example of parenting) to believe putting his business on FB is ok so she can keep up with the sons she didn't want. WRONG.

[clyek]

05:59 PM on 12/10/2011

I noticed that this is an 'opinion' article.

Well, my opinion is that this type of thinking is totall Bulls&t.

Crapbook, is one of the main reason's kids cant even spell their name to begin with...

[jdogmyers4]

04:08 PM on 12/10/2011

This guy has no concern for the students education he's just looking at the dollor signs.

[avercos]

03:41 PM on 12/10/2011

As an educator I would not use facebook, twitter, or any other "social networking" for an assignment in my classes. It leads to too many problems. I have never, nor will I ever communicate with students via those options. The only way an intelligent teacher should communicate with students outside of school hours is via their parents, or if there is a project going on, by using a school monitored site. Why put yourself out there, there are plenty of kids who have been using these sites to take down teachers they don't like -- and those teachers are usually the ones with high expectations.

[gdzilla2]

04:21 PM on 12/10/2011

There should be more teachers like you!

[avercos]

10:59 PM on 12/10/2011

Good teachers are leaving due to retirement or because they are fed up with public schools. There is no discipline and the amount of actual teaching time has decreased so much due to all the social programs we have to do because parents aren't.

[Learical]

07:19 PM on 12/10/2011

They take down other students, too! All the bullying, etc.

[avercos]

10:57 PM on 12/10/2011

Very true, they do. Again, that goes back to parenting.

[gdzilla2]

03:33 PM on 12/10/2011

Our kids are both grown but I can pretty much guarantee that if they were still young, they would not have facebook accounts or cell phones with internet and maybe not even texting. If for some reason we did allow them FB, it would be monitored and their teachers would NOT be on their friends list. Students and teachers need a clearly defined relationship that is within the school hours. What a child does outside of school hours is none of their teacher's business or the school's. What a teacher does outside of school hours is not a child's business, either. Social media interaction between teachers and students sends a very mixed message to kids and blurs the line too much.

[avercos]

03:43 PM on 12/10/2011

I completely agree! Finally someone one on HP who has common sense!

[rebelroseofdixie]

03:19 PM on 12/10/2011

While I do believe that teachers should be adapting technology as a tool to help their students, but I don't agree with what's said above. A platform already exists and is being used by teachers, students, and parents to do the things mentioned in the article above, and makes all relevant information readily accessible to students, their parents and teachers. They can to look up their home work assignments, the lesson plans for the week/month, check for information on upcoming tests, check their grades, look to see if there are any extra credit assignments available, and can even send send e-mails/post messages to their teacher and the like all through the use of the Internet. Granted it's not "in the classroom", nor do I think it should be, but it is available and accessible to those who wish to use it, at least it is in my area.

Granted, they cannot upload videos to the site, but they can e-mail videos to their teacher and/or can download the video onto a thumb drive or CD/DVD (which are both inexpensive and easily found in any Wal-Mart or electronics store) and download their essays/book reports. Then take the thumb drive/CD/DVD to school and the teacher can then upload the file on the school's computer and play it to the class in the classroom. Besides, Does anyone remember what happened in the Robbins v. Lower Merion School District ?

[gdzilla2]

03:29 PM on 12/10/2011

The one big problem that I can see is the students who cannot afford any of this technology. What is inexpensive to one person is a financial burden on someone else. There are families who do not have computers in their homes of any kind and for these kids to have to go to a library to use one is not right.

[Malik Harris]

03:41 PM on 12/10/2011

Yeah, even though most people can afford computers, there are always some who can't. And some may not have a reliable internet connection, or a reliable computer, etc.

[rebelroseofdixie]

08:52 PM on 12/10/2011

People who are, like myself, that are "disadvantaged" financially are actually more thankful than you would like some to believe. The fact that we actually can and do have a place we can go to use a computer is wonderful. For those who are going to college or are in school they not only have access at public libraries but also the library at school they attend. Therefore, why is the option of a public library to do homework "not right" ? They have a ton of information before them and not just online. Personally, that sounds more like a winning situation to me, but what do I know. Also, I seriously doubt that they would be bold enough to claim that having to use a public library for school assignments isn't right/fair. If anything they're thankful they have computer access. Also, I'd think that teachers would allow the students without computer access to write out their essays and give oral reports like it was BC (Before Computers) if they wish. I know my mother does with her students.

Obviously, a computer is not inexpensive, however, a flash drive with 4 GB capacity only cost $6, a 8 GB capacity costing a couple dollars more at $8. I'd say for a flash drive/thumb drive that's really cheap considering it can be reused over and over and over again so is worth the $6-$8 spent.

[CRBH]

02:14 PM on 12/10/2011

Funny article. Whoever wrote it is not a teacher...or they would know that kids already know everything there is to know about social networking but cannot add 1+1. I think we better focus on schoolwork when at school. Forget the drama and learn your multiplication tables, please!!!

[Malik Harris]

03:40 PM on 12/10/2011

You are so right, it would only make classrooms become more distracted.

[origamib]

12:37 PM on 12/10/2011

•Communicate with students on the popular communications platforms they're using outside the classroom - sort of like banning teachers from saying "hello" to a student at the movie theatre.

Bulltripe. There is something to be said for students realizing that teachers are real people with real lives. However, the bounderies between an authority figure and a student can blur pretty quickly on a social networking site like Facebook. I would think that a teacher would rather his or her adult 'friends' be aware of their social adventures and recreational activities.
Also--the example used here about a teacher saying hello to a student at a movie theatre is simply ridiculous. A face to face interaction in a public place with other people present poses little threat to either party. A private chat online may not be so safe for either party.

I don't have a FB account. I don't really care to be in my firend's business 24/7. I also think people who post relationship status, pregnancies, general health status on FB need realize that the internet is not a private personal diary. Also, everytime FB has an 'update' it seems thereis some privacy breech made possible if users don't maually go back and check so called privacy settings. Why bother?

Facebook does not belong in the classroom.