680 Module 7 Discussion
Hello Class,
For this module we are to discuss our presence on social media. I actually attended a professional development session on this the other day. Social media in education has so many benefits, but also creates a lot of issues or problems that can arise. Walking that tight rope of benefits/risks can be difficult as a teacher sometimes!
I currently have a twitter for my class and many other classes, clubs, sport teams, and even our principal have an account as well. I do go on there from time to time but rarely post. This is an area that I could see improvement in the future but I always go back to the same questions.
I really started thinking about how much fun it would be to share my classroom's story with the rest of the school, community and parents. My biological kids are in elementary school and I LOVE getting pictures and updates of what they are doing in class! It makes my day! Would high school parents feel the same way? One of the articles, "Tips for Using Social Media....:" mentioned the principle that a picture shares a thousand words. I would love to post pics of dissections or dna extraction or one of our 6 fieldtrips. I just worry about the issues of sharing pictures of students. What if one student is unhappy with the picture and feels embarrased. How do you guys handle taking pictures in your classroom? Do you guys share that a lot on social media? Do you think enough people use twitter for it to be valuable and worth the time?
None of my students use facebook anymore... why, because we do and their parents do. Facebook would be awesome for our class, but it wouldn't reach the students. Same could be said for Twitter. When I polled my classroom to see how many use Twitter, only a few people raised their hands. I have thought about using Instagram but again worry about the pandora's box that might open with such a visually heavy social media presence.
One of the biggest issues our school faces is that they refuse to have a concrete policy for the use of personal technology in the classroom. When talking to friends or family socially, they are shocked that kids are able to use their phones in the class or even bring them to school. The issue is that rules are different in different classrooms, and furthermore not reinforced by administration and the deans. We aren't allowed to confiscate or touch the phones at all, so students understand that and use it to their advantage. Parents also rarely help out when you email home and let them know there is an issue. Even if you directly connect phone use as a distraction impacting their child's grades, very rarely have I had a parent step in and remove the device.
In another class I am taking this semester, a teacher suggested having the students themselves make up the technology policy that you use in class. I think this is a great idea. Look, kids understand what type of use is appropriate in school, they just often choose to disregard that understanding. I think if we let, or let them think, that they are shaping our policies they are more likely to follow them. I think I might have students create a contract for Digital Citizenship next year. It would consist of 5-10 laws or rules that we should follow in class to increase engagement and decrease distractions with personal technology. With some guidance, I bet they will come up with some great rules that are fair and engagement driven.
Cyberbullying is a tough issue to tackle in school because much of this happens in social media. I have had a couple of situations where it happens during class and needed to step in but that isn't typically the case. I think the best we can do is model good digital citizenship and require it when collaborating and working online in class. Honestly, a lot of their interactions online reflect how they are being monitored at home. I take way more responsibility for my biological kids and their interactions with others on social media than my students because I feel it is part of the parental responsibility. In class as their teacher we can teach them proper digital citizenship and hope that carries into their personal lives.
At the same time I think you need to make sure students can feel comfortable coming to you for help or to ask about cyber bullying. Having that relationship is important so students that are bullied have a place to go to get help, or someone to talk to or get advice from.
Thank you,
Jim
For this module we are to discuss our presence on social media. I actually attended a professional development session on this the other day. Social media in education has so many benefits, but also creates a lot of issues or problems that can arise. Walking that tight rope of benefits/risks can be difficult as a teacher sometimes!
I currently have a twitter for my class and many other classes, clubs, sport teams, and even our principal have an account as well. I do go on there from time to time but rarely post. This is an area that I could see improvement in the future but I always go back to the same questions.
I really started thinking about how much fun it would be to share my classroom's story with the rest of the school, community and parents. My biological kids are in elementary school and I LOVE getting pictures and updates of what they are doing in class! It makes my day! Would high school parents feel the same way? One of the articles, "Tips for Using Social Media....:" mentioned the principle that a picture shares a thousand words. I would love to post pics of dissections or dna extraction or one of our 6 fieldtrips. I just worry about the issues of sharing pictures of students. What if one student is unhappy with the picture and feels embarrased. How do you guys handle taking pictures in your classroom? Do you guys share that a lot on social media? Do you think enough people use twitter for it to be valuable and worth the time?
None of my students use facebook anymore... why, because we do and their parents do. Facebook would be awesome for our class, but it wouldn't reach the students. Same could be said for Twitter. When I polled my classroom to see how many use Twitter, only a few people raised their hands. I have thought about using Instagram but again worry about the pandora's box that might open with such a visually heavy social media presence.
One of the biggest issues our school faces is that they refuse to have a concrete policy for the use of personal technology in the classroom. When talking to friends or family socially, they are shocked that kids are able to use their phones in the class or even bring them to school. The issue is that rules are different in different classrooms, and furthermore not reinforced by administration and the deans. We aren't allowed to confiscate or touch the phones at all, so students understand that and use it to their advantage. Parents also rarely help out when you email home and let them know there is an issue. Even if you directly connect phone use as a distraction impacting their child's grades, very rarely have I had a parent step in and remove the device.
In another class I am taking this semester, a teacher suggested having the students themselves make up the technology policy that you use in class. I think this is a great idea. Look, kids understand what type of use is appropriate in school, they just often choose to disregard that understanding. I think if we let, or let them think, that they are shaping our policies they are more likely to follow them. I think I might have students create a contract for Digital Citizenship next year. It would consist of 5-10 laws or rules that we should follow in class to increase engagement and decrease distractions with personal technology. With some guidance, I bet they will come up with some great rules that are fair and engagement driven.
Cyberbullying is a tough issue to tackle in school because much of this happens in social media. I have had a couple of situations where it happens during class and needed to step in but that isn't typically the case. I think the best we can do is model good digital citizenship and require it when collaborating and working online in class. Honestly, a lot of their interactions online reflect how they are being monitored at home. I take way more responsibility for my biological kids and their interactions with others on social media than my students because I feel it is part of the parental responsibility. In class as their teacher we can teach them proper digital citizenship and hope that carries into their personal lives.
At the same time I think you need to make sure students can feel comfortable coming to you for help or to ask about cyber bullying. Having that relationship is important so students that are bullied have a place to go to get help, or someone to talk to or get advice from.
Thank you,
Jim
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