Effective Implementation of social media in the classroom
We are living in a fast developing society which every day offers people a great quantity of new opportunities (Blessinger, et al, 2012). Predominantly, these unique opportunities concern the advancement of social media that have noticeably permeated the modern education world. Many teachers and professors highly appreciate the power of these tools, which lies in the ability to engage, motivate, as well as to involve students into deep contemplation and sensible discussion. However, some educators find the online world daunting and are not as eager to implement its use into their classrooms (Bosman and Zagenczyk, 2011).
Conole (2012), states that finding appropriate resources and knowing how to use them is a specialised skill. She goes on to say that many learners, however competent in the use of technology, lack the academic literacy skills needed to use these resources to further their learning. This is a skill that needs to be explicitly taught. Vanwynsberghe and Verdegem (2012), stress that educators and related professions have a particular responsibility in teaching young people how to deal with new media, including social media.
Conole (2012), states that finding appropriate resources and knowing how to use them is a specialised skill. She goes on to say that many learners, however competent in the use of technology, lack the academic literacy skills needed to use these resources to further their learning. This is a skill that needs to be explicitly taught. Vanwynsberghe and Verdegem (2012), stress that educators and related professions have a particular responsibility in teaching young people how to deal with new media, including social media.
Dr. Alec Couros is a professor of educational technology and media at the Faculty of Education at the University of Regina. Dr Couros has many interesting viewpoints on the use of social media within educational facilities. Through his videos and blog posts, Dr Couros shares the importance of students creating digital identities, and learning about digital citizenship through this journey. He stresses that educators need to teach students the concept that everything they put online stays online, and will follow them into their futures. Therefore, the information that students put online as children or adolescents will often resurface in the future when they are looking for work or life experiences.
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Trilling and Fadel (2012) add to these ideas and stress that it is important to teach our students skills for the future. These skills include problem solving, creativity, analytical thinking, collaborative skills, communication skills and ethics, action and accountability, which clusters adaptability, fiscal responsibility, personal accountability, environmental awareness, empathy and tolerance (Crockett, et al, 2012). All of these skills can be taught and gained from the use of social media in the educational setting.
The use of e-portfolios and blogging tools allow students to document their own learning. Embedding their written work, video clips, photographs and other work samples into these portfolios enables students to become more involved in the learning process, and leads to the development of a responsible digital identity (Couros, 2011). Using social media to showcase student learning allows schools to model digital citizenship behaviours and gives students the chance to reach an audience that includes not only peers but experts in the fields they are studying (Brooks-Young, 2007). |
Many researchers stress the importance of educators role modelling appropriate use of social media to their students (Barnes, 2012, Conole, 2012, and Couros, 2012,). Teachers can further their own social media knowledge by participating in online learning opportunities. Following an education hashtag on Twitter such as #EdTech, #EdChat or #digitalcitizenship allows educators to see what others are posting and interact with them. They are therefore practicing what they preach and getting involved in real-life learning experiences (Crockett, et al, 2012).
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