It's everywhere. On the news, our phones, at work, at home, anywhere we go on the Internet, social media is prevalent. But it's not in our schools. Now most adults use a few social media tools: Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter to keep us engaged and connected. But why don't we want our children and students to be connected?
We are deceiving ourselves if we believe social media is purely for entertainment. That may be what it has been used for primarily, but social media can aid greatly in the learning experience, and must be for our current generation of students. Students can follow politicians on Twitter, post YouTube videos of commercials in another language they are learning, and follow blogs of current authors. These are just a very few examples, but by integrating social media in my classroom I enable my students, your children, to be connected with the world, share information, find communities with their interests, converse, and participate. They can have real discussions with experts, receive immediate feedback, and feel that their input is valued.
It may be scary to have your children on the Internet, but I vow to model appropriate behavior and to monitor their Internet use when in my classroom. I will link to safe and educational sites. There will be consequences for students who stray to unsavory or non-educational destinations.
I will be using Edmodo in my classroom, a social media site that looks a lot like Facebook. It enables me to manage the classroom, post assignments, links, photos, notifications, polls, and quizzes. I encourage you to stay connected with the site to see what we are up to as a class.
Mrs. Benik's Edmodo
For more information about social media and a great article about the use of Edmodo, please read the article Go Ahead... Be Social: Using Social Media to Enhance the Twenty-First Century Classroom, by Shantel Marie Scott. It can be found here.
Looking forward to staying connected with you!
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