Do I think using social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, for educational purposes for older students is appropriate?
I am in an elementary building so I do not use Facebook or Twitter with the students, especially when My Big Campus is available. It provides a social media aspect that students can communicate with one another in a safe way. As long as MBC is available, I will not be using anything else for social media. I like the idea of using a classroom Twitter account for students and parents that some have mentioned. I see where this could be very beneficial for reminders and quick answers to questions. It might even be something I may want to try this year for the older elementary students. I also think that maybe students want to keep these type of accounts personal for social interaction and not make it another educational tool. When it becomes educational, it might not be fun anymore for some students.
I also like the idea of a classroom Twitter account. I remember back in the 90s when my teachers had a "homework hotline" through the school's phone system. We could call it from home and listen to a recorded reminder of our assignments. Sometimes the teachers would include a secret password or trivia question that we could answer the next day for a bonus point. Twitter could be used as a high-tech equivalent of the homework hotline.
ReplyDeleteWe began using MBC last school year at our elementary. The kids seemed to find it to be an enjoyable tool. Just curious, do you accept student requests? This was a debate in the workshop I attended. Since I really didn't use it until the end of second semester, I didn't get a true feel fro how things would work.
ReplyDeleteI haven't done much with that yet, but hope to this semester.
Delete