Unit 1: The World of Social Media: General Uses and Internet Etiquette

Objectives

Source: http://www.saycampuslife.com/2010/04/28/study-says-college-students-addicted-to-social-media/

Participants will be able to distinguish between a proper social media post and an improper post by doing research in a preferred social media network.
Participants will be able to educate students on the proper use of social media.
Participants will be able to navigate social media sites to find relevant educational information by searching for news articles being distributed through social media.

Mini-Lecture

Introduction

Social media has changed the way the world operates. Now people are able to interact with people around the globe and express their opinions. As a result of this, there is more information than ever at our finger tips. Sadly though, many schools view social media as being a bane to education. Students are on Facebook instead of paying attention in class, or sharing selfies instead of studying for a test. With the prevalence of Smartphones, there is no way it will go away. Instead of demonizing it, we should embrace social media for what it is, a resource for information.

Bringing it into the classroom

As of November 2015, Facebook averages 1.1 Billion users a day. This shows that the world has become accustom to social networking. Major politicians, groups and celebrities all use some form of social media to spread their ideas. News will often spread fast through social media than it will on news stations like CNN or Fox News. Teachers can adapt this connectedness to their classroom.

The most obvious way to use social media in the classroom, is to introduce a class group. This could be a blog, Facebook group, or Twitter. Students would be able easily connect with the classroom and access information such as homework and notes right through a medium they are very familiar with. There is some criticism of this, mainly that it blurs the professional lines of a teacher. It is up to the teacher to make sure this is done in a professional manner. Social media can also add transparency to the classroom. Parents can see what is going on in school as well. In your reflection, think of some ways that you could create social media website for your class.

Another way to use social media is to use it break barriers. When saying breaking barriers, we mean allowing the students to connect with people around the world. Students can try to get ahold of a politician or political group through their social media. This can bring experts right into the classroom. Students can connect with experts in their field to get even more information that the teacher may not be able to provide. Just make sure the students understand what a credible source is. Many social media sites have ways to verify if the contributor is in credible or not. So look for verification.

Internet Etiquette

The major issue today with social media, is all of the negativity that it generates. It is still a relatively new concept and as a result, many people do not know how to properly use it. Often times inappropriate remarks are posted or people choose to argue with somebody over their beliefs. This has lead to the terms flaming and trolling. Part of this is that there can be a level anonymity in the use of a computer and the ability to say things without needing to defend ones self. For those of us taking the course, we understand there are things that should not be said because we have developed a strong sense of right and wrong. For our students though, they are going through the growing pains of adolescence. As educators, it should be part of our job to help them become responsible digital citizens. We should teacher them that what they post is out there for everybody to see. As a result it can come back to haunt them later. Student need to understand that cyberbullying is still a form of bullying. By introducing them to the proper ways to use social networks for educational purposes, they will learn to use it properly in their own personal contexts as well.

Readings

Below are three articles highlighting social media in an educational context. Read through these three articles and then proceed with the lesson.

Do

Once you have finished reading the above article, go to the Google group and join in the discussion: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/utilizing-social-media-in-the-social-studies-classroom Respond in the Pros and Cons post and then share some of your own ideas for social media by creating your own topic.
View some social media sites: Twitter, Facebook, blogs, ect. Find some examples of good posts and bad posts. What are the common elements in each. Create a Google Doc of all aspects of a good post and all the aspects of a bad post. When finished share with me: Shibdwetap623@gmail.com.
Participate in a social network. Tie it to something that is in the news. This could be commenting on a certain group, tweeting out a news article, creating a blog or sharing a political cartoon. The choice is yours!

Reflection

Create a Google Doc for a journal. This journal will be used for each unit in the future. How do you plan to incorporate social media in the classroom? Brainstorm a list of ideas you may have right now. As the course goes on, it will be interesting to see how many new ideas you can come up with for using social media in the classroom.

References

Bidwell, A. (2014, January 17). Check Out That Selfie: How to Use Social Media in the Classroom. Retrieved November 15, 2015, from http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/01/17/check-out-that-selfie-how-to-use-social-media-in-the-classroom

David, V. (2015, February 19). A Guidebook for Social Media in the Classroom. Retrieved November 15, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/guidebook-social-media-in-classroom-vicki-davis

Leicht, G., & Goble, D. (2014, October 1). Should teachers be using social media in the classroom? Retrieved November 15, 2015, from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/social-media-valuable-tool-teachers/

Thielman, S. (2015, November 4). Facebook now averages over one billion users a day. Retrieved November 15, 2015, from http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/nov/04/facebook-one-billion-users