Part 1
Social Media plays a large, if somewhat heavily regulated role in my classroom. I teach year 5/6 students, who are 9 and 10 years old, so legally, there are many constraints around my use of social media in the classroom.
These constraints make it difficult for students to be able to form learning communities and share ideas within class, however, I have found that some forms of social media can be used in the primary classroom that reflect the Education Councils "Characteristics of Social Media".
I use Google classroom as an efficient tool for organizing my classroom, sharing website links, setting tasks and engaging in online discussions with students.
Firstly, using Google classroom to share links to websites has been an excellent time saving measure in my class. Students no longer have to copy links or urls off the board.
Google classroom has a task setting function where you can set work for students. Again, it is a great way of keeping the class connected.
Finally, teachers can initiate class discussions, where students post responses to questions They can also post their own ideas and initiate their own discussions. The great advantage of this is that the teacher has control over what can be posted and who can post. This is particularly important, I have found, as students vary mark-ably in their abilities to use social media sensibly.
Part 2
Alternatives. Whilst it is common for children under the ages of 13 to have Facebook and Instagram accounts, I do not think as a teacher we have an obligation to uphold laws. I have, however, seen other alternatives that, while not as open as twitter, or instagram, will allow students to share ideas and learn from online communities. I have just signed up for the "100 Word Challenge", a writing website that provides weekly writing challenges to students around the world. Students can then go and comment on other children's work, providing real opportunities to give feedback and take literary criticism. This forum is perfect for younger students as it is "walled" and is regulated by a central source. Another type of controlled social media is the ability for students to comment on each other’s work using Google Education apps. I have found this to be successful in the past as it provides students with valuable peer feedback. Scaffolded instructions about how to provide feedback should be given first, to ensure that students are providing meaningful and constructive criticism. There are other online education forums that are also regulated, but still allow students to engage, like See Saw.
How does this reflective process impact my thinking?
Currently, the social media contact that my students are having is being restricted to their immediate peer groups at school. These are students who are from similar backgrounds, have similar thought patterns and have been taught how to provide feedback and to share ideas in similar ways. I think the students will gain so much more if they are able to connect with students worldwide. This is why it is important that I establish the 100 Word challenge in my class and get students contributing to it regularly. The kids will get a real kick out gaining feedback on their writing from a student in Spain, as well as giving their writing an authentic purpose.
If there is anyone out there with any ideas about other social media platforms that can be used by students I would to hear from you.
References
"Minimum age requirements for Social Media", taken from, www.adweek.com/digital/social-media-minimum-age/, 2014
“Chracteristics of Social Media”, taken from https://www.teachersandsocialmedia.co.nz/what-social-media
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