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Introducing Social Media to Elementary Students | Edutopia - 23 views

  • it has become an imperative for us as educators -- and parents -- to model appropriate digital citizenship to even our youngest learners.
    • mkm420fritz
       
      "Even our youngest learners" - yes - as young as preschool if they understand reading a book/print.
    • jessqross
       
      I think of my 8 month old and her ability to swipe left and right on my husbands Kindle already! Our children are exposed to all sorts go technology from birth and we should exposed them to it but responsibly. I remember telling my husband, i didn't want her to watch tv too early or be exposed to technology without loving the pages of a book first... It's definitely hard, can be done, be technology and social media should be in moderation. -Jess Ross
    • ocatvia
       
        Jess,your comment took me back to another article I read about how today's young people's brains have been completely rewired and almost programmed to be receptive to technology. But your concern as to how to behave in a parentally responsible way with regard to when and how to introduce your young child to technology made me also recall earlier articles I read about the many tech-employed parents working in Silicon Valley and how they have elected not to expose their preschool and elementary children to technology and social media because these, they believe, " inhibit creative thinking, movement, human interaction and attention spans." Like you, many want their children to discover of the magic of turning a page of a book and getting lost in it.  Here is a like to one such article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/technology/at-waldorf-school-in-silicon-valley-technology-can-wait.html?_r=0    (O. McBride)  
    • jessqross
       
      Thanks O. It is amazing the how many folks in Silicon Valley have the outlook. I understand their theory, however, i do understand that our work is saturated with it and it's many time necessary to even communicate and learn. I'm looking forward to digging in to this resource and reading a little more on this subject. Thanks for the article! :) -Jess Ross
  • teacher's blog post
    • slf327
       
      I JUST LOVE THIS. This is everything I hope for in my future classroom. As I have been planning my final project, I felt as if I was starting out with something way to involved and was thinking about scrapping it all. After reading this, I am keeping it and am up for the challenge, as the students will get so much out of the experience! Awesome to hear how it works in other classrooms. I will have to check out her Twitter to see how it is unfolding! (Shannon Feerrar)
    • azajac32
       
      This is definitely a shining example of how successful it can be for an educator. I know I would love to implement some kind of technology into my classroom and the way this teacher is doing it is a great inspiration. The engagement piece of the students is is something we all strive for and how to change it up so our students want to keep asking those questions! -Andrea Zajac
  • ...28 more annotations...
  • I have worked with and spoken to dozens of educators who strongly feel that engaging in social media is irrelevant for them because of their students' age
    • slf327
       
      I feel as if this is a common "argument." As we learn more about the benefits of utilizing social media within the younger classroom, we have to share the positives and how we are going to change any difficulties that we faced. Hopefully that will allow for others to understand and see the benefits with utilizing social media in the younger classrooms.
    • Erica Soble
       
      Social media in the classroom, specifically the younger classroom is a key element to learning in my opinion. Students are already so tech savvy that we need to help them learn how they already know how. Our school district just blocked Pinterest from the computers because it is a social media site. Lots of teachers use that for their lessons though so they are working on getting that resolved.
    • mkm420fritz
       
      It's all about education - most of the administrators in the district probably have never been educated on social media - so they are afraid of it. If you create meaningful learning experiences using social media, then share it with others - invite them into your classroom to see how your students could benefit. Change takes time but it only takes one "irritation" in the system to begin that change. Dr. Fritz
    • slf327
       
      Local districts in Lancaster have all started to participate in more technology in the classroom and the whole social media idea. I am not sure what district started it but it just seemed like all of a sudden everything went paperless and we were to be subscribing to district apps to keep up on what is going on. (Shannon Feerrar)
    • mrslynn1321
       
      I am seeing an increase in the use of social media in my school district, but with just the younger teachers and particulary in Kindgergarten.  At my school, the kindergarten teachers have a website for their grade.  They also use bar codes and other means to increase student participation during class.  I have had training on these techniques, but have not used them yet. (Dawn Lynn)
  • This fall, however, they uncovered a new dimension for Twitter. In October, one member of the class found himself trapped in New York during Hurricane Sandy. Kristin Ziemke and her students used Twitter and their blogs to learn about the storm while also checking on their classmate's well being. She describes the experience in her blog:
    • mkm420fritz
       
      To add a sticky note right to the highlight, after you highlight - hover your mouse over the top left of the highlighted text. Then, a menu will appear - click the down arrow and add your note. -Dr. Fritz
    • slf327
       
      I am so amazed by these teachers and their creativity. Great use of social media here! (Shannon Feerrar)
    • fareedadams
       
      I am amazed by the creativity too Shannon. (Fareed Adams)
  • Students already have enough screen time. Students need to be able to communicate in person. Students don't need to know about social media at this point -- it isn't age appropriate.
    • ferkomp
       
      I found this portion of the article to be very helpful. Since starting this class, I have focused mainly on the positives that social media has on students and the classroom. However, these three bullets make very compelling concerns/arguments for social media in the classroom. I feel it is important to gain a wide range of facts/opinions on topics even if you still feel the positives outweigh the negatives! - Mark Ferko
    • Erica Soble
       
      These bullets are so true. The students are going home after school and sitting on some form of technology. Most think of social media as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, those sorts of things. I thought that too until I started taking this course. There is lots that students can use as far as social media that isn't along those lines.
  • individual
    • ferkomp
       
      I found this conclusion to the article to be very summative of the importance of social media in the classroom. The one part I especially liked as "whether you introduce social media to students through a class blog, individual student blogs, Twitter or paper, there is NO "right way" to begin". -- Mark Ferko
    • mkm420fritz
       
      The only "right way" is the way that enhances learning/connections/communications for your students! -Dr. Fritz
    • azajac32
       
      I agree this is a great way to end the article. I think the part where it states "we introduce all children to social media in appropriate and meaningful ways" is key. To teach digital citizenship then we have to decipher the context for how are students are to be engaged and what they should be doing to create a proper learning experience still even online. - Andrea Zajac
    • William G Schumacher
       
      I agree that "teaching students about social media in appropriate and meaning ways" is very important.  I remember learning typing in middle school in the early '90's, and how bored I was with only typing certain letters with certain fingers.  I was really excited to type and use a computer, but I was not engaged because what we were doing was not meaningful.  So important!
  • Whether you introduce social media to students through a class blog, individual student blogs, Twitter or paper, there is no "right way" to begin. Do I really feel that toddlers should Tweet? Probably not. However, what's important is that we introduce all children to social media in appropriate and meaningful ways, regardless of their age, such that they can connect to a global audience and develop as empowered, networked learners.
  • If we honestly think about it, we were all taught the "social media" of our time in early elementary school. Remember the friendly letter? How about thank you notes? Telephone etiquette? In early grades, none of us were expected to master these skills independently, but they were integrated into our curriculum so that effective social behavior could be modeled at a young age
    • ferkomp
       
      I found this to be a very amazing and thought out point. It was a great addition to the article and really made a nice reference to past years before today's  "social media" was around! -- Mark Ferko
    • km3337
       
      Students will be needing these media skills as they matriculate into middle and high school. For a student who is shy, this can be another way for them to communicate. (K.Maguire)
    • megbrown80
       
      I completely agree and I hadn't thought of this before the article. We introduce these concepts to students at an early age and social media is another medium where students are sharing their ideas.  I do think the difference is that a letter and phone call are private between two people. Social media opens up our thoughts and opinions up to a great world and because of that we need to educate our students as early as possible.  (M.Brown)
    • slf327
       
      Playing Devils advocate side: it also opens up for the lack of being responsible with communication, hence the large amount of cyber bullying and sharing of personal information. It is IMPERATIVE that we teach our students what is appropriate and inappropriate media manners. As teachers we also need to make sure we are aware of what is going on within our own sites and student usage in school. This seems to be fairly easy with programs to see what our students are doing on the computer as they are doing it. (Shannon Feerrar)
    • azajac32
       
      I am also going to play devils advocate here because I think there is a loss of letter writing and cards in our world today. I did a lesson this past spring for pre-student teaching on card writing and the students loved it. They wanted to write more than one card. I think we have to teach our students how to be good writers first before we direct them to a social media environment. This can easily be done as we teach students and I agree it has to be appropriate with their writing. "You" is not spelled "U". Maybe I am sentimental, but I was just thinking the other day when we think about how people recorded history we had letters to help us piece some of it together. I would like students to still hold value to the power of writing. One word said wrong and posted out to the world could change their whole life. -Andrea Zajac 
  • I walked past their blog walls. To teach the concept of posting and commenting, the students created physical blogs on bulletin boards in the hallway of the school
    • Erica Soble
       
      This was very interesting to see. I had never thought of using a blog as a form of writing for students in elementary level. The classroom that I am student teaching in is a preK classroom. They don't know how to type but they are journaling. They draw a picture and then write about it. If I had a higher classroom, I would think about blogging as their writing. (E. Soble)
    • mkm420fritz
       
      For the younger students, you could add their drawing to VoiceThread. THen, the students could "speak" their comments/story about the picture! -Dr. Fritz
    • megbrown80
       
      What a wonderful idea! Showing students that really they are making a poster that has their ideas and opinions goes a long way to making the internet and posting less abstract. (M.Brown)
    • azajac32
       
      I found this interesting as well. It is a great way to work on the pre-writing process with students as well as incorporating an introduction to how to use social media. I have seen some teachers do the whole Instagram or Selfie walls, but this to me would be more connected and more structural because then the students can actually go and write on their class blog. I agree Kindergarteners would love to record themselves. Knowing that we are working on fundamentals at this point in the year I see this being a great lesson activity for later in the year when they have gained some reading and more writing skills. They would feel more confident in their "voice" to want to record it. This is why I like the resource StoryBird it is a similar concept, but even this Croak.It resource would be nice for the students to use. -Andrea Zajac
    • William G Schumacher
       
      I love this idea!  I did something similar with a Google+ profile for the class, and they decorated the board with their profile information as a class.  The kids really enjoyed expressing themselves as a class.
    • mrslynn1321
       
      Now that I know how easy it is to use voice thread, I could see using this tool in elementary school and having the kids make a presentation for the classroom or even the school! (Dawn Lynn)
  • In just the past few weeks, Kristen Wideen's students have shared math stories with a class in Iowa and frog data with a class in Singapore
    • km3337
       
      This lends itself to the concept of flat classroom. As adults, it is necessary to collaborate across the globe in science and medicine. It's a great opportunity for students to build on their learning from another perspective. -K. Maguire
    • slf327
       
      It would also help encourage accepting others and respecting others opinions. It will also allow students to open their minds and possibly learn a new way to to something. (Shannon Feerrar)
    • cloring
       
      This type of interaction is great. Not only does it let students share what they are learning, but it allows them to see how other students learn, and how their culture is different (C.Loring)
  • Lately, the grade 1/2 students in Kristen Wideen's class have been studying tadpoles and frogs. I know this because I've seen their Padlet wall of questions, witnessed the delivery of tadpoles, and watched a young boy read to his amphibian friend -- all through Twitter
    • megbrown80
       
      This highlights the way social media can be so helpful to bringing parents and the community into the classroom. Parents can feel connected to their children's learning which means they will hopeful be able to engage with their children better and more easily. 
    • slf327
       
      Anything that helps with parent involvement is always a plus!!!
  • Kristen Wideen originally created a class Twitter account so that her students could begin to engage in the cultivation of their own Personal Learning Networks (PLNs). Her students not only learn, but also share their learning with a broader community. Whether through whole-group Twitter activities and Skype, calls or individual KidBlogs, these students recognize that there are connections to be made beyond their Ontario classroom -- all while working on their reading, writing, communication and collaboration.
    • mrslynn1321
       
      This is proof that elementary students can benefit from social media. Young learners and their families can see the advantages of using social in the classroom and young students are taught, at an early age, proper use of social media tools.
    • mrslynn1321
       
      (Dawn Lynn)
  • My students were empowered to be part of a learning network that was for students, by students. So often, young children only have access to information that is filtered through an adult channel. While oftentimes that is appropriate, kids also need the model of other children as information providers
    • azajac32
       
      There were many things said in this article, but I find this quote to be just as profound. We want our students to feel empowered and be a part of the learning process. In a social media context the students really do get to do this. I hesitate on how to introduce this at such a young age, but as models for our students we can help guide them in the right direction. -Andrea Zajac
    • mrslynn1321
       
      This also speaks to a classroom being student led instead of always being teacher led.  I love to watch students work together and teach each other.  This is one area where I see the need for improvement in my teaching style and technology is one tool to increase this type of learning in the classroom.  (Dawn Lynn)
    • tsc898
       
      Student led learning seems particularly important with online resources since its something so many people use on their own. The more students practice exploring online resources and learn how to use online resources to accomplish tasks, the more students will be able to do this on their own. With the fast pace of that technology is evolving, its imperative that students learn to explore new online tools because new ones come along so often and old ones change in time. Timothy Conley
  • KidBlogs
    • azajac32
       
      With the resources mentioned hear such as KidBlogs and Croak.It there is a better understanding of how to implement social media in a classroom at a younger age. Before these I do not feel there would have been much success nor would teachers felt safe. The more tools available that offer a safe environment for students more teachers are going to want to use them.  -Andrea Zajac
  • Comments
  • Social media enables the creation of meaningful connections
    • jessqross
       
      Meaningful connections! Because technology surrounds our ever day life... these are the "authentic and relevant connections" our children make with the world. It's the way they communicate. Although, face-to-face connections are important,educators should continue to find ways to teach children within this foundation, meeting their need and source of connection. -Jess Ross
    • cloring
       
      I also think this is important to students who may have social anxiety. Although it may be impossible for them to talk to someone in person, they may open up a lot more on social media/through technology (C.Loring)
  • connections
  • students
    • fareedadams
       
      I highlighted this section of the article introducing Social Media to Elementary Students because I think it emphasizes the importance for hands on activities for elementary school students.
    • fareedadams
       
      I highlighted this section of the article introducing Social Media to Elementary Students because I think it emphasizes the importance for hands on activities for elementary school students. (Fareed Adams)
    • km3337
       
      This would be great to share with parents on Back to School Night because we often hear concerns from parents over amounts of screen time at home and they want their child to have opportunities for typical social time activities like recess at school. - Kathryn Maguire
  • Collectively, they would discuss their learning experiences as a class, before Tweeting out their thoughts, questions and ideas to their broader learning community.
    • fareedadams
       
      I think this is what makes tweeting so dynamic because you can transcend the confines of the classroom and connect with the broader community. (Fareed Adams)
    • jessqross
       
      http://www.academia.edu/194162/Collaborative_Learning_Experiences_Using_Social_Networks Social Media Networks can play a huge role in the development of our children's learning experiences. I have attached this article on collaboration in the learning experience through 3 phases through a "live learning strategy". Enjoy! :) -Jess Ross
  • Not only did social media empower this student, but it also provided her with a global audience. In 18 days, she received 42 comments from teachers, family members and other adults from across the continent. By empowering her students with the use of social media, Kristin Ziemke connects them to a global audience and introduces them to the complex communication required to be effective digital citizens.
  • For teachers who have only started to explore the uses of social media for their own professional development, much less with their students, setting children loose on blogs or Twitter can seem daunting.
    • Mathew Kennedy
       
      Getting something started with something new can sometime scare people.  For people who are not technologically inclined this could be even worse.  I've heard teachers in the past shy away from technology instead of embracing it because they aren't tech savvy.  As teachers, we need to assume that new things and ideas will come out and we have to jump on board.  In the end, students benefit from this and that's the number one priority.  
  • As I said, I agree. However, if used effectively, social media can transform a student's learning experience.
    • km3337
       
      Communicating with students from other environments can be valuable. Students can share things that they are good at as well as things that they struggle with. It is powerful for a child to hear from another child from a place outside their immediate realm. - K. Maguire 
  • Extend the Classroom
    • wwprincessjww
       
      "Extend the classroom" is a great phrase. Why does a classroom have to be a room? Social media came make the world the classroom. -Jeannine McGoldrick
  • I agree that young children need to interact in a face-to-face setting.
    • wwprincessjww
       
      "Children need to interact in a face to face setting". Children who are a bit shy will have an easier time face to face when they're online. -Jeannine McGoldrick
  • ...2 more comments...
  •  
    I have no idea if my highlighting and note will show up -Jeannine McGoldrick
  •  
    Beth Holland, communication coordinator and instructor at EdTech Teacher, gives three age-appropriate examples of introducing social media to children in the lower elementary grades.
  •  
    The more I reflect on introducing social media to our elementary students, the more I wonder if we are teaching them that they are not relevant unless they are connected to a group of individuals beyond their physical environment, or to subconsciously validate themselves by the number of likes or comments they receive from their followers...#hmmmm~ Marissa Williams
  •  
    "To teach the concept of posting and commenting, the students created physical blogs on bulletin boards in the hallway of the school." Before actually introducing a social media tool in the class we could have a blog wall to teach students #posting, #commenting and reflection to stare and frame their conversations and get them familiar with the process.
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