Statement on Social Media

Statement on Social Media

Social media has become a top means of communication
in the world today. The use of social media allows
interaction that is unencumbered by time and space. It
allows for easier connections and community building by

encouraging participation and collaboration among https://goo.gl/images/htPKY1
individuals. In addition to the benefits of social media,

there are also dangers that must be taken into consideration when using social media

as a platform to connect (Ito, 2013). Issues such as privacy, digital footprint, cyber

safety, and digital citizenship must be understood in order to have safe, constructive,

and positive social media habits.

As an educator, it is crucial that I am aware of the benefits and challenges of social
media use in the classroom. To ignore social media completely, or to use it without
being fully aware of safe and effective guidelines, would provide a disservice to my
students as 21st Century thinkers (Kingsley, 2014). I will incorporate social media into
classroom instruction to encourage student engagement and also model the behaviors
and practices that are needed to maintain a beneficial and responsible relationship
with social media. Students must understand that by protecting their own and others
privacy, posting responsibly, and practicing safe and acceptable usage they will
become prime examples of a good digital citizen.

In the elementary classroom, it is key to introduce social media outlets in a fun and
educational manner. Most elementary students will not be accessing social media
platforms independently which makes this is an opportune time to instill the safe
practices, good manners, and constructive uses that are necessary for responsible
social media use. I will do this by introducing students to closed networks intended for
use in education, such as Edmodo, Twiducate, and TeacherTube.

In my classroom, I will use social media to:

 Connect and collaborate with other classrooms and encourage cross-cultural
engagement by establishing a “sister” classroom and connecting via Google
Hangout;

 Communicate with families and students using the closed social network site,
Edmodo, to encourage a strong classroom community;

 Create interesting and creative projects to display student learning through
Twiducate ;

 Develop students’ digital literacy skills by sharing multiple sources, utilizing
various social media tools, and incorporating multi-modal composition

 Support and enhance instructional delivery

I will model appropriate online behaviors and monitor all classroom social media tools
and usage diligently. I will be sure to encourage students to think creatively,
collaborate frequently, and develop their own voice. Social media will be used as a
tool to facilitate, practice, and demonstrate these skills.

References:

Ito, M. [Edutopia]. (2013, Oct 22). Learning in Social Media Spaces [Video File].
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HF5pxnXwMBY

Johnson, D. (2014). Reading, Writing, and Literacy 2.0 Teaching with Online Texts, Tools,
and Resources, k-8. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Kingsley, T., & Tancock, S. (2014). Internet Inquiry. Reading Teacher, 67(5), 389-399.
(2014, March 26). Teachers Guide to Teaching Using Social Media. Retrieved
from http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2014/03/teachers-guide-to-
teaching-using-social.html