In
today’s classroom, technology is used to engage learners, inspire students to
think independently and critically. Students of today, have grown-up alongside
technology and social media. It has become a natural part of their everyday
life. Technology is ever evolving and changing and will not ever go away. To
properly prepare students for the real life skills they will need to have when
entering the world outside of the classroom walls, technology has to be a part
of their educational journey. The 21st century student is defined
using the word “technology”.
With
technology comes social media. More and more classrooms are beginning to
incorporate social media into their classrooms. It is a way to continue school
outside the classroom walls. But, when it comes to social networking in schools
there are some pros and cons associated with it.
Challenges with Social
Media in schools:
1.
Lack of Knowledge: social media sites need to be managed and used by
professionals that understand social media in order to maintain an authentic
and safe experience.
2.
Initial Experiences: upon initial viewing of the social media site, if it
does not interest the person viewing it they will not be interested in using
it.
3.
Lack of Features: lack
of experiences for students due to security settings or just minimal features
included on the social media site. Students may become bored or uninterested if
there are minimal features.
Successes with Social
Media in schools:
1.
Safe communities:
many social media sites allow teachers to control the security settings making
for a safer environment to learn.
2.
Collaboration in encouraged: social media encourages collaboration among
students, teachers and parents.
3.
Accessibility:
social media can allow anyone to access anything that you publish online if you
allow it.
References
Gleen, D. (2012,
February 7). How Well Are Schools Using Social Media? [Infographic]
SocialTimes. Retrieved from http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/how-well-are-schools-using-social-media-infographic/90209?red=st
SocialTimes. Retrieved from http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/how-well-are-schools-using-social-media-infographic/90209?red=st
