Social Media in the Classroom

Social media is the new controversy sweeping the nation. As students, we have been cautioned to watch what we write or post on our facebooks for fear of negative backlash. We have heard horror stories (and rightfully so) of future employers looking to our social media and deciding not to offer the position. As pre-service teachers, we grapple with the role of social media in the classroom. Some believe there is a place for it, others are not on board. Even though there are dozen of "facebook-esque," sites, the reality is that nothing will be as seamless as a transition would be with social media. Students would be more likely to be engaged on a website that they use often. If students can just "like," a page on Facebook, they will probably enjoy it more than if they have to go to a different website, create an account, and then do everything from there. Social Media can help streamline students lives.

What I like most about social media is that it's omnipresent. This helps interactions that happen in the classroom move beyond the school day. For some, this seems daunting, but for others it could be an interesting way to facilitate learning. Different social media's provide different tools. Twitter, for example, would be a quick, concise way to reach your students after the school day. This could be done on a classroom level, as well as a school level. For example, the school I'm doing my fieldwork in as a twitter page that they use to tweet Board of Ed information, reminders, and announcements (such as the school closing the other day). The school also retweets articles that they think their followers may find interesting, such as local articles on the school. Also, since twitter works by "following," a student can follow the educational twitter page and not have to worry about the school/teacher seeing what they post on their page. Facebook also has many useful tools that could be used in the classroom. Its easy to use and familiar to students, and those teachers who have recently graduated have grown up with it. Classrooms can create a class page where they can share links, resources, articles, and pictures. It would also be very beneficial for students who have missed class, to stay in the loop. For a whole list of benefits of Facebook in the classroom, check out this article.


Despite the multiple benefits, there are some issues that come with implementing social media in the classroom. A big hurdle in implement social media into the classroom would be the parents. Some parents, especially those who have not grown up with it, don't understand the hype of social media. My mother, for example, detests Facebook, even though it hasn't affect her life in the slightest. They might not understand how it would be used in classroom, and in some cases, it may discredit you, as the teacher. It would also require all students to have whatever platform you decided to use. Although, it is more likely that students would already have a twitter/facebook account, than an educational based social media account (edmodo, moodle, etc.).

Only time will tell how accepting people are of using social media in the classroom, but if the necessary steps are taken regarding policy and privacy, it could be a very powerful tool for learning.