Authors: Christian Alvarado, Mallory Walker, & Patty Cote
Introduction:
More and more elementary students utilize the Internet and participate in social media environments. According to Neiderberger (2014) more than half of ten year olds use a social media tool and 43% of the children message people they do not know. Elementary educators are faced with the dilemma of how to safely integrate social media in the classroom. With technological advances in the near future, elementary students will require basic computer skills, as well as, the ability to communicate and collaborate using social media tools. Therefore, educators introducing students to social media using student-friendly tools in the classroom is essential. Neiderberger (2014) stated the majority of school districts across the nation instructed teachers to utilize school-based social media to communicate with students. In essence, shifting from a traditional face-to-face communication to a virtual environment.
Social Media Policy
Online safety is the number one reason educators are hesitant to use social media in the classroom (Holland, 2013). Cyber-bullying, harmful content, and privacy issues can make using social media challenging. In order to keep elementary students safe while using social media, school districts need an effective social media policy. This policy should include how all stakeholders, including administrators, educators, elementary students, parents, and the community, can safely use social media (Rodgers, 2012). According to Schoolwire (2012) “safe and acceptable use policies that are clearly communicated and backed by a secure technology infrastructure help ensure that a district can embrace the benefits of social learning without placing it at odds with student safety,” (pg. 6). Common Sense Media offers valuable resources in the forms of blogs, videos, and professional development that can prepare educators, parents, and elementary students in ways to safely use social media.
Creating a safe learning environment while using social media may seem challenging. The following are steps Schoolwire (2012) suggested to guide the process of creating a safe learning environment for everyone involved.
- Create a purposeful social environment with learning at its core.
- Model responsible digital citizenship.
- Establish clear guidelines for all online activities that take place inside and outside of your safe social learning environment.
- Communicate and enforce policies.
- Engage and educate the community.
- Create a secure technology infrastructure.
With these steps in mind, school districts may create effective social media policies that give clear expectations for everyone that uses social media. Furthermore, the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) (2014) requires school districts to have an internet safety policy in order to receive offers and discounts from the E-rate program which make certain products more affordable for schools and libraries. In order to comply with federal and state standards, school districts must have an internet safe usage policy which should include social media. The development of a social media policy is only the first step in the process to insure the safety of elementary students. All stakeholders must be informed of district policies - this includes educators, elementary students, parents, and other stakeholders who will use social media within the school context including parent organizations, booster clubs, and school volunteers. Most school districts inform parents annually of acceptable social media policies and obtain permission from parents before allowing elementary students access to electronic resources.
While most larger school districts have a robust and clearly defined acceptable use policy, in the absence of policy exercising common sense practices by teachers is essential. One recommendation for educators is to not friend or follow elementary students on social media sites. Educators should use school district email or sites such as Schoology or Edmodo, which are sites with additional safety measures in place for communicating electronically with elementary students. When considering the use of social media there are many things to keep in mind:
• District/building restrictions and/or guidelines
• Appropriate use of curriculum/lessons to coincide with social media safety
• Screen time (not all screen time is created equal)
• Parent notification/permissions
• Separate accounts for teachers (professional) and students (classroom)(Lembke, 2013, para. 4)
Social Media in Elementary Schools
Once safety precautions are in place, social media tools may offer learning opportunities for elementary students to communicate appropriately and effectively with peers. According to Donaldson (2012) elementary schools should include social media into curricula in order for elementary students to practice digital citizenship, social etiquette, and technology skills. Social media allows elementary students to communicate openly, honestly, and kindly. Donaldson (2012) articulated, “I strongly believe that exposing students to the etiquette of social media will equip them to be wiser to the pitfalls lurking in digital world” (para. 5). Traditionally public school districts have not allowed elementary students to use social media platforms such as Facebook and Youtube during the school day. If school districts ban social media tools such as Facebook and Youtube, educators can utilize Daniels (2014) top ten suggested student-friendly websites. Daniels (2014) explained the top ten social media networks empower educators to take full control of who participates and what elementary students can comment. Daniels (2014) provided the image below to show examples of social media tools elementary educators can use in the classroom.
Educators can integrate social media into instruction to capitalize on the following communication and collaboration benefits (Daniels, 2014):
- Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, and educators.
- Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
- Develop awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures.
- Contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.
If used effectively, social media can transform a elementary student's digital learning experience. The activities listed below are the product of the creativity of the blog authors who are educators at the elementary level.
ATTENTION EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS!! Did you know that your students can participate in social media? While students cannot own a social media account, educators can emulate tweets and Facebook posts through the traditional classroom bulletin board with a 21st century twist. Below are examples of how to integrate social media, like Facebook and Twitter, into your classroom.
ASSIGNMENT: The templates below are from two well known social media tools Facebook and Twitter. Increase the resolution to encompass a class bulletin board, or create your own. To use the template year round, laminate and use velcro. Include your class grade, room number, and pictures of your students. Fill in the template information with class lectures, student work, etc. Then, comes the fun part. Provide your students with a sticky note and guide them to write, or comment, how they felt about a class lecture, class assignment, or small group work. If need to, they can draw faces to express their emotions! WE RECOMMEND TO PLACE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA TEMPLATE OUTSIDE OF YOUR CLASSROOM! In this manner, faculty, staff, and other elementary students can read your students’ posts!!! ENCOURAGE YOUR CAMPUS TO COMMENT ON YOUR CLASS EARLY AGE SOCIAL MEDIA!!!
PURPOSE: Educators can focus on their students’ writing process skills while elementary students practice their reading, writing, communication, and collaboration skills within a familiar context (Holland, 2013). Social media has the opportunity to empower elementary students to think critically about what they want to say and allow them to share their learning collectively with their peers and the entire school community (Holland, 2013).
The images above provide an illustration of Facebook and Twitter templates for early age childhood educators (Karbach, 2013).
ATTENTION 1ST TO 3RD GRADE TEACHERS!!
Instructing students on how to apply critical thinking skills in core content areas in elementary classrooms is a challenging tasks for all educators. Dietze and Kashin (2013) suggested using and producing YouTube clips not only increases engagement among elementary students, but provided deep and authentic learning to support critical thinking. To take it one step further, elementary students can create their own YouTube videos explaining steps to solve math problems or to reflect on a book or article they have read. Giving elementary students an opportunity to create their own videos allows them to have a sense of ownership in their learning. The creation of a YouTube video redefines (the highest level in the SAMR Model of technology integration) traditional classroom approaches to the activities such as writing a summary or listing steps taken to solve math problems.
ASSIGNMENT: YouTube can help elementary students grasp the concept of main idea in an enjoyable manner. Begin by asking elementary students to read aloud their favorite book while you record them. While recording, ask the student to identify their favorite part of the book, who the main characters are, the author’s purpose, and conclude with students determining the main idea. Once all of the students are recorded, show the class the complete YouTube recording and share the link to the video with the students’ families. Before posting, make sure each child’s parent or guardian has signed the district electronic media agreement.
PURPOSE: YouTube allows elementary students to think critically about their reading, promotes communication skills, and allows students to practice their critical thinking skills. According to Dietze & Kashin (2013) YouTube increased student engagement and provides them with deep and authentic learning that supports critical thinking. The process of creating YouTube clips provides elementary students with an engaging and redefined learning experience.
ATTENTION 4TH & 5TH GRADE TEACHERS!!
Using Twitter in a 4th and 5th grade classroom may present a challenge, but it can yield a big payoff for teaching and learning. Dietze and Kasha (2013) reported elementary students who used tweets in the classroom “became more proficient at using clear and concise responses that focused on the key elements of the assignment” (pg. 1). Twitter can be used in a number of assignments from Math to English. Elementary students may find that tweeting an answer to a math problem is more engaging than writing it on a piece of paper. When using Twitter to answer problems, students can use a hashtag that allows the teacher to see all posts that used a particular hashtag. Worried about not having a personal Twitter account for each student? No problem! Have a class Twitter account and have each student sign their name, number, or code name to each post. This way you can use it as a grade and keep track of students. Not a math educator? What about having your students pose a question to a favorite author? Some authors will even respond! This opens communication with experts in the field of writing, and allows students to ask those important questions. Using Twitter in the classroom allows students to interact beyond the walls of the classroom to gain new perspectives and insight into the real world.
ASSIGNMENT: Students use Twitter to create a dialogue between characters of a book. After reading the book, students extend the dialogue by tweeting as the character in the book. The class could be grouped or each student could have their own character and tweet independently. The students would then create a dialogue back and forth using Twitter hashtags to monitor discussion. The students will have to understand the characters and write from the characters point of view.
PURPOSE: Twitter provides students with real-time interaction. Elementary students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of the book by creating another scene using dialogue. Students will also gain an understanding of how technology has changed the way we communicate with each other.
Conclusion:
Social media can be a huge benefit in the elementary classroom to enhance students’ learning and collaboration, but it is essential to have social media policies in place to protect everyone. All stakeholders should be addressed in the policy so there are guidelines for all involved. There are many opportunities to use social media in all elementary grades. From allowing students to create books and share those with others, to having students’ use Twitter to continue dialogue of characters, the possibilities are endless. With the proper policies and support, social media can be a great place for students to learn and grow.
References
Anderson, S. (2012, April 11). Social media guidelines. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/social-media-guidelines-steven-anderson
Daniels, D. (2014, March 29). 10 Social media sites for education. Retrieved from
Dietze, B. b., & Kashin, D. d. (2013). Shifting views: Exploring the potential for technology integration in early childhood education programs. Canadian Journal Of Learning &
Donaldson, J. (2012, November 25). Social media should be a part of the elementary curriculum.
Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/jay-donaldson/social-media-should-elementary-school-curriculum_b_6220556.html
Federal Communications Commission. (2014, December 31). Children's Internet Protection Act. Retrieved from https://www.fcc.gov/guides/childrens-internet-protection-act
Globalizing Early Learning with Technology. (2012). [Graph illustration social media tools]. Tech tools for the classroom. Retrieved from https://globalearlyed.wordpress.com/global-tools/tech-tools/
Holland, B. (2013, June 18). Introducing social media to elementary students. Retrieved
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Karbach, M. (2013). Teachers tech workshop. [Graph illustration social media tools]. 7 Amazing Facebook and Twitter templates to use in the classroom. Retrieved from http://www.teacherstechworkshop.com
Lembke, R. (2013). Social media in the classroom. Retreved from http://socialmediainelementary.weebly.com
Niederberger, M. (2012, May 12). Schools districts tighten social media contact among
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Rodgers, D. J. (2012, August ) The social media dilemma in education: Policy design, implementation and effects. Retrieved from http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15799coll3/id/53189
Schoolwire. (2012, May ). Creating a safe social learning environment to improve student success. Retrieved from http://offers.schoolwires.com/safesociallearning
Smith, S. L. (2012, March) Connections and perceptions: Policy recommendations to guide social media interactions for public educators. Retrieved from
http://delaware.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15323coll5/id/10524
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