Journal 3: Social Media in Schools

Kessler, S. (2010, September 29). The Case for Social Media in Schools. Retrieved October 16, 2015.

In her article, "The case for social media in schools," Sarah Kessler shares the story of a teacher, Elizabeth Delmatoff, who pioneered a social media program in her school with admirable results.
Undoubtedly, using social media sites is one among the most common activities of today's children, adolescents, and adults. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, video sites like YouTube and blog sites can all provide a portal for entertainment and communication. Of course, social media is here to stay! For these reasons, education can and should embrace social media on the condition they are healthy environments for all participants.
Engaging in social media for educational purposes can definitely benefit young students since it can offer enhanced learning opportunities. Using blogs as teaching tools has the benefit of engaging students and reinforcing their skills in English, writing, and individual and collective creativity. Social media is one more way for teachers to reach their students. Through regular contact with the teacher and their classmates, students can collaborate more, exchange ideas by reading and commenting on each other's blogs. Even shy students have the opportunity to feel more confident and participate as everybody else does. Using such sites can be useful for homework help and sharing resources. Needless to say, there are also cons in using social media in the classroom, such as distraction, improper use, cyberbullying. But schools, teachers, and parents have the means to control online environments and provide young, impressionable students with access to safe platforms.
In general, social media has a role to play in education. Social media should supplement traditional teaching and learning in a way that is intellectually challenging to students. As with all things, using social media wisely and in moderation will be the key to success.

Question 1: Are there any long-term benefits of using social media in schools?

Answer: One more benefit of using social media in schools is that teachers can raise students' awareness of the appropriate use of these tools since they will be an indispensable part of their personal and professional lives. And as Sarah Kessler says, "to keep kids safe is to teach them."

Question 2: Does students' contact with social media have an impact on their time devoted to reading for pleasure?

Answer: Yes, it does. Unfortunately, time spent on social media is increasing while time spent on reading for pleasure is dwindling at an alarming rate. But today's digital natives cannot do without technology, without social networking. It is up to parents and teachers to try to instill a love of reading a book in young students.