Teachers and Social Media

What is Social Media?

Merriam-Webster defines social media as "forms of electronic communication (such as websites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (such as videos) ". This includes things like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Even if you personally don't use social media, statistics portal Statista reports that as of 2018, 77% of the US population does, and that means many (if not most or all) of your friends, colleagues, and perhaps most importantly, students. It's even famously entered the public sphere, in subtle and obvious ways. In May of 2018, for example, a federal district court judge ruled that it was a violation of the First Amendment for President Trump to block users on Twitter.

Early Practitioners of Social Media

Frederic Remington's The Smoke Signal Source

Benefits of Social Media in the Classroom

The Number Two Reason the Internet Was Invented

Photo by Dimhou Source

Social media, of course, can be used for more than just cat pictures or alerting all of your acquaintances what you had for dinner last night (Korean Barbequed Flank Steak, by the way... highly recommended). A site like Pinterest can, for example, be used by students to find ideas for research and pin them for later use, and teachers can find,share, and save lesson plans, classroom management strategies, and more (Wohleb, Skinner, & Witte, 2014). Further, many districts include language in their vision statements about training 21st century learners, and it is a myth that the current generation of students are "digital natives". They have to be trained in the use of modern information technology, including social media (Kirschner & De Bruyckere , 2017). Using social media in the classroom provides the opportunity to train students not only in the technology itself, but also how to be good digital citizens. Finally, as reported on educationworld, "...participants who studied in groups, even only once a week, were more engaged in their studies, were better prepared for class, and learned significantly more than students who worked on their own". Social media can facilitate this kind of learner to learner interaction which might be lacking, even in a traditional classroom.

Dangers of Social Media

Photographer unknown, source

This Teacher Has a Plan to Avoid the Same Fate

Pirate Stormtrooper by Teri Hodges Source

Of course social media, like the internet itself, is not all sunshine and rainbows. There can be downsides as well. Even sunshine has downsides, actually, so maybe that was a better comparison. In any case, social media can have risks for teachers and students. In September of 2018, for example, a Louisiana teacher was fired after making a posting on Facebook that her school district found to be racially insensitive. In another example, this ABC News story reports that "Stacy Snyder was weeks away from getting her teaching degree when she said her career was derailed by an activity common among many young teachers: posting personal photos on a MySpace page." One of those pictures is to the left. It doesn't even have to be one's own social media, as Constitutional Law scholar Jonathan Turley reports on his blog, in "...Pennsylvania in 2010, an unidentified teacher was suspended after a third party posted a picture on Facebook showing her with a male stripper at a bridal shower. " Students, of course, can have their own issues, such as cyberbullying, the prevention and addressing of which is one of the most important reasons for teaching students digital citizenship as mentioned in the advantages section above (Wohleb et al, 2014). Educators also have to weigh the dangers of screen time. As Dr. Victoria Dunkley reports on her blog for Psychology Today, screen addiction in children can lead to various negative effects. It's possible, of course, to mitigate these dangers, and reap the benefits, but it's probably a good idea to follow some guidelines, which can be found below.

Guidelines

So how can teachers harness the powerful tools of social media while minimizing the risk to themselves and their students? Is it necessary to wear stormtrooper armor to every public event? Fairfax County Public Schools has excellent Guiding Principles here, which fall under the broad headings of: Protect Our Students, Be Professional, and Use Common Sense. Drawing on those concepts, here are some guidelines that might help... stormtrooper armor optional (but cool).

If you are going to have a social media account for professional use, keep it professional.
Only post work related items on your professional account
When posting information about students, use first name only
Avoid posting other information which might be too specific about students
Consider informing parents before posts that include their students
Do not post photos or information about students who have opted out
Avoid sending messages to a single student in any fashion. All posts should be to the whole group.
Maintain a professional tone in all communications. If you wouldn't want your grandmother AND your principal to see it, don't post it. (If your grandmother IS your principal, this goes double. Or half. I'm not sure. I think I may have confused myself here).
Never follow parents or students on their social media accounts.
Don't post anything that would reflect poorly on yourself, your students, your school, or your community.
Remember that posts are forever.

Artist Unknown, FCPS Source

Resources/ Citations

Jonathan Turley's Blog Jonathan Turley is a highly regarded Constitutional scholar, and a teacher himself, often writes about cases involving the First Amendment rights of teachers (or lack thereof)

9 Ways to Use Social Media in Your Classroom is a blog post by Michael-Ann Cerniglia, a teacher at Sewickley Academy that, perhaps surprisingly, has 9 ways to use social media in the classroom.

Tips from a Student: The Dangers of Social Media is a blog post by a student at the University of Liverpool covering some of the downsides of social media.

Social Media and You is a smore flyer I created you can use with your students.

Citations:

"Social Media | Definition of Social Media by Merriam-Webster." https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20media. Accessed 15 Sep. 2018.
"US population with a social media profile ...." https://www.statista.com/statistics/273476/percentage-of-us-population-with-a-social-network-profile/. Accessed 15 Sep. 2018.
"Judge rules Trump can't block users on Twitter | TheHill." 23 May. 2018, http://thehill.com/regulation/389021-judge-rules-trump-cant-block-users-on-twitter. Accessed 15 Sep. 2018.
"Korean Barbecued Flank Steak on Hot and Sour Slaw Salad Recipe ...." https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/korean-barbecued-flank-steak-on-hot-and-sour-slaw-salad-recipe-1944395. Accessed 15 Sep. 2018.
Wohleb, Skinner, & Witte, E. (2014). Examining the Benefits of Integrating Social Media into the Classroom.
Kirschner, P., & De Bruyckere, P. (October, 2017). The myths of the digital native and the multitasker. Teaching and Teacher Education, 67(C), 135–142
"Study Suggests Benefits of Social Media in Class | Education World." https://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/study-suggests-social-media-has-place-in-classrooms.shtml. Accessed 15 Sep. 2018.
"Teacher loses job after making racially inflammatory comments on ...." https://www.wcvb.com/article/teacher-loses-job-after-making-racially-inflammatory-comments-on-facebook/23104699. Accessed 15 Sep. 2018.
"Teachers Under A Morality Microscope – JONATHAN TURLEY." 2 Apr. 2012, https://jonathanturley.org/2012/04/02/teachers-under-a-microscope/. Accessed 15 Sep. 2018.
"Gray Matters: Too Much Screen Time Damages the Brain | Psychology ...." https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mental-wealth/201402/gray-matters-too-much-screen-time-damages-the-brain. Accessed 15 Sep. 2018.
"Social Media Guidance for Staff | Fairfax County Public Schools." https://www.fcps.edu/index.php/social-media-guidance. Accessed 15 Sep. 2018.

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