EdTech 543: Research Ways Schools Are Using Social Networking for Teaching and Learning

EdTech 543: Research Ways Schools Are Using Social Networking for Teaching and Learning

This week, I was asked in my EdTech 543 course to research ways schools are using social networking for teaching and learning. My content area focus is elementary and special education. I wondered at first if I would find any case studies done is these content areas because of the age group and abilities? I often can find social media use in secondary and higher ed and I believe it to be more warranted for those age groups.

As an educator, I am hesitant to encourage social media use in an elementary setting. I absolutely support teaching digital citizenship but believe social media use should be closely monitored and used for special education and elementary students. So, I set out to research social media use in both content areas. My eyes were soon open to the potential of social media for younger students.

What I discovered while researching case studies of teachers integrating social media into their classroom, I found teachers pushing boundaries outside of their classroom walls. Teachers were having students create blogs, communicate with other students around the world using Skype, and creating content on YouTube.

I noticed it was difficult to locate case studies where elementary educators were using social media in the classroom. I noticed that for myself, I have been hesitant to believe that social media can be used effectively with younger elementary students. I want to ensure that we are keeping students safe online and maintaining students’ privacy rights. We as educators must find the right balance of social media use in our classrooms.  I did come across an article that shared how a kindergarten teacher used a Twitter class account to communicate with other classes around the country. The teacher facilitates the typing but the class collaborates together on what words would be shared. The teacher also maintains the privacy of the students by controlling who can see the posts and who can follow.

What I have discovered is that the use of social media in the classroom is still new and many educators may not fully embrace social media in the classroom. However, there are many options out there for educators to use their creativity and comfort level integrating social media into their classrooms. One can begin with a “Futurebook” bulletin board and end up one day fully embracing the use of a Facebook classroom group page to engage students in their learning.

 

 

Here is a link to my curated research. Google Doc: Research Case Studies Social Media Use .

 

Case Studies Research