1. Social Media and the Classroom
Presented by:
Michael Berry, HS Math Teacher
mberry@bigspring.k12.pa.us
2. Social Media in the World Today
Monthly active users of
Facebook – 850 Million
People Worldwide.
There were 175 million
tweets DAILY on Twitter
during 2012.
More than 5 million photos
are uploaded to Instagram
every day.
Total unique visitors to
Pinterest increased by
2,702.2 percent since May
2011.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonynetone/3717759677/sizes/o/
3. Why Use Social Media in the
Classroom
Teaches students proper way to
use social media.
Correctly interact with
colleagues.
The world is the classroom.
Multiple tools and techniques
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesclay/3509154015/
to aid learning.
Gives a voice to the voicelesss.
4. Social Media and Education:
FACEBOOK
Improve communication
by easily messaging
teacher and other
students with questions.
Make a Facebook class
page where students can
see due dates,
assignments, and posted
notes.
Use Facebook apps like
Flashcards and WeRead
to make studying easier.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stoneysteiner/5713704415/
5. Social Media and Education:
TWITTER
Tweet supplementary
links/videos for learning
after class.
Track different hashtags
or set up own so that
learning can be
collaborative.
140 character limit makes
answers condensed and
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juque/350786064/
to the point.
6. Social Media and Education:
Pinterest, Instagram, Flickr, Pixlr …
Users can upload, save,
sort and manage images
and other media content
through collections.
Organization on the
internet, not in a folder.
Use for presentations
and projects.
Create a board to
promote final
assignments. http://www.flickr.com/photos/greatbritishchefs/6788358738/
7. Let the available technology
help our students today.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/56155476@N08/6660067753/
Hinweis der Redaktion
Hello everyone, my name is Mike Berry and I am currently a Math Teacher at Big Spring High School in Newville, PA. I am also the district’s Head Football Coach and MS Boys Basketball Coach, so I am very excited to talk to you today regarding social media and how I use not only to keep in touch with parents and students, but more importantly, the powers of using different social media tools in the classroom.
Currently, we are in the middle of process of Globalization.Everyone that has access to the internet has the potential to connect to someone across the world at a push of a button.Social media has been a huge player in the globalization process, as news, pictures, videos, ideas, creations, and conversations are being shared world wide by the human race. Usage of social media is growing rapidly, with many platforms – such as the ones on the screen – are coming to the forefront of every day life.
So with the globalization process effecting so many people, we as educators should be exploring ways to incorporate these tools in our classrooms.Introducing social media in our classrooms would be a great setting to teach young students how to properly use the different types of social media.The students would be force to develop an appropriate way of communicating with others, whether it is people they know or someone on the other side of the planet.There are many different tools and techniques to aid the learning of students, and allows all students to be creative and develop the ability to present concepts to a partner or group.
So, what are some of the more popular tools and how can we use them?One of, if not the most recognizable social media outlet is Facebook.If I am a parent and I have a teenager, I very may well be thinking about Facebook in the concept of “Oh, this is something I need to monitor.” Such a powerful tool that some think about so negatively.Facebook, if used within an educational setting, can be a powerful tool that improves communication between teacher and student. A student might not use or check his/her email daily, but they will most likely be on Facebook, allowing instant back and forth if there is a question.A student could build this relationship if a teacher sets up a page for the class. There, students can check on postings from the teacher on due dates, assignments, and posted notes. There are also apps that can be used on Facebook to make studying easier, such as Flashcards and WeRead.
Another very popular social media right now is Twitter.Personally, I use Twitter for pretty much everything from getting ideas in the classroom or playing fields to checking up on world news.Twitter would be good to use with your class because you could “tweet” out links or videos for students to check out when they can.Different “hashtags” can be set up in order to track information or set up a collection of answers for a particular topic. For instance, if I ask a question in class, I could have all students start the tweet with #BSGeomPd1 and I would be able to see everyone’s answer by searching for that hashtag.Finally, there is a 140 character limit on each tweet. This means that if there is a back and forth discussion (or answering), the students are forced to get the most important information into their response. No unnecessary rambling, just the needed info.
There are so many other social media tools out there that are helpful in the classroom and the amount of them are growing daily. Sites like Pinterest, Instagram, Flickr, and Pixlr, as well as many others, are available for specific reasons and can definitely evolve your classroom.These sites can be used to collect different media, organize items or articles into online folders that can not be lost in a messy locker or book bag, and enhance projects and presentations that the students create themselves or with others.
There is certainly a fear out “there” that incorporating these items into the classroom should not happen.The fact of the matter is that the world around us is using these tools rapidly, on a daily basis, for numerous reasons.If we can teach our students at a young age to respectfully and properly use these tools, then we are not only creating a better, more involved learner, but also making our students better people as well, readying them for life outside of the classroom.Thank you.