Introducing Social Media into schools, with a specific focus on blogs, websites, facebook & twitter.

1. The Social Media Revolution!
“A good educator can motivate a student. A
great educator creates the environment where
students can motivate themselves.”
(Couros, 2012)
* WATCH 2:05 minute video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQzsQkMFgHE&feature=related

2. “We need, first, to take charge of our own learning, and
next help others take change of their own learning.
We need to move beyond the idea that an education is
something that is provided to us, and toward the idea that
an education is something that we create for ourselves.
It is time, in other words, that we change our attitude
toward learning and the educational system in general.”
~ Downes, 2010

3. Social Media in Schools
O Students today have never known a world without
the Internet.
O Most teachers and parents went to school before
“clicks and shares”
O Experts argue that blocking students from purposeful
online interaction does more harm than good.
O Some educators and schools strongly advocate that
social media as a way to engage students in
accessible, personalized learning.
http://www.ascd.org/publications/newsletters/policy-priorities/vol17/num04/Executive-Summary-on-Social-Media-in-Schools.aspx

4. Reasons to Use Social Media in School
1. Opens the world of education.
• Breaks down walls and builds relationships with families and community.
• Parents can view lessons, assignments, homework, newsletters, etc.
2. Minimizes isolation.
• Small schools can be connected and the feeling of isolation can dissipate.
• Ideas and camaraderie can be extended all over the world.
3. Builds tolerance and understanding of cultural diversity.
• Having the opportunity to connect with people all over the world breaks
down a lot of barriers and builds understanding.
4. Amplifies passion.
• Student who do not feel anyone has similar interests in the classroom,
can make connections outside of a school that support their unique
individual passions.
5. It’s free.
• No costs, simply internet access and technology requirements
(Couros, 2012)

5. Popular platforms for Social Media
O Blogs
O Websites
O Facebook
O Twitter

6. What is a BLOG?
Blog is short for web log, which is a
posting of journal-like pages to a
website, most often in reverse
chronological order.

7. The Reason People “Blog”
Blogs…
O are a form of communication that offers a greater understanding of a topic and reflection
O share static and dynamic information
O can host online surveys or tutorials
O are easy to update
O initiate the cycle of collaboration – most blogs are respectful, honest and open
O offer the writer a digital home – “… a blog can be a portal for a social media aficionado.”
O build social relationships
O generate dialogue, allows for peer review
O provide connections to others and decrease isolation
Carozza, 2012

8. Reasons to “Blog” in School
O Communicate with students, parents and community
O Offer resources
O Share student work
O Opportunities to read, write, collaborate, discuss
O Provide engagement and motivation
O Integrate technology into the classroom
O Allow for flexible learning – convenient, accessible
O Assist with classroom management: daily activities, homework, enrichment
O Help brand a writer and build their platform – “…growing our is a way of
supporting our students through our words and actions online.”
O Encourage students to brand themselves – “Will Richardson argues that we
can model blogging for our students so they can write for a purpose and for an
audience.”

9. Popular Options for Blogs
O Blogger
O Owned by Google so other programs/services work in sync
O Support is available
O Free
O Not self hosted so control can be limited
O Tumblr
O Easy to integrate with social media
O Ideal for personal blogs
O Support is available
O Limited archiving
O WordPress
O Free or self-hosted with fee
O Professional looking, anti-spam, simple, must be updated regularly
O TypePad
O Integrates easily with Facebook
O Allows for creativity
O Must subscribe for a fee
O Not as popular
O Edublog
O http://youtu.be/CrL6jTPaaLM
onlineteacher.com, Claudia Somerfield

10. What are WEBSITES?
O According to Wikipedia, a website is a set of related web
pages containing content such as text, images, video,
audio, etc.
O Websites can be static or dynamic
O Static websites present pre-defined, static information to the user.
O Dynamic websites change or customize themselves frequently and
automatically, based on certain criteria.

11. The Reason People use Websites
“Online learning allows for flexibility of access, from a
anywhere and usually at anytime… however, the learning
materials must be designed properly to engage the
learner and promote learning” (Ally, 2004).
“ As educators, our aim is not simply to make information
accessible to students, but to make learning accessible”
(David Rose, 2002).

12. Reasons to use Websites in School
1. Connection to students, teachers, district personnel,
parents, community at large
2. Links to useful information:
O Contact email addresses
O Educational websites
O Translations for second language families
3. Communication tool:
O Posting lessons, previews, homework
O Connecting with students who would otherwise be silent in class
O Responding to parents, students
O Creating a forum for homework response

13. Popular Options for Educational Websites
O Wikispaces
O http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/website
O YOLA
O https://www.yola.com/
O Free to use
O Ad free
O This is often an issue for educators as they need to be aware of what ads students may be
viewing when asked to access websites.

14. What is FACEBOOK?
O Facebook is a social utility that connects
people with friends and others who work,
study and live around them.
O People use Facebook to keep up with
friends, upload photos, share links and
videos, and learn more about the people
they meet.
http://wikkidapps.com/social-networking/facebook/

15. The Reason People use Facebook
O People can leave messages, browse through photo collections, or even chat
with someone who is online.
O A great way to keep in contact with friends and family, or find long lost
friends or relatives.
O The Facebook "wall" is where people can write comments on what they are
up to or share photos and articles.
O Networking with coworkers or business partners.
O Job recommendations or connections
O An online photo album
O Offers online games and applications
http://webtrends.about.com/od/socialnetworking/a/why_facebook.htm

16. Reasons to use Facebook in schools
O Groups
O Create discussion boards, communicate messages and information, and link to online projects or other groups.
O Share Multimedia
O Exchange or comment on videos, websites, links, images and updates.
O News Feeds
O Access real-time opinion and commentary on current subject topics
O Timeline
O Create interesting timeline projects.
O Foreign Languages
O Find ‘language buddies’ to practice with and links to language resources.
O Questions and polls
O Post questions and polls for research, opinion, or to generate classroom discussion
O Figures of Interest
O Subscribed to profiles of people to learn more about, like politicians, business owners, or leaders.
O Messages
O Post messages about homework, school events, assignments, reminders or updates for teachers, students and parents.
O Collaboration
O Contribution to projects and discussions using a tool that many students already use and are comfortable with.
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/igeneration/ways-to-use-facebook-effectively-in-class/15269

17. What is TWITTER?
O Twitter is a micro-blogging “community” that
allows people to interact with one another in a
real-time environment.
O All messages are limited to 140 characters
O It can show everything that is happening in the
world first-hand, free of the bias and filtering.
http://twitterforteachers.wetpaint.com/page/What+is+Twitter

18. The Reason People “Tweet”
O To see what is going on in the world in real-time, within
O Global news
O Companies or industries
O Personal and business networks
O A means of mass-communication
O For branding purposes
O Marketing
O Reputation-management
O Personal information sharing
http://twitterforteachers.wetpaint.com/page/What+is+Twitter

19. Reasons to “Tweet” in School
Professional Development
O Instant access to links, ideas, opinions, & resources from global professionals.
Global and Local
O Actively compare what’s happening between local, national or international schools.
Reflective practice
O Share reflections, support and challenge others.
Instant feedback
O Share ideas and get instant feedback through a range of opinions and constructive criticisms.
Newsroom
O Stay up-to-date on news and current affairs, as well as on the latest developments in areas of interest.
Quality-assured searching
O Hone and develop the list of people whose insights you value.
Efficient Communication
O Express opinions in a max of 140 characters.
Easy
O Simply create an account and search using key words for an area of interest to generate a list of people to follow.
Watch “Twitter in 60 Seconds”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYz9M70KVR0&feature=player_embedded
(Laura Walker, 2012)

20. Things to consider about using
Social Media in our Schools
Some things that must be consider for the successful implementation of Social
Media in schools…
1. Is there transparency with online activity and experiences
2. Is there a school climate that supports TMEs.
• “I would try to build a school culture where sharing is just a normal part of what we do and where we
understand the relevance of this global exchange of ideas and information to what we do in the
classroom” (Richardson, 2010)
3. Is there a Safety Policy or Code of Conduct for SM use that outlines etiquette and expected
behaviour
4. Who is the target audience: teachers, students, parents, or community
5. Who will have access and are URL’s on website and in newsletters
6. What is are the ground rules for appropriate responses from interactive entries
7. Do parents have access and are they aware of what, how, when, & why social media is being
used?

21. Leadership Challenges to Introducing
Social Media in Schools.
“ There is concern from school administrators and teachers that connecting students online
may have more detrimental effect than benefit — due to inappropriate communication or
content, privacy exploitation or cyberbullying. However, if the correct structures are put in
place and content is monitored, then social media can become a valuable an interactive
teaching tool. “
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/igeneration/ways-to-use-facebook-effectively-in-class/15269

22. Leadership Challenges to Introducing
Social Media in Schools.
Challenges that leaders need to contend with…
O Access concerns
O In house – students, teachers, other staff
O External – privacy & safety concerns
O Bandwidth
O Cost of internet services
O Digital divide & Learning network divide
O Time
O What does global change mean for schools? Education?
O Alignment – within district, province, country, universities – we are reinventing the wheel individually
instead of collaborating?
O “Outside assessment systems imposed on schools are not making a clear connection between the use of
*social media+ and student learning” (Richardson, 2011, p.9)
http://www.techlearning.com/default.aspx?tabid=67&entryid=602

23. “ In times of change, learners inherit the
earth, while the learned find themselves
beautifully equipped to deal with a world
that no longer exists”
~ Hoffer

24. Online References
O http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQzsQkMFgHE&feature=related
O http://www.ascd.org/publications/newsletters/policy-priorities/vol17/num04/Executive-Summary-on-Social-Media-in-
Schools.aspx
O http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/1860
O http://youtu.be/CrL6jTPaaLM
O http://www.wikispaces.com/content/teacher
O https://www.yola.com
O http://twitterforteachers.wetpaint.com/page/What+is+Twitter
O http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYz9M70KVR0&feature=player_embedded
O http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/322
O http://www.techlearning.com/article/nine-reasons-to-twitter-in-schools/45908
O http://wikkidapps.com/social-networking/facebook/
O http://webtrends.about.com/od/socialnetworking/a/why_facebook.htm
O http://www.zdnet.com/blog/igeneration/ways-to-use-facebook-effectively-in-class/15269
O http://www.zdnet.com/blog/igeneration/ways-to-use-facebook-effectively-in-class/15269