1. Jason Harshman Brad Maguth
The Ohio State University University of Akron

2. Overview
• The ways in which social networking platforms
have emerged as an important civics space.
• The opportunities and challenges of social
studies teachers and students using social
networking tools for civic education.
• Instructional resources and tools, based upon
teachers’/students’ levels of comfort and
access, to use social networks to foster civic
mindedness.

3. What are social networks?
The practice by which
individuals, organizations, an
d institutions use the
Internet to access and post
information, build
relationships, and connect
with other users.

4. Social Networking & Civic Information

5. Social Networking and Civic
Participation

6. The Convergence of Social Networking and
Civic Education
Civic Networking Civic Networking
The use of social media to: Education
• Access civic information Providing citizens with the
and resources. opportunity and training to
meaningfully, constructivel
• Create a civic commons
y, and safely use social
whereby citizens can
networking for civic
share, deliberate, and
purposes
advocate on important civic
issues.

7. Encountering and Crossing the Digital Divide
Young people today have grown • Just-in-Time Learning
accustomed to living portions of their (Collins & Halverson, 2010).
life online by • Digital Natives, Digital
shopping, socializing, and learning Immigrants (Prensky, 2002).
through technology (Lenhart &
Madden, 2005).
Digital Explorer
Digital Immigrant Digital Native

8. Updating our/their “status”
• “Youthscapes”
(Maira & Soep, 2005)
• NCSS statement on
media literacy
• CORE Curriculum
• Judging a website by
it’s 21st century cover
• Whose voices are
represented in your
classroom?

9. Social Networking, the Social
Studies, and the Story of Missed
Opportunity

10. E2Ks:
remind 101 --Students text a
code that you
create to a neutral
number.
--Students never
have your
number.
--The teacher
never has the
student’s number.
Why use it:
--Pre-program HW
reminders.
--Remind students
about an upcoming
test.
--Let parents know
there is a project
due in two days.

11. facebook Wall Photos Flair Boxes John F. Kennedy Logout
John F. Kennedy is preparing to sign the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
Wall Info Photos Boxes
Fakebook
Write something…
Share
View photos of JFK (5)
Send JFK a message John F. Kennedy is preparing to sign the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
October 7, 1963
Poke message
Bobby Kennedy to John F. Kennedy Have you finalized your plans for the Texas
Information trip?
October 1, 1963
Networks:
Washington D.C.
Birthday:
May 29, 1917 John F. Kennedy I can’t believe I had to actually send the National Guard to Alabama
Political: just so some kids could go to college!
Democrat June 11, 1963
Religion:
Catholic
Hometown: John F. Kennedy is so glad we avoided war with the Russians! That Crisis in Cuba had
Brookline, Mass. my blood boiling!
October 28, 1962
Friends
John F. Kennedy hopes everyone realizes how serious I am about putting a man on the
moon!!!
September 9, 1962
LBJ Frank Marilyn John F. Kennedy wishes the Bay of Pigs invasion had gone better! I think Castro is going
to be a major thorn in the side of the U.S.
April 17, 1961
Bobby Jackie Robert

12. Facebook: Building Civic Connections
• Ohio Arts Council
• Ohio Council for the Social Studies
• Council on World Affairs
(Akron, Cleveland, Columbus)
• Cleveland City Club
• American Historical Association
• World History Association
• Ohio Historical Society
• New York Times
• Washington Post
• Huffington Post
• Cleveland Plain Dealer
• Columbus Dispatch
• Toledo Blade
• Sandusky Register
• Ohio General Assembly Reps:
– Ohio House Standing Committee
on Education
– Ohio Senate Standing Committee
on Education

13. The sky is the
limit when it
comes to
technology
and social
studies! “Socrative is a smart student
response system that
empowers teachers to
engage their classrooms
through a series of
educational exercises and
games via
smartphones, laptops, and
tablets.”
Teachers have used it
for: Exit
tickets, checks for
understanding, openi
ng class, closure, HW.

14. Edmodo

15. Online Petitioning
• Change.org
• iPetition.com
• Signon.com

16. iCivics
Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day
O’Connor
Games based platform and civics curriculum to
meet students where the are- in the
gaming, media, and social networking world.

17. Social Media:
LinkedIn

18. ePals
Taking it Global
iEARN

20. Updating (Y)our Status
Fakebook
Digital Immigrant Digital Explorer Digital Native

21. Polleverywhere.com
(1) Please take out your
cell phones.
(2) This is a free service
that will not result in
spam or invasion of
privacy.
You will text your
responses to: 37607

22. Tell us what you do!

23. Questions & Comments?
• Mr. Jason Harshman
The Ohio State University-
harshman.22@buckeyemail.osu.edu
• Dr. Brad Maguth
University of Akron –
bmaguth@uakron.edu