If you are reading this blog post then you are part of the ever-growing social media community. Whether your preferred outlet is blogging, Facebook, Twitter or one of the many other social media sites, it is easy to how much social media has integrated into everyday life. Except at school. Many teachers and school districts have placed restrictions and regulations on social media websites and cell phones.
However, according to this article, some schools are having a change of thought, and are beginning to embrace social media as a learning tool. The article looks at Freehold Regional High School in New Jersey, which recently created its own Twitter account, has a blogging superintendent and is beginning to push Twitter as a learning tool for teachers and students.
One example the article gave was of district language arts teachers using Twitter, which limits posts to 140 characters, to “teach students to keep writing concise and on message.”
“…This technology makes it so much easier for teachers to engage students…It’s taking the school into the real world,” said District Administrative Supervisor Jeff Moore in the article.
Richard O’Malley, who is the Superintendent of The Edison School District, believes that schools need to embrace technology so that students can learn how to correctly use these tools in the future. He said in the article that “schools are probably three to four years behind the rest of the world in how we’re communicating. I think we need to take more of approach of being on the forefront of visionary tools.”
To back up his words O’Malley’s district will be the first in the nation to have its own mobile app, which will “provide students parents and others in the community with school news, events and more via mobile devices” according to the article.
Where do you stand on schools accepting and embracing social media as a learning tool? As the article points out, there have been incidents involving teachers sharing too much information with their students on Facebook as well as much-publicized online bullying. Do you think it’s a schools responsibility to not only use social media as a learning tool, but to teach teachers and students how to appropriately use social media and about the possible outcomes of sharing too much of your personal life online?
If you have any questions on your children’s use of social media or how to have an online relationship with your child’s birth parents, contact your Adoption STAR Family Advocate or email the agency directly.