APPLIED​ ​PRACTICE​ ​IN​ ​CONTEXT, ASSESSMENT 2
Blog Post 1
SOCIAL MEDIA USE IN TEACHING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT


The use of social media in my practice
Kathy Cassidy, a teacher at Westmount Elementary School in the United States makes a strong case for the use of digital technology, including social media, in classrooms of the 21st century. She suggests that as children are exposed to increasing amounts of digital technology at home, a school is not in touch with real life if it not also used at school - they are “powering down” in a sense.
I agree with this statement, as I begin to see benefits of implementing social media into my practice. This has been mostly evident in my use of Seesaw, an online app used as a portfolio to reflect student’s learning. Family members and teachers can easily access student’s work and give them feedback - this is a big motivator for the students, as suddenly their work has a wider audience.
Through using Seesaw, my students have a permanent digital portfolio of their learning, to share any time, anywhere, with their families and it is with them throughout their school life.
Another area I would like to investigate in regards to future use of social media in my practice is that of using a digital platform such as Twitter to allow students to interact with learning communities in other countries (an electronic “penpal” to share learning with, so to speak). They could communicate with learning communities in other countries, developing a more extensive world view; a vital tool for 21st Century Learners in our ever increasing “connected” world.


How has social media been beneficial to my student’s learning?
Generally speaking, a significant advantage I have noticed when using Seesaw is that students can keep their digital works and see progress over time. They have the chance to digitally recraft their work before they share it with their families. They can showcase their work in text, pictures and videos and vlogs, so the strong sense of ownership of their learning keeps interest levels and subsequent engagement high.
When using Seesaw in Literacy, the students have had opportunities to record themselves reading aloud and see where they may need to use more intonation and expression in their oral reading.


What challenges could arise when I use social media in my teaching and how could I address them?
When considering the possible benefits of incorporating the use of social media into my practice (collaboration, resource sharing, creativity), I also need to be mindful of potential challenges and hazards the students and I could encounter and how to acknowledge them.
Sharples et al. (2016) state that “Where the pedagogy is unsuccessful, sites may present learners with inaccurate information, biased comments and hostile responses.” (p.12), therefore a high degree of facilitation would be needed by the teacher, to ensure the sites being used are safe, with appropriately filtered resources.
Another challenge is access and use of a student’s social media account by family members who have been innocently given passwords. There is no thought given to the risk of the student possibly viewing highly inappropriate content when they may need to go through the history in their searches at a later date.
This serious risk could be addressed by a stringent filter system being embedded in the initial setup of the social media network within the school.



References
Sharples, M., de Roock , R., Ferguson, R., Gaved, M., Herodotou, C., Koh, E., Kukulska-Hulme, A., Looi,C-K, McAndrew, P., Rienties, B., Weller, M., Wong, L. H. (2016). Innovating Pedagogy 2016: Open University Innovation Report 5. Milton Keynes: The Open University. Retrieved from http://proxima.iet.open.ac.uk/public/innovating_pedagogy_2016.pdf


Tvoparents. (2013, May 21). Using Social Media in the Classroom.[video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riZStaz8Rno

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