Social Media in the Schoolhouse

Darlene Koenig
Teaching Tolerance
Spring 2011
Issue 39

http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-39-spring-2011/social-media-schoolhouse

Social media can be used for collaboration as well as extending the academic experience to relevant activities that keep students interested. Technology can lead to a situation of full group engagement which benefits the individual learner and the classroom dynamic as a whole. Social media provides opportunity for students to be stronger actors in an international world, but does not necessarily make the world a kinder, gentler place. Experts agree that media in the classroom is a great tool for exposure, but saying that it will change the face of education is going too far because regardless of the communication styles we use, people are people and will communicate the same regardless of how we do so.

Students are now using social media application to rewrite classic stories and dig deeper in regards to what lies beneath the common stories we are told. In this articles introduction, students break down fairly tails and discuss the generalizations, gender roles and stereotypes found behind the classics.

Intended audience: Teachers, students and administrators

Social media has the ability to shrink the spaces among nations, cultures and people due to our communication and access to other locations. The goal in teaching is to create learners who are problem-solvers and critical thinkers. The most important task at hand in doing so is to provide meaningful instruction design, which technology can assist in creating. Those who understand how to effectively design curriculum and intertwine the use of technology and social networking are the most efficient and successful educators. Those teachers that are successful are creating a world perspective for students by putting them in touch in the needs of others around the world. Schools and districts view social media in the classroom a touchy subjects because of its lack of censorship and the uprise of cyber-bullying, but many teachers argue that good teaching, sensible filtering, good supervision and trusting kids to act responsibly can lead to many benefits that may not be found without the use of technology in learning.