Week 30 Activity 6 - Reflecting on Social media use in my teaching.

                           Activity 6: Social media use in teaching and professional development.

Social media is an embedded part of today’s society. Students are constantly on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and snapchat. As an educator I find the need to up skill myself in order to catch up with todays “techno” students. By doing this I really would like to be able to bring the “real world” into my classroom.

So how is social media used in my teaching?

To be honest not as much as I would like to, however I am feeling my way through social media sites. I use Pinterest as they have some great visual art ideas that I utilize in my classroom teaching. YouTube is used a lot as well where video clips showings various types of media that are useful to them at the time (I learn new things too).  Facebook, where I can collaborate with colleagues at any given time. Blogs (now that I know how) are happening as we speak. Great to see other teachers’ ideas and thoughts on weekly blogs. Love the feedback and the positive communication coming through. 

What are the Benefits of social media to my existing practice so far?

By entering into the 21^st century I am faced with the abundance of sites and apps that have helped with implementing new and vibrant ideas into my teaching. Student engagement and their desire to come to class is on the rise. Collaboration between students on their art projects happens more. There’s the availability of rich and meaningful learning resources, it allows me to collaborate with staff members and other teachers in and outside my community of practice. Provides me with the opportunity of being able to communicate with parents in and out of school. Social media expands our thoughts and ideas and connect us to what is going on in the rest of the world.

Where the pedagogy is successful, social media can give learners reliable and interesting content, as well as opportunities to access expert advice, to encounter challenges, to defend their views and to amend their ideas in the face of criticism. (Innovating Pedagogy, 2016)

Potential challenges.

Students may not fully develop their communication skills when talking to someone face-to –face and not acknowledging when being greeted.

Students could stray from their tasks, distraction could become an issue in class.

Students may well spend more time on social media than required.

Cyber bullying if not monitored while on social media.

I could rely too much on social media.

Create conversations with adults that have other negative intentions.

Parents might worry that social media could dominate their child’s lives.

How has social media impacted on my Professional Learning Development?

Since attending Unitec TheMindlab course, I have been exposed to wonderful sites and applications. I have seen Twitter as a great tool for exploring a wide range of possible resources and materials, sharing ideas while building relationships and for ongoing professional growth through real-time chats. Being new to blogging I have found a connection with other educators, giving feedback on my blogs and giving me other ideas to think about. Facebook has given me easy access to connecting with my colleagues at any given time, and kept in the loop amongst my community of practice.

As I see it, since students are already using social media away from the classroom, integrating it into the classroom helps students learn best practices for social media and offers an interesting new twist on lessons.

References:

Education Council. (2012). Establishing safeguards. [Video file]. Retrieved 1^st March 2017 from https://vimeo.com/49216520 

InnovatingPedagogy, (2016). Exploring new forms of teaching, learning and assessment, to guide educators and policymakers. Retrieved 1^st March 2017 from https://app.themindlab.com/media/37597/view