Social Media in the Classroom

You’ve heard the arguments back and forth- should teachers interact with students on Facebook and Twitter?

Some professionals contend that popular social media applications lack data security, have inappropriate content, and create extra liability for school districts.

Other professionals argue that social media is the social reality for students of this generation. They spend copious amounts of time texting, twittering, facebook-ing, why shouldn’t we be using this medium to engage students?

I find myself in the middle of these two camps. I think the former group is right to be concerned; social media (in its current format) is at best a messy situation for educators. But I also think the second group is dedicated to meeting students where they’re at, utilizing tools that students already use to encourage collaboration inside and outside of the classroom.

I do have a personal facebook account, as well as a facebook account that is used to interact with teachers and students. Do I find this situation ideal? No. That’s why I’ve started to explore options to network and engage students in a secured environment.

Edutech, North Dakota’s primary educational technology company, has enhanced its WordPress-powered blogging software by creating a social network for students and teachers. Many other educational technology companies are designing Learning Management Systems (LMS) that are a hybrid with social networking platforms.

iSchoolBand is an example of one of these teaching/management/social/everything tools that is receiving a lot of attention on the Music PLN and across Twitter. I think iSchoolBand has a lot of great features, and the reviews are positive, but at the price tag of $199/year, I’m not even considering it.

I prefer Edmodo, a microblogging tool for educators. Dubbed as the “Twitter for Education,” Edmodo features a facebook-style interface, 140-character style microblogging, and a secure environment. Apart from its social networking, it allows teachers to post and grade assignments, hosts a library of digital content, and allows students to set up assignment reminders as SMS messages and emails. No need for liability issues, Edmodo lets students enter their cell phone numbers; the Edmodo server sends the text messages,  and you never even have to know their phone number. Best part of all? It’s free!

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Tagged as: technology education, web 2.0