Somewhere in between a teenage Tik Tok influencer and Aunt Martha posting angry memes on Facebook, there is happy balance to maintaining an informed social presence in the world. I have yet to find that elusive balancing act. but I take some comfort in the fact that the majority of the world hasn't yet either. But there is no shortage of opinions however, on how to go about effectively incorporating into the school learning environment. Most new digital technology platforms shift our access to information in some way, but none quite to the magnitude that social media outlets have in the last ten years. No matter your personal opinion on them, they are here to stay in some fashion. Teachers, media specialists, and informational professionals have to find ways to utilize them to maximize educational opportunities.
The old adage that communication is the key to success has been used for generations for a reason. People want to be connected to the world around them and share their stories. The school media center can use media platforms to model the power of sharing stories. Lucas Jenson describes in the article, "Integrating Social Media into Online Education" that a key factor for success in the classroom involves more than just using it to capitalize on popularity, but rather takes careful planning and consideration to the goal and objectives for the desired outcomes of its use (2019).
Opportunities in the Library
Possible uses for Twitter Media Center Account:
1. Instruction - Share author blog posts, podcasts and news stories for in class discussions. Source evaluation lessons and explore research possibilities.
Analytics and data drive our economy and a critical literacy area for students to learn.
Twitter for Poetry Week and have students create poetry to using 280 characters or less
2. Communication - Libraries are active and engaging places where MAGIC happens. Most parents and even some teachers don't get to see the awesome light bulb moments that happen in the school media center. Classroom Hashtags can help students and parents follow the library happenings.
Share the creativity found in student maker projects, favorite books, art creations, STEAM projects, or digital stories.
Share the good and the struggles. Posting about failure is something we all need to get better at doing to show that failure is a vital part of the learning process. Modeling that in tweets for students may help them find light in their own struggles.
Use it as a volunteer recruitment to get help to support library initiatives.
Many teachers have created podcasts for their classrooms and sharing these podcasts can be an important collaboration tool to support sharing curriculum content to a larger audience.
3. Advocacy - The things we care about MATTER. Media centers can use the platforms to highlight literacy education issues that impact students like media accountability, censorship, accessibility, and cultivating diversity. Engaging discussion and encouraging students to use their voices is part of the framework for learning we build our literacy curriculum around.
Article Share:
10 Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom - The Edvocate (theedadvocate.org)
How Can Twitter Be Used in the Classroom? - TeachHUB
Citation Source:
Jensen, L. J. (2019). Integrating Social Media into Online Education. Library Technology Reports, 55(4), 27–30.
Twitter handle @thelibrarygnome used to follow and share all things library and media center related.
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Hi Susanne,
ReplyDeleteI chose a different social media platform, so I enjoyed reading about how you plan to utilize Twitter for your library! I like your idea of having students write poetry in 280 characters or less. Maybe you could turn that into a competition for National Poetry Month? I also like that you brought up hashtags. I thought about creating one hashtag to unify all of my posts on Instagram, and students/teachers/stakeholders can also use it to publicize the school library. The same could also be done for Twitter! Twitter makes it easier to repost and share articles, podcasts, and commentary from others, so it is a great social media platform to have for a school library.
I loved reading about ways to use Twitter. I have created an account as a requirement for a couple of classes but I have never gotten the hang of using or exploring. My kids only use Snapchat and Instagram so they could not offer me any help;). I need to give it another try so I can start following people for professional reasons.
ReplyDelete-Crystal Smoak
Twitter is the one social media platform that I am not at all fluent in, but it is one that I think I need to give some serious consideration to as I transition into the library from the classroom. Our school started a twitter initiative a few years back, and I joined then, but really haven't logged back in since. I agree that one of the best uses of social media in the library or classroom is for communication, especially with parents. Half of the time, I do not even have a valid email address on file for the parents of my students, but they are on social media regularly. Finding ways to connect with students and their families will help keep libraries relevant in their eyes.
ReplyDelete