If you still think social media is just a frivolous way to waste hours of time, think again. There are many meaningful ways that social media is being used in education.  I still waste a lot of time of Facebook, but here are three ways I’m not wasting time on social media.

Connect

A couple of years ago, I began using Twitter.  I really don’t remember what inspired me but I committed to really using it regularly.  It was tough at first.  I didn’t really see much point in the beginning.  One of the first things that helped me find value was when I began to “follow” some people I admired in education like @sirkenrobinson or educational organizations like @TEDtalks and @edutopia.  Once I began connecting to these organizations and thought leaders, I started to see posts by other people who also followed these.  I started to see articles and resources by people who also admire these people.  Then I discovered Twitter chats which is where a group of people who are all interested in the same topic get together online at the same time and discuss that topic. They use a hashtag to keep the conversation separate and I use Tweetdeck to see only one conversation. During several of these, when I first began, I noticed that there were well known authors participating. It was like being in a room full of people and then seeing Oprah. You can follow them in the chat and they will likely follow you back.  If they do, you actually have the opportunity to message them directly. Check out my page on Twitter chats specifically if this sounds intriguing. So, now when I want to connect with influencers in my areas of interest, I just go to Twitter. As I said in the beginning, there is a learning curve so don’t expect to get on there and immediately see the benefit.  If you are interested in other ways Twitter can be used in your classroom, check out this article from KQED.

Organize

Another way I have used Twitter is to organize the abundance of resources that are out there.  Everytime I use a hashtag on Twitter, I can then turn around and search for that hashtag as well.  If I want to see all the resources related to a topic, I just search for that hashtag.  These can be created by you or you can create a hashtag with a group at your school around a particular topic enhancing potential face to face interactions. For more on how Twitter is an organizational tool, check out Alan November’s work. Kathy Schrock, as usual, has gone crazy with all the ways Twitter can be used. Pinterest is another social media platform that I have used to organize resources around topics.  Pinterest uses “boards”, so you can create a board about a topic and people can follow it or you can follow other boards in order to find resources on that topic.  Pinterest is nice because it’s visual; it uses images rather than words.  As teachers, you can follow one another and share boards.  One other thing I should mention is that you can also use both Pinterest and Twitter when you are reading blogs or other resources.  Almost every blog will have sharing buttons right near the article somewhere and if you click on any of the buttons, you can add a hashtag or identify a board for yourself.  So, you not only share it but organize it in your own social media feed as well.  

Communicate

Finally, as I have argued in several posts this month, we are not doing a good enough job communicating with our communities.  I know because there is a ton of negative discourse out there about American education.  We make a ton of mistakes as we try to do the right things for kids and these mistakes get a lot of media play.  This is why it is so important that we communicate all the amazing things that kids are experiencing in our classrooms and schools.  Social media, whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, Pinterest or something else, has the ability to very efficiently spread ideas far and wide.  As I have mentioned in my previous post #SpotlightOn #Schoolsthatdontsuck, I visited some amazing schools this year and what I saw was some amazing stuff.  Was it more amazing than some of the things I see right in my own small, unknown school? Nope.  If we all shared the small innovations we were taking on every day, the world might think American education was incredible.  At the very least, maybe people would begin to believe that teaching is more complex than copying worksheets for kids to complete.  

I have been using Facebook and Twitter for communication.  I am taking photos and videos of cool things and posting them on Twitter with the hashtags #SpotlightOn and  #ehornets. On Facebook, I am posting photos with some explanation on our school Facebook page. One recommendation I have is to make a routine out of using one platform before adding another.  Start with the one you know the best and then move on to the next.  I just added Snapchat this week and I haven’t quite figured it out so if you are a teacher on Snapchat, let me know how you are using it.  Tweet @fearlessteachrs or follow me if you want to play around with Twitter.