Social Media in Education: Anastasia Clark

I have mixed feelings about using social media in the classroom.

With each teaching level (elementary, middle, and high school), I have concerns about what social media exposure will do. In the video, they were elementary school students, and my worry is about the weirdos on social media, especially on Twitter (X). I know this video was taken a while ago, so maybe Twitter was safer then, but now, it's a cesspool for losers and weirdos. I would be terrified to post any child on that app.

However, I don’t hate the idea of using social media in school because I believe it has some pros. I would like to post about what we are learning in class or the projects we do to share with parents, other teachers/staff/administrators. I think it would be cool to share and gather ideas from other schools. I think that is a fantastic way to gain insight into how useful or fun a project is, or if you see other people doing it.

You can also get verbal feedback from others on how well they think the project/assignment was executed, maybe giving ideas on how to enhance it. I also think it would be cool for students to learn from peers at other schools. I feel that could be a learning experience for them to build connections and learn how to market what they know. It is the same as getting older and making connections for job opportunities. There is much to gain from using a social media platform to share ideas, but there is also the part where people outside that realm can interact. Interacting in a good way is okay, but there is always one who will ruin it for all.

When dealing with young students (minors) their safety is most important and that can be compromised when they are exposed to the nest that is social media.