Ready for a new school year? Get your social media on, because it is a key to future student success!

I hope everyone is ready for a new school year! Summer vacation is over and this weekend marks the official end of summer, even though by the calendar we still have about three more weeks. That bring me to the subject of social media use in the classroom. We've talked about social media in education extensively, yet I still wonder if teachers have truly embraced this advance in technology.

An article by NBC News' Education Nation entitled "Social Media Belongs in the Classroom" (Link: http://www.educationnation.com/index.cfm?objectid=5DE1F0EE-21AE-11E1-A9BF000C296BA163) discusses the ongoing debate about whether social media truly has a place in classroom instruction. As the article discusses, in a time when social media continues to advance its reach and scope across the business world, there are still teachers, schools, and even districts that ban its use in the classroom believing there is too high a risk in allowing it as an instructional tool. However, one important point that educational writers and bloggers alike continue to address is that not allowing its use in the classroom has the potential of discounting a student's education by not preparing them for the real world in the career(s) he or she will choose later in life. Whether we as teachers like it or not, social media is here to stay and we have a responsibility to engage students in a meaningful way through its use.

Common arguments against its use include:

1. Classroom discussion strengthens students' ability to communicate with one another and prepares them for workplace interaction
2. Students still need to be able to handle written communications properly
3. The use of social media can create classroom risks, such as cheating, bullying of other students, or other inappropriate communications

In fact, it is still fairly commonplace for many schools to block access on the Internet to pages such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. In addition, due to acceptable use policies within schools or districts, teachers have a difficult time developing appropriate lesson materials to include social media use because creating a way in which he or she can communicate with students can be difficult as well.

So, my challenge for today's post is to look for ways in which to develop classroom lessons that include social media activities and encourage students to use social media in other ways than just communicating with friends and family. Throughout this school, you will be provided with a multitude of new teaching ideas and tips on social media in the classroom and I want to hear all of your best tips as well. Together, we can help our students reach new heights in learning while also preparing them responsibly for the technology advances they will continue to be bombarded with throughout their lives.

Happy teaching and welcome back to school!

Here we go...preparing a presentation on bringing social media into the business classroom!

Well, followers...among all my other activities coming up this fall, I've agreed to present at the 85th Annual Professional Development Conference of OBTA--An Association for Business Technology Educators (http://www.obta-ohio.org). I'll be presenting on ways to bring social media into the business classroom. This presentation will provide information gathered from a recent social media in the classroom study as well as ideas for using social media platforms with students to expand their awareness of social beyond just friends and socialization.

Continuing my summer of professional development, stay tuned to the OBTA Website for more details about "Flying to New Heights with Business Technology Education!" Conference registration is open to all OBTA members and registration information will be available on the website around August 15th.

I hope everyone is having a great summer! I'm looking forward to a new and exciting school year and to sharing many, many more tips and ideas on personal finance education and social media in the classroom!

A great resource for social media news!

On a lazy (and very hot) Sunday morning, I stumbled across a useful website, Social Media Club (Link: http://socialmediaclub.org/). Something that intrigued me about this website was the variety of information it offered. The site offers a blog, a journal, a user newsletter, tips on social media education, and you can even create a local chapter of the Social Media Club--what a great way to bring social media into the classroom!

This site got me thinking about another social media idea--a social media-oriented student organization. Students are already so immersed in the social media generation and having a local school club that offers them both added learning experiences and social interaction with their peers and teachers brings learning full circle into a real-world application. Our students today most likely will be involved in some form or fashion of social media in the course of their future careers. Why not offer them an outlet that helps them develop social media etiquette and develop social media campaigns?

I think there are some real possibilities with this idea! I'm curious what my educator followers have to say about such a club. Is this something that could be implemented fairly simply and be successful? Let me know your thoughts!

A great article discussing Facebook use in the classroom!

In my continuous quest for information about the use of social media in the classroom, I ran across a great article today about the use of Facebook as an educational tool. The article itself raised many questions I found to be critical if we, as educators, intend to make social media work in the classroom. (Link: http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/06/ultimate-guide-to-use-of-facebook-in.html). I will allow you to read on with this article, because today, I am taking a slightly different approach to my post.

One interesting point raised by the author was that little empirical research exists on the use of Facebook, or many other popular social media outlets, as an educational resource in the course of instruction. As a doctoral student and someone interested in furthering the field of educational research, this struck a chord with me. Why is it that we have volumes and volumes of research on other areas of educational interest; however, we so little research on an educational area that is burgeoning?

This is certainly something that we must correct if we are to have factual data to support the ongoing push for technology use and social media in the classroom. As such, I would love to explore some ways in which we can fill this void in the educational research arena. Share your thoughts with me regarding a social media idea that you believe has validity and can produce a reliable study--I would love to partner with one of my readers to conduct a study of this nature!

Let's kick this idea into gear and blow away the research community with a study that will help to validate the future of our profession! Without solid research, the field of education becomes stagnant and we lose the ability to change with the times, so to speak. Educators must unite, explore new social media outlets, and report factual details about the opinions, experiences, and future applicability of this technology as a resource for instruction. I look forward to hearing from you on this exciting topic!

Evaluating technology use in the classroom...an introspective point of view...

I came across a great article this morning from fellow Tweeter, Steven W. Anderson (@web20classroom). The article discussed the effectiveness of evaluating technology use in the classroom when conducting faculty observations (Link: http://www.thethinkingstick.com/evaluating-technology-use-in-the-classroom). Having been in the observer's role in the past, this sparked my interest, especially seeing as how technology has advanced significantly in the classroom in recent years. One of the most notable developments in classroom technology is the use of social media in the classroom as an instructional tool and learning resource.

After reading the article, I became interested in looking at the article's context from a more introspective point of view. I wonder how many of you out there have seen a new technology idea or product and immediately thought, "Wow, this will be great in the classroom with my students!," without effectively evaluating the technology and its applicability to your instructional style or to the lesson(s) to be taught. The article above's author, Jeff Utecht (@jutecht), asked some very pertinent questions in his approach to evaluating technology use in the classroom that I am twisting slightly in order to be used as a self-evaluation of technology:

1. Can the technology be used "Just because it is there?"
2. Does the technology allow teachers/students to do old things in old ways?
3. Does the technology allow teachers/students to do old things in new ways?
4. Does the technology create new and different learning experiences for the students?

Thanks, Jeff, for developing this new thought process for evaluation! These questions, with slight refinement, suit themselves perfectly for allowing teachers to conduct their own self-evaluation of technology before they mistakenly choose something that later turns out to be a dud.

Now, I know you are probably thinking, "Well how do these questions effectively evaluate technology use in the classroom?" I am glad you asked! Here are my thoughts:

1. If your chosen technology tool or idea is heavily weighted in the "Just because it is there" direction, you might think twice before using it in the classroom. "Just because it is there" is often a sign that there is little more value in the tool or idea than just passing novelty.
2. If your chosen technology tool or idea allows you or your students simply to do old things the same way you've always done them, again, think twice before implementing this tool or idea. After all, as educators, are we not trying to encourage our students to move beyond the mundane and repetitive ways of learning to think outside the box?
3. Now, if you have selected a technology tool or idea that allows you and your students to do old things in new ways, we are definitely getting warmer! Continue to explore the tool or idea and be sure you fully understand the technology, then give it a test run. You may have just found a new best friend in the classroom.
4. Finally, if the technology tool or idea you have become enamored with creates new and different learning experiences for your students, then you have a winner! Again, be sure you fully embrace the tool or idea before rolling it out in the classroom; however, tools and idea that produce this response and to which you are fully vested are most likely to produce results that you, your students, your school administrators, and even parents appreciate.

In addition to reviewing technology tools and ideas, this same, simple evaluation process can be employed to evaluate social media resources for their applicability to classroom instruction and learning.

I hope you each find this post to be a valuable addition to your evaluation arsenal! Be sure to let me know if you find a new technology or social media tool or idea that you have evaluated using this approach and share how you have subsequently use the selected tool or idea. I look forward to hearing some great ideas from you all!