Social Media in Education: Resource Roundup

Resources by Topic:

• Creating Social Media Guidelines
• Student Engagement with Social Media
• Social Media for Professional Development
• Digital Citizenship and Online Safety
• Additional Resources on the Web

Creating Social Media Guidelines

• How to Create Social Media Guidelines for Your School, by Steven Anderson (2012)

  Seven steps for bringing social media into the classroom are highlighted in this collaboration between Edutopia and Facebook. Also check out author Steven Anderson's social media guidelines blog.

• SocialEdCon: What the Heck Do We Do with Social Media? by Betty Ray (2012)

  Blogger Betty Ray covered the social media discussions at SocialEdCon last year and found that positive changes in student behavior happen when schools and parents embrace, rather than ban, social media.

• Classroom Guide: Top Ten Tips for Teaching With New Media, by Suzie Boss (2011)

  This classroom guide focuses on trends in educational technology, particularly social media and mobile learning tools, and provides ways teachers can embrace and utilize them in the classroom.

• How to Help Students Use Social Media Effectively, by Andrew Marcinek (2010)

  Blogger Andrew Marcinek shares three tips for how to help students use social media more effectively.

• How to Use Social-Networking Technology for Learning, by Fran Smith (2007)

  This feature from the dawn of the social networking age offers ideas for how and why teachers can and should embrace social networking at school. The Edutopia feature Social Networking at Science Leadership Academy accompanied Smith's article.

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Student Engagement with Social Media

• Five-Minute Film Festival: Twitter in Education, by Amy Erin Borovoy (2012)

  Twitter has become a powerful tool for teaching and learning. In this Five-Minute Film Festival, VideoAmy offers up a playlist of videos that will help you learn to use Twitter for networking, sharing resources, and more.

• Siphoning the Fumes of Teen Culture: How to Co-opt Students’ Favorite Social Media Tools, by Todd Finley (2011)

  Edutopia blogger Todd Finley defines social media as the new frontier, and he notes that adolescents are the early frontierspersons. Included in this blog are ten tips for adding social media tools into the classroom.

• Social Media in Education: The Power of Facebook, by Heather Wolpert-Gawron (2010)

  Social media platforms like Facebook provide 21st-century learning opportunities for students -- and a forum for teachers all over to unite and network.

• Digital Media Empower Youth, by Edutopia Staff (2009)

  Both in the classroom and in after-school pods, students learn to become critical creators in Chicago's Digital Youth Network. On Remix World, the program's social-networking site, participants share, critique, and discuss their work.

• Kids Create -- and Critique on -- Social Networks, by Laila Weir (2009)

  A digital-literacy program encourages kids to remake social networking in the image of learning.

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Social Media for Professional Development

• 21st-Century PLNs for School Leaders, by George Couros (2012)

  George Couros, a school district administrator, encourages social media newbies to expand their PLNs for their own professional development, as well as for the benefit of their students.

• Grant Funding with Social Media, by Brian Dixon (2012)

  Ed tech specialist Brian Dixon looks at using social media to locate, manage, update, track, announce, and implement grant funding.

• Resources for Growing Your Professional Learning Network, by Edutopia Staff (2009)

  Get ideas and tips for creating connections and developing a network. Another great resource is Betty Ray’s blog that explains how to use Twitter to expand your PLN.

• How to Create a Professional Learning Community, by Ellen Ullman (2009)

  It takes careful planning to form a useful and functional PLC, but once the foundation is built, the benefits will soon be evident. Also check out Teachers and Community Members Practice TLC with PLCs.

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Digital Citizenship and Online Safety

• Five-Minute Film Festival: Teaching Digital Citizenship, by Amy Erin Borovoy (2012)

  Edutopia's VideoAmy explores the topic of digital citizenship with this playlist of videos on the importance of online safety, manners, privacy, and responsibility.

• Teaching Digital Citizenship in the Elementary Classroom, by Mary Beth Hertz (2011)

  Teaching digital citizenship and internet safety is a lot more meaningful when students can engage in authentic online experiences.

• The Importance of Digital Citizenship in Social Media, by Andrew Marcinek (2011)

  Blogger Andrew Marcinek reflects on social and digital media integration into the lives of teachers and students.

• Common Sense Tips for Digital Generation Parents, by Common Sense Media (2009)

  Five practical pointers from Common Sense Media to help parents understand and manage the lives of their digital kids. This video was produced in collaboration with Edutopia.

• How to Talk About Life Online, by Suzie Boss (2009)

  This post features tips for teachers to help students be safe in their lives online.

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