Empowering Students and

Parents Using Social Media

Director of Digital Content, Jewish Futures & Program Manager, DigitalJLearning Network

Get in touch! Email me at fgilder@jewishedproject.org or tweet me at @3rdSectorSocial

By Faigy Gilder

What is Social Media?

“forms of electronic communication (as Web sites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (as videos)”

source: merriam-webster.com

Simply put…

Social Media is the latest development in our communications toolbox

When the Postcard Was First

Introduced, It Was Controversial

Why Use Social Media With

Students and Parents?

• Strength student voices

• Invite parents in to see and share

• Break down classroom walls

• Encourage real-time connecting & sharing

And most importantly: Our world is going social – shouldn’t we prepare our students for the real world?

The Foundations

Guiding principles for using social media to connect with the empower student and parent voices

Promote Digital Citizenship

source:

https://www.commonsensemedia.or

g/educators/elementary_poster

Be Authentic and Transparent

Mistakes Will Happen

• Embracing social media means releasing a certain level of control in favor of conversations and connections

• If something doesn’t go as planned, it’s ok!

source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/philwolff/3784133658/

Be Careful with Pictures

• Ask a school administrator if parents were sent a school media release at the beginning of the year

• If not, send one home with students for parents to sign

• If you can’t get permissions, make sure all outlets are private or that no kids faces are showing in pictures

Know Where Your Audience Is

Embrace the Importance of

Unplugging

• Online life should enhance offline life, not detract from it

• Encourage students to use their judgment about when and how they use technology

The Practice

Ideas and suggestions for using social media with students and parents in the real world

Keep a Class Blog

source: http://blogs.goaj.org/mrshamman/

Blogging is Great for Students!

source: http://www.theedublogger.com/2010/01/05/week-1-create-a-class-blog/

Create a Commenting Policy

Some Good Blogging Tools

Tweeting as a Class

You Never Know!

source:http://mslirenmansroom.blogspot.com/

Tweeting as a School

source: https://www.flickr.com/people/oggin/

Following Together

KQED’s DoNow

Here’s a breakdown of how Do Now works:

• Do Now activities are posted every Friday evening at kqed.org/donow.

• There’s a brief intro to the topic and a media resource that can be played directly on the website.

• At the top of the activity, there’s a question for students to respond to after they go through the intro and media resource to deepen the understanding of the topic.

• Students should then respond to the Do Now either in the comments section on the website or they can tweet their response (each student must create a Twitter account).

Learn more at http://blogs.kqed.org/education/about-do-now/

Facebook Groups

With Students

• Create events

• Share deadline reminders

• Students can ask questions, share resources

With Parents

• Share class updates

• Ask for input

• Send group messages for urgent needs

Instagram

Grades 1-5

• Create a class account

• Students rotate leadership role

• Capture class activities

Grades 6-8

• Use their own accounts

• Share their class experiences with a class hashtag

• Create photo essays

• Record science experiment steps

Here are Some Fun Ways to Use

or

Online Office Hours

Study Buddies

source:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kathycassidy/69

10720756

Meet Students Around the World

source:https://www.flickr.com/photos/superkim

bo/3121815835/

Get Amazing Guest Speakers

source:https://www.flickr.com/photos/superkim

bo/3121815835/

Using YouTube Together

Grades 1-5

• Create playlists for specific subjects

• Work together on a class video

Grades 6-8

• Personal vlogging

• Creating videos to teach fellow students

• Students create playlists

Experiment!

Try new things and have fun. This is a work in progress.

Resources for You

bit.ly/SMresourcesNov11