Social Media in SchoolsBest practices for safe and effective learning through social networking.

Robert Schuetz2013 - 2014

What is social media?Social media refers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks.

What are your favorite online activities, and why?

Can you identify these popular social media trademarks?

Why learn about social media?

● 96% of the Millennials belong to a social network.● YouTube has the 2nd largest search engine in the world. Over 100 hours of

video will be uploaded by the time you finish reading this slide.● If Facebook were a country, it would be the 3rd largest in the world.● 80% of U.S. companies use social media for recruitment. 95% of those are

using LinkedIn.● Users downloaded 1 billion iTunes store apps in first 9 months.● There are over 200 billion blogs. Word of mouth has been replaced by word of

blog.● 1 in 8 couples married in the U.S. met through social media.

4 Reasons Why Social Media Should be Taught in Schools - Huffington Post

Trending Reasons to Teach Social Media in Schools - Getting Smart

Social Media Use in Schools - Best Masters in Education

Social Media in action - “What does Chris Kutcher find sexy?”

What is Ashton Kutcher asking of teens?

Responsible use of social media

1. What do you consider your personal information?

2. Why is it important to keep personal information private?

● Think before you post. All information shared on the Internet is accessible to potentially billions of users.

● Your digital footprint (everything shared on the Internet) is permanent.What’s Your Digital Footprint?

● Sharing your full name and birthdate is enough information for someone to steal your identity. Be careful not to reveal too much personal information.

● Social profiles are checked by ¾ of all hiring agencies. A damaged reputation is hard to overcome. The Risks of Posting in Social Networks

Responsible use of social media

● Build a positive brand. Your digital footprint should represent the best of who you are. Common Sense Media - Digital Footprint

● Use social media to curate information that you can store and improve upon at a later date.

● Use social media to share personal creations, creative expressions and ideas.

● Use social media to build relevance with authentic audiences.

● Use social media to build a network of support.

● Using social media to gain strength in numbers is called crowd sourcing.

Email, Chat Rooms, and IM1. Do you use IM or chat rooms to talk to your friends and others?

2. Do you know the real identities of everyone in your “buddy” list?

● Email - Teens use text messaging (SMS) more popular than electronic mail. Email addresses are often necessary for joining social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter. Email messages can contain viruses, scams, and inappropriate material. Students should be wary of messages from strangers.

● Chat Rooms - are online hangouts where conversations can be far-ranging. Users may, or may not, know each other “in real life”. Chat rooms, particularly one-on-one conversations are favorite hunting grounds for online predators. Students should not share personal information with strangers.

● Instant Messaging (IM) - allows the exchange of real time messages. Since accounts can be created anonymously it is difficult to identify the messenger.

Social Networking Activities

1. Google Yourself Challenge

2. NetSmartz - Making Safe Choices (Games)

3. Internet Safety Hangman - Quia

4. Internet Safety Quiz for HS Students - Mentor Mob

5. Internet Safety Pledge - NetSmartz

6. Create & share an Internet safety PSA

PSA Example

References and Resources

● NetSmartz Workshop

● Common Sense Media

● Pew Internet

● iSafe.org

● Google Family Safety Center

● Schoology Internet Safety Group