Blog on Social Media in Elementary Classrooms
Part 1: Prior to unit: what I know & want to
know
1. What I already know about this topic
I have very little knowledge about how teachers
can bring social media into elementary
classrooms. I am very familiar with how to use
social media for personal uses, but not for
educational purposes. This is not something that I
have really thought about so I am anxious to learn
more about this topic.
2. What I am curious about learning,
questions that I have related to this topic.
Since elementary students are young, they
probably do not have their own social media
accounts. So how do teachers handle this? Also,
many parents probably dont let their kids use
social media so how do kids have access to social
media to work on things for class? I also assume
that school districts have policies that cover
student use of social media. So, I am really
wondering how teachers can effectively
incorporate the use of social media into their
teaching. I also wonder if there are resources
available to teachers.
Part 2: What I learned preparing for class
Key facts, concepts, ideas, insights, illustrations:
1. From required preparation for class
Should Teachers be Using Social Media in the
Classroom?
I think its neat to hear how students get excited
when students from around the world comment on
their social media posts. The students quickly find
out that what they post is available to others all
around the world. Also, some students may be
very vocal on social media although they may be
more introverted in the classroom. Some argue
that social media could be brought into the
classroom because students should be taught the
valuable ways in which social media can enhance
their learning. After all, students are going to use
social media anyway, so why not teach proper
ways to use it.
I also agree with the viewpoint that students do
not need another place to be plugged in. When
they are at school, students should unplug and be
present in the now in their classes. These views
are aimed at older students so Im not really sure
how teachers can effectively engage elementary
students.
Introducing Social Media to Elementary Students
There is a debate over whether young children
should be exposed to social media in school. I can
see the viewpoints of both sides, but I think it does
make sense to teach students how to sensibly use
social media because it will be part of their life. I
think that Kristen Wideens class is really
benefiting from the variety of social media formats
that she has brought into her classroom. Students
can connect with students in other countries,
check on their tadpoles while viewing a web cam,
and putting down their thoughts in a blog.
In Kristin Ziemkes first grade class, the students
were able to keep track of one of their classmates
who was stranded by a hurricane. Together, the
students were able to learn more about hurricanes
and this students experience in surviving such a
storm. I agree with the comment that schools
should introduce children to social media in
appropriate and meaningful ways so that they can
connect to a global audience and develop as
empowered, networked learners.

Leveraging Social Media in the Elementary

Classroom

The challenge is bringing social media into the

classroom so that students can learn using the
technology that is available to prepare them for
the future. Schools need to think about how they
are teaching their students to prepare them to be
21st century learners.

A kindergarten class posts 3 times a week on their

class bog. Together, the students come up with
the wording for the post which reinforces, spelling,
grammar, punctuation, etc. The students are able
to connect with students in other schools, states,
and countries.

A second grade teacher uses Skype so her

students can interact with book authors.This
teacher also has a mystery skype with other
classrooms and the students have to use their
geography skills to try to figure out where this
classroom is located. These are great examples of
how teachers can model the responsible, safe,
and respectful ways in which social media can be
used.

From 2 resources that I found on my own (provide

name of resource & make name a hyperlink, then
describe insights that you gained from each
resource)

The Power of Social Media in an Elementary

Classroom

I liked the story about a teacher who asked her

class how they like to learn and a common theme
was working together, learning with and from each
other. This teacher has her class write a blog
about what they are learning which gives the
students a chance to work with other students
across the globe. The teacher also approached
the use of using social media as a way to teach
responsibility and safety for using this technology.
This makes sense, because students will be
exposed and using social media in a few years
anyway.

Part 3: What I learned during class
Description of key facts, concepts, ideas, insights
that I learned in class. Examples of learning:
1. About the technology
I learned that the elementary students should not
be doing the posting, instead it should be the
teachers. A good practice is to post whats
happening in the classroom. Parents can post
what is happening at school. Pictures of different
events can also be posted. Posts can also
describe what the class is working on and also list
important announcements. Parents can post ideas
How Should Social Media be Taught in Schools?
It is the schools responsibility to make sure that
students know how to appropriately use social
media. Social media can teach students how to
think about the audience they are writing to. Also,
students will need to think of the purpose behind
what they write as they think about how will others
learn from them and whether they are making a
positive contribution.
As with any other lesson, teachers must first
model the concept of skill to be learned on how to
use social media. Teachers should also have the
students grow their social media presence. First,
the students and teacher can post to a classroom
blog. Then the students can post to a blog that is
used by their school. Then students can post on a
facebook etc, that others outside the school can
see. Students will then see how they can
collaborate with students outside their school on
projects, online discussions, etc.
The Social Media Game Elementary Students
Should Be Playing
MovieStarPlanet is a social media platform that is
good for children. In this game, students will build
skills as they participate in language games and
role playing, use digital media to create texts,
communicate with children in other grades and
schools, understand and use more advanced
language skills, and use digital media for creative
expression. Its really neat to see how this game
can require students to learn multiple skills at the
same time.
Part 4: How my understanding has changed &
ideas for how I will use this in my teaching
1. Answers to my initial questions & curiosity
I understand that students will be able to use a
classroom account and will not need to have an
individual account in order to use social media.
Students will access social media in the
classroom and wont be required to do this from
home. Its good to know that teachers can use
each other as a resource in adding social media to
their lessons. Teachers can share best practices
and tell each other which activities are effective
and which are not.
that their kids have so that kids do not have to do
the postings.
2. About teaching tips (related to teaching
with technology & in general)
Teachers need to have strict rules on the use of
using technology. Teachers cant be flexible and
they cant use technology in different ways.
Teachers need to set a strong boundary with
expectations and be clear on the length of time
and proper way to use technology.
Teachers need to start students early with internet
safety. Teachers need to go into depth with what
is bad and what is not. Teachers need to tell
students that if they are doing something wrong
on the internet, teachers need to clearly explain
why its wrong. If teachers just tell students they
are in trouble they wont know what that means.
3. About current issues related to teaching
with technology and more broadly in
education.
Teachers need to have permission slips because
teachers need to be careful when posting pictures
of their class doing activities. Teachers can
establish their professional footprint by keeping
current with their blogs and creating a
comprehensive portfolio.
Some people will argue that students already
have enough screen time and dont need more
screen time in the the classroom. There are also
arguments for the use of social media in the
classroom. The issue is not about how much time
is spent on social media, but instead its about
what teachers are using it for. If social media is
used for educational purposes then its okay to
use. Teachers can control the iPads by not putting
the app store on it so that students are prevented
from downloading other games or apps.
Teachers can also lock an iPad on a certain app
such as Schoology so that students can only use
that specific app.
Social media allows people to speak up and
express themselves. It is rewarding for teachers to
see their students get excited over interacting with
others over the internet and seeing how they
respond to each other. This gives teachers
reasons why they want to keep using social media
2. New questions/curiosity that I have now
have
I assume that schools have really strict social
media policies. Are teachers responsible for
teaching these policies to the students or are
administrators responsible? How do teachers
monitor the use of social media to ensure that all
students are correctly following the policies? It
seems like a lot of work is involved to keep track
of what the students are doing. I am also
wondering how teachers deal with parents who
oppose the use of social media in the classroom?
I am hoping that other teachers will share what
works for them.
3. How my beliefs have developed and
changed over the course of the unit
While learning more about the use of social media
I became a strong believer of using social media
in the classroom. I can see the value in having
students put up posts on a blog. I can also see the
value in having students communicate with other
students around the state and the world. I think its
really neat how easy it is for students to dialogue
with students from so many different countries.
Also, the students are responsible for responding
to questions, which means they are responsible
for understanding what they are talking about and
know the resources that are available to assist
them. I can also see the many possibilities with
having students view web cams and report on the
progress they see.
4. Ideas that I have for how I will apply what
I have learned from this unit into my future
teaching
I will require my students to blog on various topics
related to different lesson plans. The students
would be responsible for answering any questions
they get from visitors who read their posts. I would
also use a webcam on various science projects.
For example, for a science lesson plan I would
place a camera on the aquarium in the classroom.
The students would be required to view the
webcam two times a week and record their
observations. The students would be required to
review their weekly postings and note any
similarities or notice any changes in the activity
they are seeing. In addition to supplementing the
science lesson, this task would also help with
spelling, grammar, and writing. I would also
require students to update a classroom Facebook
in the classroom. page that summarizes everything that we are
learning. The students would need to work
together to determine what material should be
posted each week to the class Facebook page. I
am also very interested in figuring out how to use
parent volunteers to assist with monitoring and
managing the various social media activities
taking place in the classroom. There are a lot of
moving parts related to this.