When you say social media, Facebook is normally the first site that comes to mind. With all the publicity received where social media has "ruined" peoples lives because of a post made that went viral, it is understandable that teachers (and parents) will be skeptical about the utilisation of social media in a school environment.
However, there are already a significant number of schools that have a social media presence as these schools use Facebook to promote the school as well as providing information to parents regarding school events. To therefore say that social media for school use is dangerous, is somewhat superfluous in that it is already happening. We should then rather look at the usage of social media in a classroom environment.
Teachers have an obligation to prepare learners for the world at large after school. As such, social media plays an important role in society and there are few people in the world with internet access who do not have / or previously had a social media account or accounts. Used correctly, it can be a powerful tool that is used to gain knowledge, keep current with world affairs and even find out what you need to know about that applicant who wants to be employed.
For this reason, we are all hyper aware of the dangers of posting opinions on a world platform that can go viral instantaneously. This year alone in SA we had the debacle between Gareth Cliff and MNet, which resulted directly out of an opinion posted on a social media site.
If teachers are to prepare learners for the harsh realities of life online, surely it is imperative to teach learners about the environments within which they will find themselves and in so doing, ensure their successful participation in the global society.
The fact that it happens online does not distract from the fact that it is a social interaction which is governed by socially acceptable practices within the society. Because the social interaction is online, it should therefore be our responsibility to ensure that the social interactions are socially acceptable. Whatever is posted, is instantaneous and is there to view for the whole world. The consequences of irresponsible social media participation therefore has far greater consequences than what a unsocial action would have had before social media. There is also no hearsay in social media and any posts therefore are directly from the horses mouth and is there to stay and for all to see.
The question in my mind is therefore not whether social media should be allowed to be used within a teaching and learning context, but rather why it is not obligatory to teach responsible online social interactions within the curriculum.
When you consider the context referred to in the learning triangle and the objective of the Department of Education to ensure that we follow a learner-centered based methodology, then it becomes clear that teachers should focus on utilising tools and concepts familiar to the learners. Although not all learners might have access to social media at present, the analogy can be drawn that not all learners had access to computers 20 years ago, yet computer literacy is a highly sought after skill in the job marked today.
It is therefore only logical to consider that social media as a familiar tool already in use by the population at large, is a good means of ensuring that the teacher work from a basis that the learner is familiar with. Teaching the socially responsible way in which to partake in social media would not only safeguard learners from the pitfalls awaiting them, but will also uplift their social standing within the global environment as the learner will possess the skills and confidence to be an active member in the digital society.
To build on the previous articles relating to digital pedagogy, social media is just a tool that can be used. Tools are neither good or bad, but the person(s) using them and the ultimate result of their actions is what determines whether the outcome of the tools usage by the specific person is good or bad. Furthermore, I believe that the phobia of making social media accessible in a classroom environment is mainly because the method of successfully using social media is not yet clear to all authority figures within the education system.
In my previous post, I was adamant that Digital Pedagogues find ways to adapt and make things work for them. Before one therefore can make a decision on whether or not social media can be used as a tool or not, we need to investigate all the bundled and mostly unknown applications and uses that is developed by/with social media sites. After all, social media is for the people by the people, to a certain extent.
It is true that social media can be abused, is dangerous and can have lasting impacts. A textbook can be used to burn down a school, yet we do not ban the use of textbooks in schools. The dangers of social media is therefore a shared responsibility between all the role players as well as ensuring that learners are taught the correct ways of using social media responsibly.
Social media was born from a need for people to connect effortlessly in this digital age. Coupled with the fact that the social media phenomena has proliferated, it is impossible to imagine a world where this new tool is not successfully used within the teaching and learning environment. In my mind, social media can be a powerful LSM (learner support material) if we adapt it, or its usages, to suit our educational needs.
The onus will thus be on the digital pedagogues to ensure that social media is used correctly and responsibly within a classroom environment.
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