Teachers’ Guide

3.7 Social media

Social media is a phrase that we throw around a lot these days, often to describe what we post on sites and apps like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and others. Social media are web-based communication tools that enable people to interact with each other by both sharing and consuming information. Some of the common Social Media Features are user accounts, profile pages, friends, followers, groups, review, rating or voting systems, etc. The Social Media can save time at work for teachers. Here’s how. Some guidelines for using social media in the classroom are:

• Consent: If social media tools are to be used in a classroom setting, this must be explicitly stated in the course outline. The expectations need to be transparent: it should come as no surprise to students if they are asked to participate on Twitter or write blogs as part of the course. This is the means by which student consent is obtained for the use of social media in the classroom.
• Opt-out option: If the course is required for a student to complete their academic program, and the student has personal/ethical (or other) reasons for not wanting to use off-site social media sites or tools, instructors should be prepared to offer those students an alternative. Offering alternatives might not be feasible when the use of social media tools is unavoidable in the context of specific learning outcomes for a course, but again, this must be explicitly stated in the course outline.
• Etiquette: Before the social media tools are used, some training should be provided. The instructor needs to have a frank and candid discussion with students about proper etiquette when using social media in the classroom. Everyone needs to be reminded that whatever you write and post is potentially ‘out there’ forever! One of the simplest, and best, pieces of advice is: “keep it positive; keep it professional”.
• The fine print: instructors and students need to be aware of the ‘terms of use’ for different social media tools.
• Related, there are important issues to pay attention to regarding copyright infringement: posting content without proper attribution and permissions can get people into serious trouble.
• Privacy: Students should be encouraged to set up alias accounts for the course so their real names are not associated with the course, in the public domain. This helps to navigate the professional-personal boundary, and it’s is a key means by which student privacy is maintained. This is particularly important if the content is of a personal nature. The instructor will, of course, be able to associate students with the alias accounts, but this information must be kept confidential. Depending on the content, or the type of course, there may be situations where a student’s name is used publically as part of the course, but this needs to be done carefully and cautiously.

Online Resources

• 7 ways social media has a role in educationThis article gives a review of how social media can be used for educational purposes.
• 100 ways to use Facebook in education (by category)This article provides a batch of ways to make Facebook work in the classroom, some tried and true, and others that have evolved with Facebook.
• YammerThis link provides information about 18 best tools for online collaboration