Social Media, To Use or Not To Use?

This week in class, we had a discussion about our feelings on using social media in the classroom. This is a serious issue that many teachers and schools are facing, is it right to use social media in the classroom, and if we do use it, then what is an acceptable use of it?
As future teachers, my class is very concerned with these issues, since we will have to deal with them in real world settings soon enough. We have discussed the use of Twitter in the classroom, and seen how some teachers are using it. Twitter can be used to get information from around the world, since a teacher can send out a call for people to tweet them back, and people will. Teachers can also use Twitter to communicate with one another, to share ideas and activities that are very successful in their classroom.Teachers can also set up class Facebook pages that they can then use to communicate with parents and students, informing them of what assignments are coming to, when tests are and upcoming events that might be causing students to miss class. Teachers can also use Skype or other video calling programs to talk to people all over the world since many times famous people are holding Skype calls with classes. Photo-sharing sites can also be used by a classroom, since students can see places all over the world, and teachers can use the pictures as starting points for assignments or as additions to lectures. Even websites like Youtube have their uses, since videos can be added to lectures, or students can create videos for a project and post them on-line. There are also plenty of videos that students may find informative and educational on Youtube, or other video sharing websites.
When people hear that schools want to use social media in the classroom, they automatically flash to the idea that students will abuse it, or use it inappropriately. Teachers should instead view this as an opportunity, to discuss with the world the education options that this actually provides. Teachers should teach students how to use social media responsibly, like what you should and should not post, what is appropriate to talk about and how to protect themselves for identity theft issues. This can also give teachers the chance to bring up a very important topic, cyber-bullying. Cyber-bullying is a growing issue in society, and part of stopping it, is to actually have people talking about it, not just pushing it aside. Students need to learn all of the consequences that cyber-bullying can have, not only for the victims, but for those who are the perpetrators. Too many people have been hurt by cyber-bullying, so it is time for us to do something about it, and education is one of the ways try and change the world.