Teaching and Social Media - To Tweet or Not To Tweet? That is the Question...

Using Twitter in the Classroom

Having a class Twitter account can be great way of celebrating the success of your students. My school is fortunately one that is forward thinking when it comes to ICT and social media. We have a whole-school Twitter account and separate class twitter accounts. There are a multitude of ways that I use mine, but I started out by using it as a way of recording and celebrating those lovely little moments that happen every day in class - a photo, a quote, a quick summary of learning here and there. As more parents followed and interacted with the feed, it evolved to include PE kit, trip and event reminders, setting mini homework challenges and as a method of general communication with parents and carers.

The next stage involved our class talking to other classes with Twitter accounts. Many of these classes were from around the world, but mainly America and Canada, where class Twitter accounts are widespread. The quality of learning opportunities and discussion was great. The children were excited about and motivated by the prospect of talking to children the same age but on the other side of the world. One of the most successful lessons I have delivered involved asking my sister, who was studying anthropology at the time, to tweet challenges to my class, live. She tweeted images of different primate skulls and challenged my class to identify the creatures they belonged to by examining the types of teeth they had (linking to our teeth and healthy eating science topic). The buzz in the classroom was amazing. Every child was engaged and focused and learning without realising it! It was one of those lessons where the children took charge and I was able to be the observer, recording the amazing discussions and assessing their knowledge and understanding by listening into their conversations - not a passive learner in sight! This buzz was created by using Twitter as a tool to enhance learning.

Parental Engagement

Admittedly, not every parent has access to or uses Twitter, but then, how many parents have parent mail? Or reads the hard copy of the school newsletter that their child brings home? For some parents Twitter is the perfect communication - it won't get lost in the bottom of a book bag!

As the year progressed it was apparent how much the parents actually used the twitter feed. A colleague said to me, "you're very brave to open up the window into your classroom like that" and my response was - what is the point of what we do as educators if it all happens behind closed doors? Success is there to be celebrated and shared. Parents would also tweet in their children's homework, or pictures of places/people/objects that linked to the topics: a sure fire way of continuing the conversations and learning at home.

Social Media and Safeguarding

One of the main barriers that I encounter about using Twitter in school is that is puts children at unnecessary potential risk. As educators we do children a disservice to deny them access to methods of communication that exist out there in the "real world" outside of the classroom. We can introduce social media in a controlled and safe way with children, showing them the positive outcomes of using Twitter. While we should allow children to use social media we also have an obligation to keep them safe. For example, one of the rules our school has is that absolutely no children's names are used anywhere on the Twitter feed. Alongside the use of social media should always be a strong E-Safety policy within school. We use the SMART crew rules in school (find them at KidSmart). As long as your school has a very clear social media and safeguarding policy and all parental consent is sought beforehand, there is no reason why a class Twitter account should strike fear in the hearts of teachers.

What are your thoughts on using social media in the classroom? 

- Is it a safeguarding nightmare or something you just could not teach without?

- Do you use Twitter or other social media in your lessons?

- What would help you overcome the barriers?

- Do you think that schools have an obligation to teach children about social media?

Written by Little Dot

Opening Doors - Why First Impressions Count

I have always had a bit of a "thing" for doors - I am often found stopping to photograph an ivy-clad, iron-bolted, doorway. They always hold a certain sense of magic for me: the mystery of what lies behind them...

Like most teachers, I find myself constantly inspired by teachers around me: my colleagues, friends, the Twittersphere and fellow Pinterest users. After perusing Pinterest and finding the images featured in this post, I starting thinking about the significance of the door to our classrooms. I want the children in my class to walk through the door and feel a little bit of that magic and mystery.

First impressions really do count. With the start of term just around the corner, what do you want the children in your class to think and feel as they enter the room for the first time? Imagine the child reluctant to leave their parent in the cloakroom, the excitable children that come bounding in, children anxious about what their new teacher will be like... Think about the first thing that they see of their new classroom. What messages will you be sending them before they even step through the doorway?

I found, via Pinterest, a door sign (similar to the chalk board example below) that i use to inspire my children when they walk through the door. It also helps communicate the ethos and classroom culture I  want to promote. I've got a castles topic coming up, so I'm going to coincide the castle door decor with a "wow" day where the whole of the year group is in-role as historical characters. How much more powerful will it be to greet the children in the morning at the doorway telling them to hurry to avoid the flames from the fire-breathing dragon?

Yes these things take time and resources to achieve, but think of the moment the children see it for the very first time? And how excited they will be about entering your classroom. A door can be just a door, but is has the potential to be something far more magical. If we can start off with excitement and enthusiasm, who knows where it will take us!

Written by Little Dot