Technology has an ever-changing role within education, and social media is one of the primary reasons for that. From gaining professional development ideas from Facebook communities to reaching out to authors on Twitter, social media sites allow for educators to broaden their professional learning communities to include educators from around the world. Every secondary educator likely has a story about the negative impact social media has had on at least one student. At the end of the day, teachers and students benefit from social media accounts. But, it\u2019s a great big ocean that many educators choose not to explore due to the dangers associated with it.<\/p>\n
At the end of the day, social media is likely on any teenager\u2019s top ten list for things they can\u2019t live without. Students access Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to stay connected, and that\u2019s the absolute beauty of social media for schools. Want to remind students about an event or get the word out about a fundraiser? Invite students by creating a public event. Interested in promoting student achievements? Tweet a few lines about the growth a class has shown. Allowing your students the opportunity to invest in their school\u2019s identity on social media allows for great opportunities to change the narrative within the community. So who\u2019s most likely to be able to do this effectively? Students.<\/p>\n
From student councils to honor societies and sports teams, every school across the nation has a group of students serving as activators. These students are those who look around and see opportunities for change. They revel in the ability to represent their school. Most of these organizations have a goal of involving the student body. This spans from gaining new membership or promoting attendance at sporting events. Student organizations have a stake in their own success that is dependent on their ability to promote themselves. Social media accounts allow for these groups to get the word out about events and display their members\u2019 hard work for the rest of the world to see.<\/p>\n
These accounts offer the public a glimpse into what is actually going on at the school. Many clubs dedicate time and resources to the community. They require members to complete a certain number of community service hours. Because of this, there are dozens of opportunities for the community to see how invested their students are in the area around them. This increases opportunities for the organization to grow from, and it can also lead to more community support.<\/p>\n
These opportunities beg the question: \u201cWhat is the teacher\u2019s role in promoting safe practices for a student organization?\u201d<\/p>\n
Putting a student organization\u2019s name out onto the world wide web is often daunting. There are a million \u201cwhat ifs\u201d that happen to go through a sponsor\u2019s mind upon creation of a Facebook or Twitter page. Student safety certainly needs to be at the forefront of the thought process. Below are some helpful ideas to consider when getting a student organization started on social media.<\/p>\n
Once your students know the expectations, keep them engaged in the process. Aside from Nearpod\u2019s fantastic Digital Citizenship lessons<\/a>, there are a few creative ways Nearpod can help your students remain focused on the purpose of social media.<\/p>\n Utilizing Nearpod in your meetings not only helps organize your presentation, but the Collaborate feature allows your students to bounce ideas around for hashtags, polls, event summaries, and so much more. The Draw It feature also allows for students to post ideas for clip art, share images, and express what they feel would help make a post pop for the rest of the student body.<\/p>\n