Social Media: Opportunities and Obstacles

3/9/2019

This week, we read “What Do You Do When You See Inappropriate Social Media Posts?” by Patrick Larkin on EdTechTeacher.org. This article summarizes an experience a teacher had when he came across an inappropriate post by a student. The student uses profanity, and comments that he hopes whoever made some movie would die.

This article reminds me of an earlier read this semester, “How To Keep Your College Admission Offer: Start with Digital Literacy” in the New York Times, by Luvvie Ajayi. The two articles take a similar approach to explaining the reason social media posts like this can be so damaging. Even though students are young, inexperienced, and often immature (like we have all been at one time growing up), these kinds of comments are often permanently “there” for the world to use in judgement of their character. I feel fortunate to have spent my immature years in the more private world of the 80s.

Image by Marco Verch on Flickr

Larkin writes a letter to the student’s principal, pointing out the pitfalls of these public displays of impulsivity, and asking not that the student is punished, but only that the situation be used as something from which the student can learn. I feel this approach is right on the dot, and I think I would do the same if I found myself in a similar situation. Students do not need to be judged for being juvenile or impudent, as that is part of growing up. However, they do need to understand the consequences of online indiscretions.

As Larkin and Ajayi point out, many universities, employers, and other organizations may use public information available on the internet to research potential students, employees, interns, volunteers, etc… As educators, it’s our job to help our students understand how social media can leave a permanent image in cyberspace, and that image can have a serious effect on their futures.

Image from blogtreprenuer on Flickr

Because it is our job to help our students understand this, we must also keep ourselves proficient in the use of social media and its benefits and pitfalls. Like our students, we can use media like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to follow and learn about new innovations in education and other passions. Through these media we and our students can expose ourselves to global leaders, innovators, and new ideas on a daily basis. These platforms also offer us the chance to lead the way and take risks we never thought possible!

4 Comments

Rafael Garcia Avila

3/9/2019 01:56:31 pm

Jona,

We do have to be models to our students and we too should be careful and proactive with social media. I believe the most important word here is professionalism. As you, I am very happy I am a 80s and 90s kid and teenager. I do not see myself in this time and age full of distractions and being a part of the zombie syndrome (all students walking down the hall focusing on their phones).

I am not an expert with social media because I actually stayed away as much as I have been able to. But, int his program I have seen the benefits of using this in the classroom in a strategic and professional way. This will allow students to learn, grow and use the technology they like and use.

Natasha Engering-Ward link

3/9/2019 11:32:37 pm

Hi Jona
Great blog post! It really struck a chord with me when you mentioned about feeling fortunate to have spent your childhood in a time when social media was pretty much non-existent. Life for teenagers is so much more complex these days, having to navigate their online and offline personas, often blurring the two. I too agree with the article which suggested that if students are found to be using social media inappropriately, that it should be used as a learning experience and the student should not be punished. All of us - educators and students alike -are still learning how to successfully use social media and become more aware of its positives and pitfalls.

Scott Marsden

3/10/2019 07:32:50 am

Jona,
First of all, props for modeling excellent digital citizenship by using CC images and citing them in your blog post. If we as teachers never do this, how can we expect students to respect copyright? Thank you for "walking the walk" in this area. I agree with you and your peers who say that inappropriate social media use (with some exceptions, like threatening to shoot up the school) needs to be treated as a learning experience, a teachable moment, rather than an opportunity for punishment. I'm curious how you might teach students about the permanence of their social media posts and the importance of making good choices online.

Brandon DeJesus

3/13/2019 06:45:17 pm

Hey! I made the same connection between the articles that you did and I made it a point to bring up both with my AVID students who are just now receiving their acceptance letters from various colleges. I agree with you in that we need to teach our students about the permanent damage that can result from inappropriate use of social media. All too often our students view their posts as being as quickly passing as their thoughts but those thoughts can come back to haunt them later in life.

Social Media: Opportunities and Obstacles

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Jona Sandau

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