My school also states that is against regulations not to communicate on social media with the students and to keep the relationship professional.
I do not believe it is professional for instructors and students to communicate on social media sites. There should never be an opportunity for teachers to communicate with students that isn't monitored by the school. Doing so, would put both the teacher and the student at risk.
I believe that instructors and students should only communicate on a social network that is school approved and used solely for that purpose. You dont want to cross that fine line in using a social site with personal pictures and contacts being used instead of school work. We as instructors have to stay caught up with technology but use discretion at all times. Social networking can be used to give reminders, pics on subject related things and so forth. I personally do not have a account but I use Engrade faithfully.
Yes I believe students should be connected through social media outlets. Many students are more comfortable using this form of technology to communicate. They may have access to it at times when they are outside the classroom which will promote student engagement.
I teach respiratory therapy and I am not currently using social media for current classes but i do have a facebook group that is made up of graduates from my program. It has been a great tool to keep students up to date on the newest therapies avaiable in the field of respiratory care and allows the students the opportunity to discuss any problems they may need help with in the field.
I agree, it can be scary having students and teachers relating through social media such as facebook, however if it is a controlled environment with some rules set in place before starting it can be interesting and helpful to both the class and the instructor.
Kimberly,
Staying in touch with graduates and sharing information is a fantastic use of Facebook! I am happy to hear this has been a successful joint venture for you and your former students.
Wishing you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
I think they should as long as they are checks and balances in place to ensure appropriate use. So many people are scared of what can go wrong that a lot of instructors stay clear of using social media. But if expectations are set and it is used properly it really can be a very engaging tool that will help students grasps concepts and apply learnings. I think both should be on it but with expectations set at the beginning.
I think it is a lot better idea to be on a monitored social networking site than to give out personal contact information to the students. It will at least help to alleviate the sunday morning call at 3am to help settle an argument about a topic your good at.
I could see some oppertunities for leaners to be exposed to other points of view and technoligies that may not be available in such an efficiant and "fun" way. Example would be lining up a skype interview with a technical leader for devopment in the field I teach. This could excite the learning.
On the other hand I can see this becoming a "cruch" for some. and not using ones own creativity or research.
Hello,
I can see the use of a social media networking group being used as a way of engaging students.
I have created a classroom Facebook page that helps me keep in touch with students. It is not personal by any means and is only reflective of what is going on in class an in the field. I am able to post interesting articles, news, jobs and regulations pertinent to our career field. It amazes me how easy it is to reach my students via this method as opposed to personl emails, cell phones or text messaging. I will admit it takes a little work on my behalf to keep the page clean and professional but for the most part, my students respect what the page was set up for, communication with the class.
While I feel that social media networking has its benefits, I teach at a school that is very age diverse. Therefore, a seperate course on how to use technology like skype, facebook, twitter etc. would be neccessary. I fear leaving the technology challenged students behind if I'm not careful.
I believe there needs to be some distance and social media may just cross the line.
Yes, I believe such interaction is vital and gives students an opportunity to interact in real time. This promotes discussion which broadens the landscape of learning.
After this lesson I am beginning to see more opportunities for using social media in the classroom. Why, the millennial students relate to this technology and it seem to be apart of their everyday life style. Whatever social media allows a positive interaction between students and faculty to help keep students engaged in their course work.
I definitely believe students should be connected to social media outlets. It has been the way of the future for some time. If instructors don't keep up with technology, students will suffer. I had know idea how much is available to instructors to utilize through the social outlets. Students will become more engaged. The old days have gone by, the train has left the station. If instructors stay "old school" retention rate will continue to drop. I am excited to get going on this.
I have a separate Facebook page for my class. While it is linked to my personal one, students cannot access my personal page. FB is a tool to post all materials, videos, links for students even after the class is over.
I have used a classroom Facebook account to share comments, post student projects and encourage peer interaction. Since they are familiar with it, there was virtually no learning curve and students participated freely.
Yes, I do think that there is a thin line for instructors and social media. The instructor must keep professional at all times, for students have a tendency to make instructors "friends" and that is not acceptable. I do believe in a structured way, social media can help in the classroom. Although, I must admit that I stray away from that attention and rather set up class discussions instead.
Megan
