Social Media in Schools

eSchool News Online Editor Meris Stansbury, in her article "Ten Ways Schools Are Using Social Media Effectively”, asked readers how they were using social media in education or how they would like to use it if they could. With teachers, parents, and administrators worried about possible bullying and privacy issues related to the use of social media in schools, it’s good to learn how some educators are making social media work for them and their students. Answers varied from educator use to learning about tech tools to cross cultural communication to bringing real-world applications into subjects such as mathematics. Schools have found that using social media is a good way to contact and interact with parents, to announce events, and even to help students review course content.  So how do educators using social media in schools avoid misuse? One suggested using private social networks made possible through sites like schoology.com, and another recommended the paid version of Gaggle.net. Although the article doesn’t mention this, it is likely that educators using social media with students set specific guidelines to be followed and monitor student online interaction as best they can.