Social media websites continue to become more and more significant within our society, and along with our society the educational purposes of social networking becomes important as well. Regardless of social medias' growing popularity, there are many concerns from educators about implementing such a powerful tool within their classrooms. I have experienced the beginnings of most social media websites, and because of this I have had doubts of the importance of websites like Facebook or Twitter. It wasn't until college that I began to witness social media websites move away from trivial updates and begin providing useful information for groups willing to share and communicate. Today, websites such as Google+ and college specific Facebook pages provide substantial and beneficial information for students.
As a future educator, I have worries though: will my students use these tools appropriately? How can I ensure the materials and information that they find and post to the website, or page pertain to the subject or concept I am trying to teach? How safe my students in such a open and accessible website such as Twitter? How private are the private settings available and does that infringe or break the rules my school/district have in place? And ultimately, I know how unproductive the Internet can be! Despite all its usefulness and all the benefits the Internet has bestowed on me; I am fully aware of how easy it is to become distracted by the World Wide Web.
Even though I am fearful of short attention-spans while using the Internet; I fully embrace the concept and need in using such a tool inside and out of our classrooms. The ability to share resources, connect instantly with other students, collaborate with peers around the world, is extremely valuable for students and teachers alike. Regardless of my fears, I intend to fully utilize the tools made possible by social media; as a way to teach and learn. Social media outlets, as make it possible for parents to become involved and see what the students are learning about. This creates a community for the classroom, keeping everyone up-to-date on the activities .
I think you made many valid points in your post, however; I am still not convinced. I'd like to think that I would be willing to use these sites in my classroom, but I feel as though there is better and more appropriate ways to communicate with students (ie. email or class website). The more I think about it, I am starting to feel as though social media is useful to teach with not as a form of communication.
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