The Education Week article “My Favorite Teachers Use Social Media: A Student Perspective” reveals the powerful potential of using social media in the classroom from a student perspective. High school Freshman Katie Brenmar explains that all of her best and most engaging teachers have used social media to interact with their students, such as her middle school math teacher who posted homework assignments and reminders to her Instagram page so students have no choice but to be reminded of important class stuff while checking their feeds (1). I couldn’t help but think of the way my colleague, good friend, and fellow Napa High baseball coach Jason Chatham utilizes Instagram for a similar purpose. Jason created a Napa High Baseball Instagram page and is super active with posting not only important calendar items and updates, but also uses the page to promote our players and program in a humorous and always positive way. It’s the perfect example of a positive use of social media in school.
While reading “Teach Students to Use Social Media (The Right Way) and the Possibilities are Endless,” I was able to envision how I might be able to use social media in a high school PE setting. New Jersey high school English teacher Bayly DiPilato uses Twitter in a similar fashion to the middle school math teacher who used Instagram to post assignments, but takes it a step further by "constantly retweeting articles that are relevant to their English class in the hopes of teaching her students how to use Twitter personally and professionally” (2). This is when a lightbulb clicked in my brain as to how I could effectively use social media for a high school PE class. I’m not big on assigning my students work to do at home, only to add on to their already demanding academic work load. I wouldn’t need to post homework assignments or make any part of this mandatory. But very often do I spend time interacting with interesting content on the internet related to my subject… Why not share it with my students who care to follow my class Twitter account? Sources:
3 Comments
6/22/2020 06:26:06 pm
That article stuck with me too! It made me think that back when she wrote it (2015), there has been so much added to our social media apps that it's almost outdated! Also, I had thoughts of how social media was used in 2015 by students, was less as a learning tool like it can be today.
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Jason Chatham
6/22/2020 07:22:03 pm
Haha! I am truly honored from your kind words. The Gladiator GIF (above) was one that I hoped didn’t go too far— I was feeling pretty good there, and when I am feeling good I have to make sure I don’t cross lines or come off the wrong way. Social media has become essential. If we want to meet students where they are at— and pretty much ALL of society— we have to use it (and respect its power / boundaries).
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Scott Marsden
6/23/2020 03:12:46 pm
Dustin,
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About Dustin Green:High School PE Teacher Archives
March 2021
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