Keep up with the times! (?)

I bet that when teachers long ago thought about where the education system would be in the future they never could have predicted that we would even be THINKING about incorporating social media into our classrooms, but why?

Why shouldn't we include something that is such a big part of everyday life? It's like Davis says:

• Social media can get someone hired, fired or forced to retire;
• It is the most likely source that college admissions offices and potential employers will use to "check you out" and;
• It can actually stand in the way of someone running for political office (not with that skeleton in the closet!)

It is for these reasons that I would most definitely incorporate the proper use of social media in my classroom. Take English for example: We are taught to write letters, memos and emails, so why shouldn't we be taught how to post to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.? 

I would take the idea of tweeting and use it to share where my class is in the curriculum (#shakespearetodayyesplease #othelloactfour #mindblown) so that we can connect with other classrooms and compare our progress. Once a week, each child will be given the opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions regarding the lesson content, so that learners from other classrooms can comment and provide meaningful feedback (which is important in preparing them for the higher level of engagement required by universities).

Whereas in the past we had to write a dialogue and then perform it in front of the class, why not create a channel on YouTube where learners can upload videos? It would save so much valuable class time that could then be used to have meaningful discussions regarding the content area.

Social media is also useful for relationships between teachers, allowing them to communicate, share learning ideas, create projects, and provide meaningful feedback about or "moderate" each others work or the work of their learners.

HOWEVER, Provenzano's suggestion to use Remind doesn't exactly sit well with me. I acknowledge the fact that learning is a continuous process that can happen anywhere and at anytime, but should teachers and learners be constantly "bombarded" with ideas for learning and reminders about work? Don't we all deserve a break sometimes? Don't we need time to just "be"? 

So I say yes; social media should be incorporated into the curriculum, but it shouldn't result in an encroachment on the privacy or downtime of teachers or learners in any way.