Social Media

This week was all about social media, how it is used in schools and classrooms, and how educators can use it as a tool to enhance their instruction. After taking a look at a few articles surrounding social media, there was one that really struck me. It was called, The Power of Storytelling.

This article, seemingly written by an administrator of a district in Wisconsin named Joe Saneflippo, spoke about storytelling and how it has always had a place in our schools, but it has changed over time. He starts with a striking story about a kindergartener who assumed, when she saw him taking pictures and recording video, that he would be posting them on Facebook. He said, "she smiled the entire time and said she couldn’t wait to get home to check the Facebook page."

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He goes onto say that storytelling is an innate part of human nature. Everyone wants a story. When we are children it is a story before bedtime. When we get older it is the stories we tell to fellow adults over dinner or watch on tv. Saneflippo mentions that in schools each and every child of the school has a story to tell. As teachers it is out job to help tell them. This means we have to adapt to the new ways of storytelling. Students are less likely to share their own stories.

With today's technology we have storytelling at our finger tips. It no longer requires sitting down to actually talk with someone. Saneflippo says, "The reality is meaningful conversations take place all the time…they just happen in smaller pieces and on our time." This happens through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.

Saneflippo states that students these days are less likely to share when asked the question "how was your day?" This changes however when a parent references something specific they saw that the child did, something the teacher or school posted for the families to see. We as teachers have the responsibility to help facilitate this storytelling for the students.

My Thoughts

When I first read this article, I was struck with how true this actually is for life in general, not just for schools. I know in my daily life, what is posted online often sparks a lot of meaningful conversations. These conversations are about things people probably wouldn't have shared before the internet.

Students are the same way. They have grown up with storytelling at their fingertips. They can click on a Youtube video, a Facebook post, etc and get an entire story in seconds. This is what they are used to, and we have to use that same tool in schools. Teachers have the ability to get a lot of storytelling started through the use of social media. It keeps the parents connected to the classroom, and gives them something to talk to their children about.

Like I said in a previous post, I have been using Class Dojo to post weekly about what our general focus is for the week, and daily about homework and reminders. I think I might start posting even more specifics and even pictures about what we are doing. This way the parents can get a better idea of what we are doing in school. If I can help promote better relationships and more storytelling for my students, I will feel like I am being an effective educator beyond the classroom. It's crazy how much power social media can have.