“CHALKed Up to Be More Productive”

What it is

Chalk Schools is a streamlining tool for paperwork designed specifically for school systems. The platform is designed to eliminate the inefficiency and unreliability of paper forms. Chalk School’s mission is to “free administrators, teachers, and staff to run their classrooms, offices, schools, and school systems at their best” (Chalk Schools, n.d.). The system has three main aspects. First of all, the program instantly converts all of the paperwork into an online format that can be viewed by all school participants, including HR representatives, teachers, administrators, parents, and students. Secondly, the program automatically sends the online forms to the participants for an e-signature. Lastly, the program presents important information and tracks data on a customizable dashboard. Chalk Schools is currently being used by over 900 districts nationwide, including Aurora Public Schools, Frederick County Public Schools, Summit Public Schools, and Tacoma Public Schools. These school districts now have access to a technology that is adapting forms for all of the different departments, including the transportation office, human resources, the business office, student services, and food services. The streamlined process has also sped up the workflow for these schools, allowing them to focus their attention on the students in the classroom. According to the website, nearly one million forms have successfully been sent through Chalk Schools (Chalk Schools, n.d.).

How it Works
To set up an account, a representative from the school or district must contact Chalk Schools to schedule a free demo. A team member from Chalk Schools will walk the school representative through the process of setting up an account and uploading forms. The program is currently free to individual classroom teachers, but does cost for schools, districts, and organizations (such as PTA). The pricing is not available on the website, but can be obtained by email hello@chalkschools.com. Once the account is set up, the school is responsible for inputting the names and email addresses for the recipients that will be receiving and signing the forms through the Chalk Schools website. Entering this information can be done manually, by copying and pasting, or by uploading a CSV file. Next, files are uploaded to the system. This can be done by using files that already exist on the computer, scanning documents in to the system, or sending printed copies of the forms to Chalk Schools. If printed copies of the forms are sent to Chalk Schools, one of their team members will upload the forms into the system for the user. The process of setting up an account is quick and easy, but uploading the information and forms can take a couple of days to complete (Chalk Schools, 2016).

To learn how to upload a form to a Chalk Schools account, view the video below:

The forms that have already been uploaded into the Chalk Schools system include (Chalk Schools, 2016):

• permission slips 
• homework 
• worksheets 
• new hire packets 
• onboarding paperwork 
• personnel action and requisitions 
• travel and conference requests 
• mileage and general reimbursement requests 
• student registration 
• field trip requests 
• acceptable use policies 
• time sheets

In looking at this expansive list, the system has already been of great use to classroom teachers and administrators alike. In addition to uploading forms such as those above, attachments can be added onto forms. The system is also designed to accommodate forms that need multiple signatures from individuals within various departments.

Once the forms are uploaded and ready to be completed and signed, the system will send out an email with a secure link. If some of the information needed to complete the form is already entered into the Chalk Schools system, the forms can be pre-filled before being sent out to recipients. The stored information in Chalk Schools can include names, email addresses, ID numbers, and personalized information (such as addresses, emergency contact numbers, and class periods), depending on what the school district chooses to include. When the recipient receives the link to the form that needs to be completed and signed in an email, they can easily access the form without signing up for an account. The Chalk Schools program is FERPA, HIPAA, and ESIGN Act compliant, meaning that users can trust their information being securely entered and saved in the system. The e-signature requires a two-step confirmation process and Chalk Schools stores the exact time, location, and IP address of the completed signature (Chalk Schools, 2016). Once the form is completed, the signer can save a copy to their computer or send a copy to their email for records. The completed form is also sent back to the sender and data is recorded showing which forms have been completed.

Chalk Schools has recently introduced two new features to their program. The first is the option to save a signature (Chalk Schools, 2016). This allows users to quickly sign and approve forms that are abundant in number. As shown to the left, the user begins by typing their name for a signature. Then, they choose to either type or draw their name for the signature. After completing that part, the user selects the option to “save signature for future use.” Once the signature has been added and saved, the user can quickly add their signature to other places within the same form or on other forms in their account.

The second feature that Chalk Schools recently added is the ability to customize the dashboard so that forms can easily be tracked (Chalk Schools, 2016). The re-modeled dashboard allows users to quickly find specific forms and content of forms. The data being viewed can be selected using a category of content from a form, such as the “House” on the Hogwart’s New Employee Data Sheet to the right. The user can also choose to have their dashboard show information on a specific student, employee, start date for a new hire, etc.

If a form is missing information or a signature, the user can send a reminder email with just one click of the mouse!

Benefits of Using Chalk Schools
Students, parents, teachers, HR representatives, and administrators are all experiencing the many benefits that Chalk Schools has to offer. To begin, the use of Chalk Schools saves districts from having to purchase paper, postage, and ink to send out forms to families and faculty. The system also eliminates the problem of paper forms not making it home or back to school. Often times, papers are sent home in the backpacks of students and rarely do they make it back to the classroom. By uploading the forms into the online system, the forms are immediately accessible to the parents. Recipients are also saved time with the pre-filled option that users can select. Using this feature, the recipients do not have to enter information that the school already has in their system. If signatures are missing, users just have to click one button with the mouse to send a reminder. This saves a large amount of time and energy for teachers and secretaries, who are often put in charge of tracking individuals down to get their signature. For users who are signing many forms, the saved signature feature also saves a lot of time. Once the forms are completed, everything is filed into the searchable cloud, instead of having to be printed out and saved in a file cabinet. This provides added security, saves space in offices and classrooms, and eliminates the time that would be spent on filing all of the paperwork. With all of these benefits, Chalk Schools is saving districts over 100 house of manual work annually (Chalk Schools, 2016). 

The video below provides the insight of Laura Lance, the Middle School Secretary and School Registrar for St. Paul's Episcopal School.

Enhancing Productivity for School Leaders
The long list of benefits that Chalk Schools has to offer makes it easy to understand how the program enhances the productivity for school leaders. Ultimately, utilizing Chalk Schools saves school leaders time and money from their budget. An interview with Kris Wise, the Human Resources Analyst for Clovis Unified, revealed that the system really is as good as it seems. In the interview, Wise stated, “The best thing is probably the ease of getting the forms out. We pulled our employee data, sent everything to Chalk Schools, and boom! The forms were sent. We saved the cost of printing the forms and the incredible amount of tie it previously took us to stuff and scan all of them. It was amazing!” (Chalk Schools, 2016). He also said that the program is easy to be implemented, particularly since a one-time training for users in the school system is quite sufficient for them to properly use and manage the system (Chalk Schools, 2016). Reading Wise’s perspective is a true testament to the fact that Chalk Schools is meeting their mission of “freeing administrators, teachers, and staff to run their classrooms, offices, schools, and school systems at their best” (Chalk Schools, n.d.).

On their blog, Chalk Schools suggests that the program should be implemented gradually (Chalk Schools, 2016). They also provide three questions for administrators to answer and consider before fully implementing the program (Chalk Schools, 2016). These questions can be found below:

1. Which forms have the highest volume in the school year? (Chalk Schools recommends that administrators particularly look at the forms that need to be tracked for being completed and having the signature. Examples include student transfer requests, emergency contact cards, and permission slips.)
2. Which forms help districts track access control points and/or protection from liability? (Chalk Schools states that the use of their program can speed up the process of sending and receiving forms from weeks to just days. Examples of forms for this criterion include acceptable use policies, key requests, and incident reports.)
3. What online solution could support forms and approval flows for more than just one department? (Chalk Schools easily creates a network of paperwork that can be accessed by many departments.)

My Experience with Chalk Schools
Since I am not yet an employee of a school system, I was unable to set up an account for Chalk Schools, which would have given me an insider’s perspective. However, in the research that I conducted on the tool, and in reading through blog posts and interviews on Chalk Schools’ website, I learned of the incredible amount of time that this system is saving for students, parents, teachers, and administrators. Therefore, I would highly recommend the use of this platform for schools.

References 
Chalk Schools. (2016, February 25). 3 things technology administrators should consider before taking their districts paperless [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://blog.chalkschools.com/posts/3-things-technology-administrators-should-consider-before-taking-their-district-paperless

Chalk Schools. (2016, March 9). Introducing a customized dashboard for tracking your forms [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://blog.chalkschools.com/posts/introducing-a-customized-dashboard-for-tracking-your-forms

Chalk Schools. (2016, April 27). 1 click and done! Introducing saved signatures [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://blog.chalkschools.com/posts/introducing-one-click-chalks-brand-new-fast-and-secure-saved-signature-feature

Chalk Schools. (2016, May 4). Interview: Kris Wise, Clovis United School District. Retrieved from http://blog.chalkschools.com/posts/interview-kris-wise-human-resources-analyst-at-clovis-unified-school-district

Chalk Schools. (2016, May 16). Banning takes AUP forms paperless with Chalk. Retrieved fro http://blog.chalkschools.com/posts/saving-time-saving-paper-why-banning-unified-school-district-is-making-the-switch-to-electronic-forms

Chalk Schools. (n.d.). About. Retrieved from https://www.chalkschools.com/about

Chalk Schools. (n.d.). Product. Retrieved from https://www.chalkschools.com/product

Chalk Schools. (n.d.) Support center. Retrieved from https://www.chalkschools.com/support

[New employee data sheet]. Retrieved fro https://static1.squarespace.com/static/56a7f396be7b964c97626f91/t/56e07449b654f926bbf6a2ee/1457550428069/Hogwarts+new+hire+onboarding+form+-+House+selection?format=750w

[Paperwork streamline]. Retrieved from http://static1.squarespace.com/static/56a7f396be7b964c97626f91/56a7f926841abad888bfaf5d/5727cbf0d51cd48057eb373a/1466495343849/Fotolia_88196772_S.jpg?format=1000w

[Saved signature]. Retrieved from https://static1.squarespace.com/static/56a7f396be7b964c97626f91/t/5721475159827eced54fa7a0/1461798744645/image3.jpg?format=500w

A CLEVER Use of Time

What it is

Clever is an app integration system designed for schools. As CEO Tyler Bosmeny explained to an NPR reporter, “Clever does two things. It helps apps integrate with student information systems and gives students and teachers a single sign-in for all of them” (Kamenetz, 2015). In essence, Clever is a third-party that manages student information for all of the applications that a school district uses. The tool allows students to log in to all of the apps that the school district uses with a single user name and password (Singer, 2015). This streamlined process provides convenience and addresses issues of security and privacy for school systems. Currently, Clever is being used by 44,000 elementary and secondary schools nationwide, which is approximately one third of all of the K-12 schools in the United States (Singer, 2015). The tool is brought to schools free of charge because the company charges the app developers that integrate with the system (Singer, 2015). Clever is increasing the productivity for administrators, teachers, and students. View an introductory video on Clever below.

How it Works
The staff at Clever has worked hard to integrate over 130 apps with their system. A list of the apps offered with Clever can be found in their application gallery. A few of these apps have been listed below, as well:

• Benchmark Education Company 
• Campus Suite 
• Canvas 
• Formative 
• Gmail 
• Google Calendar 
• Google Docs 
• Google Drive 
• Khan Academy 
• Mastery Connect 
• NewsELA 
• SAS Curriculum Pathways 
• Scholastic 
• Spelling City 
• SymbalooEDU

The list of apps is somewhat limited right now because the app systems have to go through a screening for privacy and security before they are adopted for use by Clever (Singer, 2015). Once an app is selected, the app company pays Clever to be integrated into their system. Therefore, the cost is alleviated for the schools.

On the school side of the program, administrators choose which apps will be used by the school system and provide Clever with the student information system (SIS) so that the students can receive login information. The SIS connects directly with Clever’s program, and the administrators can select which information is transferred to the app developers (Singer, 2015). The information that can be provided to the app developers includes the student’s name, ID number, address, date of birth, gender, race, Hispanic ethnicity, and ELL status. Most of the time, the student’s name and ID number are all that is provided (Singer, 2015).

Once the schools have selected which apps they would like to use with Clever and the groups of students that will have access to the apps, the students are assigned a single login and password through Clever’s program. K-2 students are also provided with a “Clever Badge,” which is an ID card that has the student’s name and a unique QR code. The students can hold the badge up to the webcam on their laptop or Chromebook and the code will automatically sign them in to the Clever system. This login system is more secure than writing the login information on a piece of paper and eliminates the teacher having to log in each student individually. Scanning the QR code is much easier for the young students who may have a difficult time typing or remembering complex login information. If students forget their password, the teacher can log in to their Clever account and provide the student with a temporary backup code that allows them to access their account for the day. This allows the teacher and the students to progress forward with class quickly and efficiently.

Benefits of Using Clever
EdTech Review provides four benefits of school systems using Clever. First of all, the setup for the Clever system is “swift and simple.” Ed Tech Review cites that administrators can sign their school system up for Clever in less than five minutes (Saxena, 2013). Secondly, Clever saves time and money because “student data only needs to be entered once, after which Clever syncs ongoing changes to all Clever-enabled applications” (Saxena, 2013). This makes entering data cheaper and faster, and eliminates the threat of data entry errors. Thirdly, Clever is a trustworthy technology because it uses bank-grade encryption to transport the student data. Clever is also FERPA compliant, so student’s safety is always a number one priority (Saxena, 2013). Lastly, Clever works very simply on a day-to-day basis. Once the data is entered into the SIS, Clever keeps all of the student accounts up-to-date across all of the integrated apps (Saxena, 2013). With Clever being such an easy technology tool to set up and use for school systems, administrators are finding the program to be a time saver that significantly increases the instructional and learning time in the classroom.

Enhancing Productivity for School Leaders
School leaders are adopting Clever for their school systems because the program is free, easy-to-use, and safe. These attributes and the system’s overall functions are relieving a significant amount of stress for school leaders at the beginning of the year. Typically, administrators are responsible for creating student accounts on apps that are used by the district and by teachers within the school’s classrooms. The administrators are also then responsible for transferring all of the student information that is sent to the app companies at the beginning of each year. Because Clever connects directly to and updates along with the school’s SIS, this step is completely eliminated for administrators (Singer, 2015). Clever also saves time for administrators by allowing the quick customization of which students receive access to the apps that are integrated with the Clever program (Singer, 2015). Administrators can choose if the apps are provided for individual classes, across grade levels, whole schools, or an entire district. The last feature of Clever that is particularly useful for administrators is that they can manage and monitor the apps that are being used by their students through their administrative account on Clever. The program provides data through charts and graphs to administrators so that they can see how often the apps are being used and what they are being used for (Singer, 2015). The only catch with this is that the data is only collected for the apps that are integrated with Clever, not for the apps that are used independently by teachers in their classrooms. A demonstration for how Clever can be used by administrators can be found below.

My Experience with Clever
Because Clever is a technology tool for school systems, I was unable to get an account and become familiar with the program from a user's perspective. However, I was able to watch some YouTube videos and explore Clever's website. In reading the material on Clever's website and reviews on the program, I think that Clever would be a significant asset to any school system. With being a free tool that is easy and secure to use, school systems would be wise to adopt this program as a way of increasing the productivity of students, teachers, and administrators. The program could easily be implemented with little to no training required for staff members. Clever is a program that ought to be utilized by all school systems nationwide.

References
[Clever badge]. Retrieved from https://clever.com/images/badges/Clever-Badge.png

[Clever snapshot]. Retrieved from https://clever.com/images/instant-login.png

Kamenetz, A. (2015, August 27). One-third of schools are using this app you’ve never heard of. 

Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/08/27/434667722/one-third-of-schools-are-using-this-app-youve-never-heard-of

Saxena, S. (2013, November 3). Clever – integrations with your SIS in minutes. Retrieved from http://edtechreview.in/news/720-clever-integrations-with-your-sis-in-minutes

Singer, N. (2015, September 20). Clever, a software service, gives schools a way to manage data flow to apps. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/21/technology/personaltech/clever-a-software-service-gives-schools-a-way-to-manage-data-flow-to-apps.html?_r=0

Twitter: The Virtual Professional Learning Network

Twitter is famous for providing a minute-by-minute update of a person's day and complaints. However, now it's being used to expand the Professional Learning Networks (PLN) of educators all over the world. A PLN is "a tool that uses social media and technology to collect, communicate, collaborate and create with connected colleagues anywhere at any time" (Whitby 2013). Twitter, a tool used by educators to create a PLN, is often described as a microblogging tool because it combines text messaging, blogging, and social networking all into one resource (Boss 2008). Each tweet is 140 characters or less, so scrolling through the information on a Twitter feed is quick and easy. Tweets can be comprised of photos, quotes, videos, and website links. Tagging another user with the "@" symbol allows those users to quickly see and respond to your post. Hashtags, denoted by the "#" symbol, are also helpful in being able to view  a scrolling (and constantly updated) list of tweets that are all connected to the same topic. Favoriting tweets allows users to save the information for a later time and provides further resources for their followers. With such a useful network that connects users globally, think of all the places you'll go! 

In "Using Twitter for Professional Development," Caron writes that there are six steps to getting started on Twitter:

1. Set up a free Twitter account.
2. Write a few practice tweets.
3. Follow, follow, follow.
4. Join the conversation.
5. Tweet like your mama and principal are watching.
6. Follow @education_world on Twitter.

In the article, Caron also provides a list of helpful hashtags for following conversations that are already taking place. Some of these include #edchat, #elemchat, and #kinderchat (Caron 2011). Ray provides a more detailed list of hashtags and the days and times that the chats take place on Twitter in his article titled "How to Use Your Twitter to Grow Your PLN." The Twitter chats are geared towards teachers of specific subjects and grade levels, as well as topics such as English Language Learners and Pre-Service Teachers (Ray 2010). Following @education_world provides a network for finding other education related Twitter users. Once you click "follow," a suggested list of Twitter users will become available. Scrolling through the followers of @education_world also gives a list of possible users to follow. In a matter of minutes, you can become globally connected with educators and conversations centered around education topics. 

As Barnes shares in his article, "Twitter is the World's Best Free Professional Development Tool," creating a network is quite simple once you have signed up for an account. In his article, Barnes writes about his own experience with creating a Twitter account and having a diverse and global network within just 45 minutes (Barnes 2014). The global network expands colleagues from being confined within the walls of a school to being unlimited across all the borders of the world (Caron 2011). Twitter provides national and international connections with numerous individuals and businesses. The network allows users to both share and receive resources and ideas that are being implemented in classrooms all over the world. The source also provides grounds for conversing about the current and future states of education. Having a diverse network comprised of educators and administrators of different genders, ages, ethnicity, experiences, and countries creates a more globalized conversation with a wider perspective. This approach opens the way for a better education system.

Taking a look at my own current feed, I have been provided access to numerous articles about current news topics related to education, videos for promoting healthy habits during the flu season, ways to build relationships with middle school students, important updates on the Common Core standards, and much more. These resources are being displayed by accounts such as @EducationWeek, @Edutopia, and @Education Nation. Before being challenged to view Twitter as a source for creating a PLN, I had honestly not touched my Twitter account in about three years. When I logged on and started searching for education related users and hashtags, I found myself intrigued by all of the information that I was seeing. I began scrolling down further and further to see what all I could learn, ranging from interesting articles to inspirational quotes. Here is some information about the accounts that I have found quite useful:

• Scholastic Teachers (@ScholasticTeach) - tweets about books, education trends, and life as an educator
• Edutopia (@Edutopia) - tweets about research articles, teaching tips, infographics, and personal relaxation and development
• Education Week (@EducationWeek) - tweets about education news from around the world
• US Department of Education (@usedgov) - tweets about news and information from the US Department of Education
• Education Nation (@EducationNation) - tweets from @NBCNews about articles and teaching tips
• Huffington Post Education (@HuffPostEdu) - tweets about education news
• Discovery Education (@DiscoveryEd) - tweets about resources for education
• Khan Academy (@KhanAcademy) - tweets about programs, events, videos, and other information available on the Khan Academy website
• TED-Ed (@TED_ED) - tweets about TED Talks pertaining to education
• NatGeo Education (@NatGeoEducation) - tweets about information for students from teachers
• BBC Education (@BBCEducation) - tweets about education news presented by BBC
• Fun Educational Apps (@EducationalGame) - tweets about newly found fun, educational apps
• Carson-Dellosa (@CDPub) - tweets about products from and events held by Carson-Dellosa

Since fall break, I have discovered and begun following many of the accounts above. Each time I followed one account, many similar accounts would pop up. Now, rather than being a small, personal account where I follow friends, professors, and my university, I have a huge network of resources for using inside and outside of the classroom. The accounts that I follow have provided me with news, such as the passing of a new bill to replace 'No Child Left Behind.' I also have access to interesting information to share with my students, like this article, "How a 5-Ounce Bird Stores 10,000 Maps in its Head." There are also articles with helpful tips, like ways to help students manage stress and ways to help students complete their homework. All of the resources that have become available are helpful for me as a pre-service teacher, preparing for student teaching and being in the classroom full-time. I am provided with many different things to think about and consider before creating my own classroom environment. The network of accounts and unlimited amount of resources will be very helpful in growing professionally, but will also be useful for sharing with my future students and parents. As I enter the elementary classroom, I will be able to recommend accounts for my parents to follow that will provide useful tips as they are helping their students continue their learning at home. By following the accounts, parents will also be able to provide their children with useful resources for help with completing assignments and studying for quizzes and tests. Two accounts particularly useful in this area are @KhanAcademy and @EducationalGame.

Because Twitter is free, educators save hundreds of dollars that would have been spent on conference fees, hotel accommodations, and gas expenses. They also save on having to prepare lesson plans for a substitute teacher! With Twitter, educators are able to get the information they need from those conferences through short, concise tweets. They're also provided with an unlimited amount of other resources and options, including the opportunity to ask and answer questions, learn from experts, react to events, share links to news articles and blog posts, plug in to real-time events, and give or accept invitations to online chats and Webcasts (Boss 2008). Twitter users can share their own ideas and resources with the entire Twitter world, a personal network, or specific individuals (Boss 2008). The microblogging tool can be customized to best suit the user's needs and intentions.

As a pre-service teacher, I find Twitter a useful tool for staying up-to-date with the latest news regarding education, finding useful information for thinking about how my own classroom will be set up and run, and connecting with top educators and education businesses around the world. Progressing forward, Twitter will become an essential tool for being connected and staying up-to-date so that my classroom represents the innovative side of the twenty-first century. Twitter has become a way of bringing collaboration and creativity into the classrooms all around the world through the unlimited variety that users can share and have access to. Some teachers have described Twitter as a great way to reinvent a lesson plan or get some extra help with preparing a lesson plan because there is usually a wide range of quick responses. Schools, classrooms, principals, and teachers from all different countries can be connected in reinventing education so that it best sparks the fire of the next generation. Twitter is a tool educators can use to continue their own learning. As John Cotton Dana stated, "Who dares to teach, must never cease to learn" ("Teaching Quote").

References

[A Dr. Seuss inspired guide to twitter]. Retrieved from http://dailygenius.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/dr-seuss-twitter.jpg

Barnes, M. (2014, May 24). Twitter is the world's best free professional development tool. Retrieved October 27, 2015, from http://www.brilliant-insane.com/2014/05/twitter-is-the-worlds-best-free-professional-development-tool.html 

Boss, S. (2008, August 13). Twittering, not frittering: Professional development in 140 characters. Retrieved October 27, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/twitter-professional-development-technology-microblogging

Caron, S. (2011). Using twitter for professional development. Retrieved October 27, 2015, from http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/using-twitter-for-professional-development.shtml

Ray, B. (2010, June 7). How to use twitter to grow your PLN. Retrieved October 27, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/twitter-expanding-pln

"Teaching Quote." Flickr. Yahoo!, 19 Aug. 2011. Web. 28 Oct. 2015. 

[Twitter for teachers]. Retrieved from https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/92/b9/64/92b9643eae8ac72fb8aafef92b98348d.jpg

[Twitter logo]. Retrieved from https://g.twimg.com/Twitter_logo_blue.png

Whitby, Tom. "How Do I Get a PLN?" Edutopia. 18 Nov. 2013. Web. 28 Oct. 2015. 

Responsible (and Creative) Uses of Social Media in the Elementary Classroom

According to a study performed by TIME magazine in 2011, 92% of American children have an online footprint by the time they reach two years old. The Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center presented in 2012 that over 90% of third graders reported playing interactive games online and that 35% of subjects reported owning a cellphone. The use of the internet and social media has become an integrated part of life; this involvement has quickly trickled down from adults to children. So, even elementary teachers must take a role in encouraging safe and creative use of the internet and social media. This is done first and foremost by setting a positive example, secondly by making expectations clear and thirdly by incorporating social media into the classroom creatively.

It is often said that actions speak louder than words. Likewise, saying that social media should be used responsibly without adequately representing that policy does no good. Therefore, it is now common for schools to provide social media guidelines for educators. The school I graduated from, Burlington Christian Academy, acknowledges that social media can be “effective and efficient in our communication, serve as valuable sources of information, and enhance the educational environment.” However, the school proceeds to discuss the risks associated with the personal use social media and therefore outlines the expectations for teachers inside and outside of the school premises. The guidelines indicate that personal social media accounts should not be accessed during the school day and that it should be used responsibly and appropriately when outside of school.

Inside the classroom, educators need to be very direct in teaching students how to use the internet and social media responsibly. Awareness of the risks that can occur when using social media will help to lower the rate at which such risks actually occur. One website has 10 Unexpected Social Media Tips from Dr. Seuss, which encourage the careful use of social media. This digital citizenship poster also helps students to visualize and remember that staying safe and being respectful are the most important things. It will be increasingly important that digital citizenship curriculum is incorporated into each educator’s lesson plans to decrease the many risks associated with social media. One of these risks, cyberbullying, is now unfortunately a problem among elementary school students.  

With the use of social media in the classroom, we must have boundaries so that students are safe when they are at school and home using social media cites on their own. It may be said that “footprints in the sand, boot prints in the mud…easily washed away by the waves or the rain.” But, a digital footprint has the potential to last forever.

Again, there are many advantages of having social media incorporated into the classroom. For example, Edutopia suggests that using social media in the classroom helps to:

     1.Extend the Classroom

     2.Encourage Connected, Empowered Learners

     3.Develop Voice

Now, comes the fun part… How do we creatively and effectively use social media as educators? One common and very well founded use of social media is for communication, usually between the educator and parents at the elementary school level. As the poster suggests, social media can be used to post homework assignments, display student work, practice writing, and provide quick reminders. The Chicago Public Schools decided to try using Twitter to communicate with parents and students, and proved to be quite successful.

More in the interest of the students, though, social media can be actively used in the classroom to engage students and be relative to the world in which they are growing up in. One Canadian teacher has decided to use ELGG, a social media cite of sorts, in her classroom to teach students how to write better and how to post responsibly on social media in a way that is appropriate for others to see.

While social media can be fun for the students to use in school, it is important that teachers be very intentional in meeting an educational objective while doing so. Social media should be used for educational purposes, not entertainment purposes within the classroom.

Setting a positive example, making expectations clear, and incorporating social media into the classroom creatively and responsibly will increase awareness and responsibility among students, parents, and teachers alike. In doing so, social media can take on a whole new realm of possibilities – including being an integral part of the elementary classroom. 

References

Brown, M. (n.d.). BCA social media policy. Retrieved February 1, 2015, from https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5s7DP8YxZ65MXY2cF9CSVB3Mm8/view?pli=1.

Chicago Public Schools [chipubschools]. (2013, January 22). Locke elementary school – social media trailblazers [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyQz48V6UmM.

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[Untitled illustration of a digital footprint]. Retrieved February 1, 2015 from https://employabilityandenterprise.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/digital-footprint.png.