Kids today have access to many different forms of social media, and regardless of how adults feel about it, it's here to stay. Check out this article on a 13 Year Old's View of Social Media. It's eye-opening, to say the least, especially Part 2, entitled Do 13-Year-Old's Even Know What Facebook, Google+, Snapchat, Vine, and Twitch Are? The standout quote for me in that article was this one about Facebook: Facebook is seen as a way for old people to connect with other old people that they haven’t seen for decades. To be completely honest there is no use case for teens my age. The only time anyone used Facebook was when FarmVille and Zynga were still a thing. Old people...? OLD PEOPLE? I'm 35 - not exactly one foot in the grave - and I LOVE Facebook! Of course, by 13 year old standards, I'm practically ancient, so I guess it really is for "old people." So what are we to do about this rabid use of social media by our students? ENGAGE!! Engage the students in using social media for classroom discussions! Have them tweet during a field trip or find an expert in a field to discuss a science topic. Use Instagram to post pictures of their work! Make a Facebook page and maintain it for parents (and students, even if it is for "old people"!) Instagram is big for the middle school set. I'm trying to engage my readers by asking them to take "shelfies" - a selfie with a book that they are reading. I also post monthly challenges. September is "Banned Books" since the ALA Banned Books week is at the end of the month. Check out my display! Before you think I'm too creative, again, Pinterest is my friend. Students can take a picture of themselves with a banned book (or any book) and tag it #SPMSshelfie so I can see. Here are some of my kids' pictures! Even the teachers are getting involved!
So here's YOUR challenge... how can you use social media to engage your patrons? Let's get it!
1 Comment
Jona french
9/11/2015 10:14:13 am
Great post Christine. Thanks for sharing!
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About the AuthorHi! Welcome to my blog! My name is Christine Hurley. This is my 17th year of teaching - I've taught Kindergarten, 4th grade, elementary media, and now I am in my 6th year of teaching middle school media! Archives
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