Social Media

I am new to the whole concept of social media.  My friends and relatives pick on me endlessly, saying that I am a 20 something with the mind of an eighty year old, but that even their grandparents use Facebook.  Be that as it may, I have still refused to join the dark side.  Personally I would rather have a live face-to-face conversation with someone rather than type my thoughts, actions, and facial expressions (emoticons?) on a screen.  I guess I am old fashioned… 

This is not a problem in and of itself for my personal life, however it seems to be an increasingly larger issue in my professional one.  I have been subbing at local public schools along with teaching a fifth grade Math and seventh grade Tech course at a small private school.  In the public schools I have noticed that just about everyone is talking about social media.  Students want to Facebook chat when they get home, tweet about what they did over the weekend, or text every waking minute.  Teachers are also being drawn in.  Educationally blogs and wikis are popping up in classrooms, but there are also the personal Facebook pages that teachers are using to keep in touch with other teachers, or to play Mafia Wars (yes, really).  The stark contrast is the private school where I work.  Some of the older students may drop the occasional Twitter reference, but on the whole most students don’t even know what tweets or Facebook pages are. 

I have heard both sides of the argument several times and in several venues.  I am of the opinion that social media if fine for personal use, but should be limited to that.  I am not all that interested in bringing texting, tweets, chats, or wall postings into my classroom.  I can see how it is matter of personal preference, but it seems to me like we are trying so hard to “meet students where they are” that we are losing sight of the basics in the process.  In a few years I will probably be that teacher who doesn’t allow students to use cell phones, iPods, or laptops in the classroom, but I do believe that I will bring a unique, if perhaps more traditional, approach to learning.