10 #BacktoSchool Tips for Students to Keep in Mind When Using Social Media

Traditionally as students come back to school, it is important to establish a positive classroom culture. Today, more and more districts are following the lead of places like New York City where schools are empowered to support students in the responsible use of cell phones and social media. That means that not only must we support the establishment of a positive classroom and school culture, but we must also ensure our students are engaging positively and responsibly as digital citizens.  While students are all familiar with the “social” aspect of social media, teachers have an important new role. That is to help students consider the “power” of social media for academic and career success. If our students want to run for office, run a business, or change the way things are run where you live, work, or play they must be savvy in the use of social media. 

Not only is effective and responsible use of social media important in our student's day to-day-lives, but it is especially important for students pursuing college, internships, or careers. Social media is the public identity that our students are sharing with the world and the world of college recruiters and human resource personnel are watching closely.

That's why as we head back to school this year, it is important that teachers ensure that what students are sharing will get them positive results.

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#FamiliesRead with Innovative Ideas for Today's Digital Learners

Kids these days. They're re-wired with a need for constant attention and engagement. They could never do what we did: Sit for hours locked in our room or under a tree with a single book.

And that's okay.

Don't knock em. Join em. Help em. Even learn from em.

Nearly 40% of parents say their child does not spend enough time reading for fun but when you take social media into account you realize that is simply not true. Today's digital learners are not only reading like never before, they are writing too using social media. And that's a great thing. More and more research shows this is an effective  way to increase literacy among our youth.

Here are some ways we can harness the power of social media to inspire reading (and writing!) and join families everywhere as part of the PTA Family Reading Challenge using social media.

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8 Digital Resources To Stay Connected to Families This Summer

I had the opportunity to speak to parent coordinators (those who are the liaison between families and schools) about great tools to stay connected to families this summer.  The focus was on free social media tools that parents can access via their cell phone. About half of the resources could be accessed on basic, text enabled phones which is great for communities where not all parents have consistent data plans or internet access.

I shared examples of each of the following tools. The goal for participants was to come away with one tool they would use this summer to stay connected with families.

Here are the resources I shared:

	Tool	Number	URL
1	Cel.ly	23559	http://cel.ly
2	Facebook	N/A	https://www.facebook.com
3	iPadio	866-605-0336	http://www.ipadio.com
4	Remind	81010	http://www.remind.com
5	Twitter Fast Follow	40404	https://twitter.com
6	UStream	N/A	http://www.ustream.tv
7	Vimeo	N/A	https://vimeo.com
8	YouTube	N/A	https://www.youtube.com

Here is the presentation I delivered to show how each resource is used:

Which of these resources have you used?  What has worked well? Have examples?  Share in the comments.

Teacher Advice to Students On Social Media Use

Educators who incorporate social media into the work of students must ensure responsible use. I asked members of The Innovative Educator group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheInnovativeEducator) for their advice to students when it comes to using social media responsibly. 

Here is what they said. 
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5 Rules for Using @ThunderclapIt to Make an Impact + Amplify #StuVoice

Is there a cause or idea your students want to spread? Thunderclap is a great resource to do just that. As described on their site, Thunderclap is the first crowd-speaking platform that helps people be heard by saying something together. You come up with the message and if you reach your supporter goal, Thunderclap will blast out a timed Twitter, Facebook, and/or Tumblr post from all your supporters, creating a wave of attention.

Here's a visual overview of how it works:

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7 Ways Social Media Has a Role in Education

The Americas Society and Council of the Americas invited me to discuss the role of social media in education with experts and leaders dedicated to advancing and shaping the political, economic, social and cultural agendas of the Western Hemisphere. The purpose was to take what works in New York City and bring it to other education systems. To follow are some ideas I shared that global leaders can bring back to their countries.

Why embrace social media for students and staff?

If we want to run for office, run a business, or change how things are run where we work, live, or play we must be savvy in the use of social media. It is crucial for college, career, and life success. It can also save time at work for teachers. Here’s how.

1. The Stats - College, Career, and Citizenship Success
   Look who’s watching:
• 1/4 of college admissions officers consider digital footprint
• 3/4 of human resource managers
• 1/3 of employers reject candidates based on something found in profiles

More stats and info at https://magic.piktochart.com/output/1328944-nycdoe_create-the-digital-image-

2. Ensuring Students Are Well Googled
   We need to be smart about ensuring we are preparing students to be well-Googled by the time they graduate high school. We must support them in creating an online presence that will lead help them get into that school, land that job, and attract the right people into their worlds for powerful global connections. Here are some ways to get started.

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