Digital Citizenship and the Stigma of Enjoying Social Media

One of the biggest obstacles to teaching students positive digital citizenship skills to students is that so few adults are comfortable with social media themselves.

Almost daily, I hear an adult declare, often with great pride, that he or she does not do social media; as if social media were an unsavory thing.  Everyone seems to grasp the risks and drawbacks of social media, but there are few who can recognize the benefits and tremendous potential.  This is so true that when I broach the topic of the positive use of social media to many parents or fellow teachers, I feel like I'm talking about religion, politics, or some other hugely decisive topic.  It is always somewhat of a "walking on eggshells" experience for me.

I wonder how we're going to teach our students how to navigate the digital social landscape without that understanding.  The general message we give them is that social media is frivolous at best and perilous at worst.

Even though social media has been around for some time, in the larger picture, it is still a pretty new thing.  I remember a time when my mother adamantly insisted that she would never have a microwave, and then she would never need a cellular phone.  My mom has had a microwave for years and she texts me from her cellular phone almost daily.  According to this article by InvestorPlace, Facebook users are getting significantly older, while younger users are moving on to other things.   So, social media use is no longer just for digital natives and those who gravitate towards cutting edge technology.  It's turning into something that everyone uses.

It is true that there are massive amounts of inane, ridiculous, and offensive things out there in cyberspace.  But why is that all that some people can see?   I think that it is because we're in the midst of transition.  It is difficult to see evolution while it is happening.  I remember using LanSchool software to project the laptop screens of all my students onto the whiteboard - everyone could see what everyone was doing.  For the first five or ten minutes, all students were preoccupied with what the others were doing, but then they would get used to it and simply settle into whatever it is they were doing.  I think that our culture is still in the midst of that unorganized gawking stage when something is new and different.  Everyone is having fun sharing all kinds of things and getting all kinds of attention.   It is evident that many people who have been using social media for some time are bored with this experimenting stage.  They're either abandoning the tools for newer ones or using existing tools differently.

t is difficult, if not impossible, for me to teach students something that I do not see the value in.  So, when I am presented with an opportunity to teach or learn about a new tool, I always ask myself how I can use the tool or information for my own use.  How can I apply it to my own interests or my to do list?

I, too, have found Facebook to be distracting, annoying, and often a waste of time.  So, I decided to do something about that.  I unfollowed many of my friends who were still experimenting with Facebook or posting things that I did not find interesting or valuable.  I kept them as friends, but "unfollowing" removed their posts from my newsfeed.  I then deliberately followed all sorts of news sources, people who teach technology, and organizations I'm interested in.  Now my newsfeed is more like a newspaper.  Sure, I get to see my friend surfing in Maine in the Winter, but I also am just as likely to get lost reading about the best 10 digital tools for infographics.  I use Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest in much the same way.  They're like getting a newspaper delivered with just the headlines I'm interested in.  I never have to stop learning.

As a Technology Integrator, I consider it part of my responsibility to help teachers see the value in Social Media, wherever willingness exists.  I think children are unsafe online without our positive examples and direct guidance.  One thing I have done in the past, and while writing this realize that I should do again, is offer personal learning network (PLN) training to teachers.

Last year I worked with the guidance and social work staff for the entire district - about 18 professionals.  They were, admitedly, not a particularly tech savvy group.  I showed them how to use Google+.  We created profiles, a circle for "district social service staff", and then circles with age level K-12 social work staff from all over the world.  We joined K-12 guidance communities.  The staff were delighted to find so many ideas and a method of quickly sharing thoughts and ideas out to each other.

Students need to be using this stuff with the lights on, in public places, at school, and in the kitchen.  They need to see parents and teachers using it in useful, engaging, and appropriate ways.

Every tool is different.  I tend to use different tools in different ways.  When a student is using a site or tool that I've not heard of, I'm always interested in what it does.  I want to know what it does that Facebook does not, that Twitter does not. Why is it different than Instagram?  Maybe it will be something that could come in handy for me when a need arises.   In fact, I never saw much positive use for Snapchat, and I have to admit I still don't have any great classroom uses for it...yet, but my daughter once informed me that I should send her all the silly photos that I text her via Snapchat because they're only interesting for a minute.  She didn't want to save photos of what I was doing in the moment or the dog sleeping.  She just wanted to see it and have it disappear.  Good point.  So now I have a tool for that and when I need to show someone something which is not necessary to keep, I can.  I have a couple of friends who text me photos and they definitely need snapchat!

Understanding the values and limitations of these social tools will our toolboxes with opportunities.  So, when we have a lesson that would be enhanced by using them, we can.  It is not necessary to use social media just for the sake of using it.  But using it for specific lessons can certainly make for more interesting, engaging, and meaningful lessons.

Before starting a student tech team, I used Twitter and Google+ to connect with teachers already leading tech teams to gain their experiences.  I probably saved myself one to two iterations of trial and error by using social tools to do this.  Using my social/personal learning network, I have gained ideas, strategies, and even completed plans to do interesting things with both students and teachers.  I have also used both Skype and Meetup.com for help in learning to speak Spanish.  I've done "mystery hangouts" where students in classrooms in two different geographic locations try to guess where the other is located by asking yes or no questions.  I've met people who have shared a Facebook group with foreign language learners in two different countries.  Sara Krakauer is a prolific teacher of global learning.   I met her at a conference in Massachusetts and she has  connections from her students to people all over the wold.

For my part, I know I can do a better job helping teachers and parents to find ways to use social media for things that interest and delight them.  If we all have our sleeves rolled up and are in there with students, we can only be better role models, helping them with better uses, etiquette, proper judgement, and the care of their digital footprint.