As a future librarian, I was curious to know how school libraries utilized this tool. A quick search on "school library" retrieved over 100 results representing schools of all levels. Upon perusing a number of these pages, I found that Facebook was mostly utilized to promote the library by including pictures and videos of school library programs. The smiling faces of children involved with books, authors, and makerspace activities were quite effective in making the library a place I would want to visit. In addition, I was able to see each library's stated mission being played out. I even started a Google Doc of Future Library Ideas containing thoughts I gained from my experience!
There are certainly advantages as well as disadvantages to using Facebook in schools. For teachers and librarians, it is an easy platform to use for posting pictures and including information about classroom/library happenings. It allows parents to see what their children are doing at school and helps to create the feeling of a school community. However, a huge disadvantage is student privacy issues. In my school library, student pictures are not allowed to be taken at all. So posting them on a Facebook page would not be possible. Before creating a professional Facebook page, teachers and librarians should check with the school district regarding its policies.
How about students? Is Facebook a good tool for them to use? I do not think so. Although a majority of students have access to social media and it offers opportunities for communication and collaboration, in order to set up an account, the user's name, email address, gender, and date of birth must be entered. This is private information. The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act prohibits websites that gather user information from granting access to anyone under 13 years of age. So elementary, intermediate, and junior high school kids cannot create Facebook accounts. For high schoolers, I think there are better options out there for classroom collaboration and communication such as Google tools and virtual learning environments like Blackboard or Canvas which protect privacy and give the teacher more control over the environment. In addition, school-aged kids currently think of Facebook as something older people use. Twitter and Instagram are considered more trendy to the younger generation.
My recommendation: Keep a personal Facebook account for connecting with family and friends if you wish, but do not use Facebook with students. If you desire to set up a professional account to advertise your classroom/library events, check school and district policy first.
I view Twitter as a kind of mini news feed. The type of news received is up to you and determined by who you choose to follow. If a post contains a link to an article, video, or website, a brief scan of the limited preceding words will help you make a quick judgement as to whether or not you'd like to follow it. Twitter is a great tool for teachers and librarians to use to keep up with trends in education, gather ideas for the classroom/library, communicate with others, and build a network of professionals. It is easy to connect with almost anyone because practically everyone tweets including authors, teachers, publishers, scientists, organizations, and even the President. And...since tweets are limited in size, they are guaranteed to be short, which makes reading them easy to fit into a busy schedule.
There are a few disadvantages, though. Tweeps (users of Twitter) can retweet posts made by others. So, if the people that you follow are interconnected themselves, you will often see the same tweets posted multiple times on various feeds. [TIP: You can turn off retweets by clicking the "hamburger" menu next to the "Following" button at the top of your screen on the right. Yay!] Also, a fair share of Tweeps tweet about EVERYTHING. For example, "I just stopped to get coffee at the cornerstore on Common Avenue" or "Today I had eggs for breakfast." In my opinion, reading these type of tweets wastes time...and who among us has time to waste?
Even though Twitter is considered more hip than Facebook by students, I don't recommend utilizing it with them in the classroom or for assignments. As with Facebook, COPPA prohibits use by anyone under the age of 13. High schoolers are technically old enough to have an account, but there are a lot of inappropriate tweets out there and digital footprints have to be managed carefully. If you decide to utilize Twitter with students, I suggest checking your school's policy, obtaining parental permission, and training the students in advance regarding appropriate use as well as safety.
My recommendation: Use Twitter to keep up with trends in education and to share what is going on in your classroom/library. Before posting pictures of students, check your district policy.
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My Ed Tech Leaders Exploration in Twitter
As mentioned above, I recently began following educational technology leaders. Through them, I am learning much about the field that I can share with teachers, parents, staff, and students. Here are some of my discoveries and favorite tweets so that you can determine if you'd like to follow any of them in Twitter, too. Enjoy!
Jim Lerman (@jimlerman): What an amazing man! He is so knowledgeable about educational technology and much more. Want to spice up how your students learn vocabulary and engage them? Link out to Jim's scoop.it article, Beyond Words: The Winners of the 2018 Vocabulary Video Contest - The New York Times. All of Jim's tweets appear to have links to his Scoop.it! page. So, it is easy to read more great ideas after you link out to one.
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| Follow Jim at @jimlerman |
Gwyneth Jones (@GwynethJones): She's known as The Daring Librarian and provides tips on integrating technology into the school, creating makerspaces, and running a successful library, as well as a glimpse into her personal thoughts. I loved her tips on using Bitmoji...did you notice mine?
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| Follow Gwyneth at @GwynethJones |
David Warlick (@dwarlick): I discovered that he just released a book on 40 years of tech in education. Quite a legacy!
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| Follow David Warlick at @dwarlick |
Kathy Schrock (@kathyschrock): Super short tweets with links to more detail on everything tech related...Photoshop, Office 365, apps, iPads, Adobe Education Exchange... Lots of good information on presentations she makes as a keynote speaker as well.
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| Follow Kathy Schrock at @kathyschrock |
Linda W. Braun (@lbraun2000): Linda is very connected to YALSA (she's a past president) and you'll find a lot of information related to reaching teens on her page. I particularly enjoyed reading about an app challenge involving coding.
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| Follow Linda Braun at @lbraun2000 |
Happy Tweeting!
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