Social Media Becomes an Instructional Tool

By David Ruenzel

Many teachers fear that social media, if allowed in the classroom, would become the ultimate distraction. How, after all, could Shakespeare or irregular Spanish verbs withstand the onslaught of student tweets and texts?

But as our feature in the new issue of Momentum reveals, a small but rapidly expanding number of teachers are not only tolerating social media, but embracing it as an instructional tool.

They like, for one thing, the way it opens a new window into formative assessment. Chris Bronke, department chair of Downers Grove High School near Chicago, has students comment on Twitter as they read through a text—what he calls “tweet-marking”—so he can quickly spot what they’re struggling with. Kip Hottman, a Spanish teacher at Oldham High School in Kentucky, posts his students’ Spanish language tweets on a screen so he and his students can identify and correct the most common mistakes.

What teachers like these appreciate most about social media is that it truly is social, in the best and broadest sense of that word. As Adam Taylor, a science teacher at Dickson County High School in Nashville, puts it, “Social media is opening the classroom to the rest of the world. It’s not only bringing people in from that world but is pushing students out.”

An early adopter of social media, Taylor began using Twitter in his classroom almost five years ago as a way to share information and ideas. But the real breakthrough came in 2011, when he had students tweet questions to scientists. This eventually became a monthly chat, available at #SciStuChat, that explores such topics as genetic engineering in humans, the causes of extreme weather, and green chemistry that eliminates waste.

In the beginning, there was a learning curve for both him and students. The first chats were chaotic, with students throwing dozens of questions at overwhelmed scientists. “We had to adjust to the kind of moderated chat format you have nowadays,” Taylor says. “Initially, I and another teacher moderated, but now the students prepare the questions and moderate.”

Taylor’s point, echoed by others, is that students simply can’t be set loose on social media. They need to be trained, not so much in the technical aspects, which most find easy to learn, but in matters of appropriate behavior. As an example, Taylor mentions a Twitter discussion his students had on stereotypes with students in Pakistan. A few Pakistani students suggested Americans were “stupid,” and Taylor’s students responded by lashing out.

“I had to say, ‘Look, guys, you’re feeding right into the stereotype,’” Taylor recalls. “And so I spent the next 30 minutes getting the kids to speak more intelligently. In the end it turned out really cool.”

English chair Bronke agrees with the need for training, so his students spend a week learning about matters such as blogging safely and conducting themselves appropriately when using Twitter. But he also feels that students will stay on track if the activity is purposeful and well structured.

“So, if you have concerns about the classroom management piece, reflect on your lesson plan and the purpose of Twitter,” Bronke writes in his teaching blog. “It will work great if you have a targeted and specific use that helps bring discussions and content to life in ways that aren’t possible without it.”

Taylor, who is now collaborating with a Kentucky teacher on having students use Vine and Instagram to demonstrate their scientific knowledge, believes that social media, used wisely, can transform education.

“If there’s a tool that’s PG-rated,” he says, “a teacher can turn it into a learning device.”