Is twitter safe to use as a classroom tool?
I have fairly limited experience with Twitter and have not used it much. In high school, I managed the SRC Twitter account, but that is as far as my experience goes prior to being a part of EDTC 300.
Twitter in The Classroom
Prior to this class, I never considered Twitter to be useful as a classroom tool. However, after using it as a resource for this class I have reconsidered.
After a class discussion, I went to everyone’s best friend google and searched “Twitter as a classroom tool”. One of the first results to come up from the search was a blog post from a high school teacher discussing how they use Twitter in the classroom (you can access the original post here). After reading their post, I see how Twitter can be helpful in reminding students about upcoming assignments and exams.
Personally, I think that Twitter as a classroom tool should be reserved for secondary or post-secondary students for safety reasons. In the blog post I read, the teacher discusses how you have to be aware of creeps when using the platform because it is easy for anyone to access your posts. For elementary students, I think that e-mailing is a tried and true method. This way parents are able to access reminders in a platform they are comfortable with. However, in the post I read they discuss that social media is a good way of reaching students. I agree with this point and think that a good substitute for Twitter would be Instagram.
I think that Instagram would be a good substitute for Twitter in a middle-years classroom because it is easier to control the privacy of your students. A teacher can make their Instagram account private and have their students follow them, this way no one can access the classrooms posts unless it is approved by the teacher. I also think that students are more likely to use Instagram over Twitter as I believe Twitter is beginning to age out for Generation Z and Generation Alpha. I am a Gen-Z myself, and I have never considered using Twitter apart from in a professional manner.
For a primary years classroom, I think that e-mailing or a classroom website is the best route as parents are more involved in making sure their children are prepared for school in that age group and I think that children in that age group should not be using social media.
What do you think about having Instagram as a substitute for Twitter in a classroom setting?
2 thoughts on “Is twitter safe to use as a classroom tool?”
I agree with you; Twitter is super useful but also sketchy. I’ve also noticed that compared to other websites, Twitter is a lot less safe when it comes to NSFW or age-restricted content for young eyes.
Even IG can be sketchy though. I feel like a challenge for teachers utilizing social media would be trying to get the parents or guardians on-board. I know my own parents are very strict about what my little brother does on the internet. It would be cool to find some kind of platform where BOTH teachers and parents can monitor the students’ activity.
Hi Jordan!
I think using Twitter to remind students of assignments and exams is a great way to stay connected it also allows the parents to stay connected and follow their kids schedule. I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on what different years should try using in the classroom for privacy and for the safety of the students.