All about that Sosch Me~

As a user of social media pretty much since its inception (or at least since TheFacebook had deigned my college institution worthy of admittance to such a prestigious club), one would think I would be whiz at it, using it at every opportunity and for every convenience.  But the truth is, much like a lot of us, I get easily overwhelmed by the vastness of it all.  There are simply so many variations of social media that it is nearly (or really, completely) impossible to be up on them all.  

This is not to say that there isn't GREAT value in social media.  Quite the contrary.  I love how social media has turned lecture into dialogue, how easy it is for people to reach out to experts, share their own ideas, and display their creativity.  I have seen people rise to stardom through YouTube and Vine, advertise their self-published novel on Tumblr, and share political revolutions on Twitter.  There have been a number of world events that broadcast media had not been allowed to cover for one reason or another, that lived on through social media.  One such event happened just two days ago, as House Democrats staged a sit in to protest the lack of gun control.  When the cameras turned off, the social media flew on.  CNN's article, "Democrats End House Sit-in Protest over Gun Control" highlights several instances of social media usage in getting the word out, including Twitter, Facebook, and livestreaming on Periscope.  

I truly believe at this point in our lives it is folly to ignore the importance and benefit of social media in our classrooms and curriculum.  To continue "doing things as we've always done" is to not fully equip our students for a future that is still being developed.  

Of course there are concerns: students abusing social media privileges by playing around, getting off task, or posting inappropriate things.  But one could easily argue all of those fall in line with establishing set expectations and maintaining classroom management.  Education World's article "Study Suggests Benefits of Social Media in the Classroom" highlights the power of virtual study groups, and provides more links than you can shake a stick at to help educators build a database of resources.  One of my favorite points of the article comes towards the end, where it states "the choice to implement any classroom technology should be based on sound learning theory and should support a specific aspect of the curriculum" (from Technology in Schools: What the Research Says).  Don't tweet just for the sake of tweeting.  Have meaning behind the usage, and follow through.  Just like any other solid lesson plan, you need to have objectives, expectations, and full awareness of the tool you are using.

That being said (whew, that was longer than I had anticipated!), I am excited to become more adept at both tweeting and blogging.  While I am tech friendly, I am not always tech savvy in regards to platforms I am not usually on, and look forward to using this time to become better acquainted with my old accounts.  I've started by following some stellar individuals, such as our good friends from the conference David Cole, Jeannine Huffman, and Dr. Lee Graham, as well as artist Corrine Okada Takara, and my dear friend and colleague Cristina Toflinski, who was my rock during college and continues to inspire me every day.  She is an avid twitter user and has shown me the power and benefit of tweeting through author-talks, research sharing, information gathering, and just funny quips that make life better.  I am looking forward to the absolute wealth of knowledge and insight these individuals will provide.

Social media will be used to sustain a maker's place in my life and the schools I service by being a nigh constant source of information, inspiration, and support.  And this is a reminder to myself that the best way to sustain something is to be actively engaged in it.  Don't just peruse sites and twitter accounts, post on them.  Comment, reply, and share your own content!  Not only will it be more fun, but it puts you directly into the movement where you can now inspire others and help it grow.  

I'm so excited!!!