Social Media Resources For Teachers

By Guest Blogger Dr. Paul D. Krivonos, Secretary, ACE Board

While searching the Internet for information on the use of social media by teachers, I came across three very interesting Edutopia blogs.  The first, by Lisa Dabbs, provides a very brief, but practical How To Guide to the use of social media by teachers. Although I suspect that most teachers are now fairly savvy in the use of social media in their teaching, a good refresher and reinforcement is often helpful. Ms Dabbs provides four suggestions for being an effective user of social media for the classroom:

1. Find a Mentor

2. Get Comfortable with One Tool

3. Seek Out Free Online Professional Development

4. Collaborate and Share Resources

Another Edutopia blog provides a wide range of social media resources for such topics as Creating Social Media Guidelines, Social Media for Professional Development, Digital Citizenship and Online Safety, Other Resources Available on the Web, and Student Engagement with Social Media.

With regard to student engagement, another very interesting Edutopia blog, outlines ways to empower students using social media as well as other educational tools. The blog provides some very heartening and enlightening examples of student projects, including helping to feed the hungry in Miami, providing wells in Africa, speaking out against genocide, and assisting in the Paralympic program.

The Association for Continuing Education supports the use of social media for enhancing the learning process in its partner schools in the San Francisco Bay Area.