“Students will constantly post different things that are going on that they are
involved in. Maybe they received an award, won a sporting event or volunteered at Ronald
McDonald House,” says Kim Urenda, a high school counselor.
Social media allows for a deeper understanding of various cultures and world issues.
“Positive uses of social media by our young people support social justice and advocacy for humanity, and
social media provides them with an understanding of world issues in a very relevant way,” says Deb
Woodard, University of Missouri-Kansas City School Counseling Coordinator.
TIP:
Show your kids sites that other young people have started, like FairED, that are healthy examples of positive social
media use. Altruistic kids can complement tweets and posts about their campaign with video interviews and short
informational clips to educate and share with their audiences.
More educators are integrating social
media into the classroom beginning in
elementary school.
“Our biggest push is media literacy,
educating students to question the motive
behind what’s being posted,” Urenda says.
Teachers also role model how to use
platforms like YouTube, Skype and Twitter
to connect with experts and bring textbook
materials to life.
“If you can see an ice castle in Siberia,
then it makes it really interesting when you
are reading about it,” says Sarah Pike, an
elementary school principal. “And the kids
thought it was exciting when we did some
Skyping with a National Geographic
tornado chaser.”
Pike finds that interactive technology
motivates students and makes learning
relevant. Schools, she says, must stay
current.
“We are training kids for jobs that we
can’t even foresee because information is
changing so fast. They must be able to use
these tools to communicate and
collaborate.”
TIP:
After your next family vacation, invite
your kids to make an iMovie with their favorite
photos and videos, create a digital photo
album, post a review of their vacation on a
family blog, and/or post pictures on Instagram.
Freelance journalist, Christa Melnyk
Hines and her husband are the parents of
two boys. She is the author of Happy,
Healthy & Hyperconnected: Raise a
Thoughtful Communicator in a Digital World.
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