7 Ways Social Media Has a Role in Education

The Americas Society and Council of the Americas invited me to discuss the role of social media in education with experts and leaders dedicated to advancing and shaping the political, economic, social and cultural agendas of the Western Hemisphere. The purpose was to take what works in New York City and bring it to other education systems. To follow are some ideas I shared that global leaders can bring back to their countries.

Why embrace social media for students and staff?
If we want to run for office, run a business, or change how things are run where we work, live, or play we must be savvy in the use of social media. It is crucial for college, career, and life success. It can also save time at work for teachers. Here’s how.

1. The Stats - College, Career, and Citizenship Success
Look who’s watching:
* 1/4 of college admissions officers consider digital footprint
* 3/4 of human resource managers
* 1/3 of employers reject candidates based on something found in profiles

More stats and info at https://magic.piktochart.com/output/1328944-nycdoe_create-the-digital-image-

2. Ensuring Students Are Well Googled
We need to be smart about ensuring we are preparing students to be well-Googled by the time they graduate high school. We must support them in creating an online presence that will lead help them get into that school, land that job, and attract the right people into their worlds for powerful global connections. Here are some ways to get started.
3. Social Credibility is the New Credentialing
Test scores and certifications worked well in the 20th century and are still used by some today, but in the 21st century, it is your online reputation that allows you to show what you know. This should begin in secondary school as expertise has no age requirement.  An example of this is Armond McFadden who has a life long passion for mass transit as well as filming and photographing trains and busses. In middle school Armond began a video series about mass transit and started photographing various trains and busses.  He became involved in several online communities to discuss mass transit and his work became well known. With social media, Armond was not a teenager, but a knowledgeable peer. His writing mattered. People listened. Read more about how Armond developed social credibility here.
"When I apply for part-time work or internships during college, I make sure employers know to look at my digital footprint which demonstrates that I have the skill set they want. I ensure my resume contains links to social media sites which looks fantastic for showing what I’m capable of and for giving employers background about me and my work." - Armond McFadden
4. Student Learning Networks
In the age of social media, the teacher is no longer the center of learning. The student is. One of the most important things an educator can do is support students in developing a powerful learning network. Being digitally literate and having social media savvy is what is needed to help students to connect with others who share their passions, talents, and interests.  This requires understanding how social media works and how to find the right people to connect with safely and responsibly. It also requires an understanding of how to effectively use these tools to connect, collaborate, and grow learning. Want to know more? 15-year-old Alex Laubscher explains here.
5. Work More Effectively
Social media allows you to change the paradigm from “teacher” as expert to “group” as expert. Rather than asking around between classes or sending and tracking emails to multiple people who “may” know answers, you can ask a global community via social media.. This saves the asker time because there is a large audience and the traditional “askies” time because participants realize there is a whole community of knowledge out there.  This reduces emails and increases the access to good answers and connections.  
6. Connect with Experts via Twitter
You can find a world of experts on any topic if you have literacy in using Twitter also know as “Twitteracy.”  Just know the right hashtags and how to find experts and you have the world’s best knowledge at your fingertips. It is better than any rolodex allowing you to connect anytime, anywhere, with the interested parties who are available now.  
7. Release the Amazing Work of Students from the Classroom to the World
We hear stories in passing about the great work happening in schools, but usually it’s locked in a school or classroom or trapped on a laptop. Social media puts an end to that. First grade teacher Erin Shoening used Facebook to give families a window into her classroom.  Second grade teacher Courtney Woods used Twitter to connect her students to a world of experts and outlets that helped to increase tourism in her community. Technology teacher Chris Casal brought positive attention to his school by showcasing an amazing parent community that came together to surprise students with something very special. Click here to find out what it was.

So, what do you think? Could some of these ideas be put into place where you work? Are there challenges or concerns that might get in the way? What are some ways you successfully incorporate social media into education where you work?
Lisa Nielsen writes for and speaks to audiences across the globe about learning innovatively and is frequently covered by local and national media for her views on “Passion (not data) Driven Learning,” "Thinking Outside the Ban" to harness the power of technology for learning, and using the power of social media to provide a voice to educators and students. Ms. Nielsen has worked for more than a decade in various capacities to support learning in real and innovative ways that will prepare students for success. In addition to her award-winning blog, The Innovative Educator, Ms. Nielsen’s writing is featured in places such as Huffington Post, Tech & Learning, ISTE Connects, ASCD Wholechild, MindShift, Leading & Learning, The Unplugged Mom, and is the author the book Teaching Generation Text.

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How Social Media Can Help Students Study

With the right strategy, social media can make studying more collaborative and efficient.

One reason social media is so popular is that it allows people to personalize the way they experience and interact with the Web. Tools like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram used to be almost exclusively used to take a break from academics, but social media is increasingly being leveraged as a study tool, especially for today's tech-savvy students.
Our recent research around college study trends found that over 70% of students feel that the technology they use to study should be as tailored to their needs as social media feeds. We're fast working to achieve this with significant student experience updates to our ALEKS and Connect adaptive learning platforms, and with 2015 finals fast approaching we've also come up with some practical ideas to help students use social media for more personalized and collaborative studying.
Create a community: It's common for many students to be challenged by the same learning concept or course assignment. Social media can help centralize the collective knowledge of an entire class to make studying and communicating more efficient for everyone.

• Designate a course or study group hashtag, such as #Bio101Finals.
  
• Start a contact list or group for the class to collaborate and share study tips.
  
• Invite professors who use social media to follow the group conversation or join chats.
  

Remember that thousands of students everywhere are studying the same thing right now -- study networks don't have to be limited to students from just one school.
Continue the conversation: Starting a collaborative study network to tap into the group mind can save everyone time and effort.

• For missed classes or lectures, have someone stream or record the lecture on Periscope, Skype, or SnapChat.
  
• Use Google Hangouts to facilitate group study sessions.
  
• Follow or become a fan of the authors who wrote the books that are being used in your class.
  
• Ask questions to experts and influencers. Many are already on Twitter, and Jelly is specifically designed to build connections through question/answer exchanges between users.
  

Organize learning resources: Social media tools can help keep course information organized and accessible.

• Save, curate, and share resources using collection-building tools such as Pinterest or Tumblr.
  
• If course documents aren't already posted online, use Google Drive, Box, or Dropbox to gather study materials.
  
• Have classes use content services like Google Docs for team projects; it can make keeping organized and sharing notes much easier.
  

Supplement course materials: Social media can help identify additional content to reinforce or extend core instruction.

• Look for YouTube videos and playlists for extra learning on the most challenging topics.
  
• Follow existing subject-area hashtags
  
• Send video notes, questions, or reminders to your classmates.
  
• Search on all your social channels often for course topics, keywords, and expert names -- you never know what you'll find!
  

Social media no longer has to be an obstacle to studying; it can help students create and manage a study community, make the best use of study time, and find new resources to help them learn and retain knowledge.

Connect with the McGraw-Hill Higher Education team on social media for more studying tips, tech tools, and inspiration.

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How social media is changing education

Social media permeates today’s society with millions of us engrossed, some would argue to the point of unhealthy addiction, in the latest happenings via apps such as Facebook and Twitter. Facebook famously had its origins in Harvard University before extending to other colleges in the US, so it is perhaps appropriate to look at the role of social media in education today, a decade on from its beginnings in the bedrooms of Mark Zuckerberg and his college friends.
According to usage statistics gathered earlier this year by Ofcom, 66% of all adults aged 16+ have a profile on at least one social networking site, and though the report doesn’t break down these figures by age group, it’s reasonable to assume that among those of university age, that percentage could potentially be much higher. We know that universities and other education providers have responded by increased use of social media marketing to showcase their courses and attract students, but are they harnessing the full power of the medium to engage and interact with those same students once they begin their studies? Does social media have a place as a teaching tool or is it simply a distraction?
It seems that some lecturers are indeed beginning to tap into the potential benefits of social media in education. Many faculties and societies have attuned to the fact that 75% of students admit to being on Twitter “all the time” (Source: TopUniversities.com) and are using the micro
-blogging site as a forum to share content, encourage debate and answer queries, with some even setting up hashtags for individual courses to create online discussion communities for their students. Indeed, the latter is a strategy believed by some educators to provoke more thoughtful responses from students - the idea being that when they know their comments can be read by the peers and not just by their lecturer they not only consider what to say more carefully but pay more attention to how they write it and take more care with grammar, spelling and punctuation.
But could social media play a more central role in university education? For a clue as to what the future may hold, we can look at the lead taken by distance learning models which in some respects have got ahead of the game when compared to their campus-based counterparts. Distance learning providers are obliged by the very nature of their courses to keep pace with any trends and technological advances which promote communication with students and enhance the learning experience. Early data from some of the most successful MOOCs indicates that student participation is greatly increased when social media platforms are integrated with the learning programme, and at the same time, student
drop-out rates are reduced. While MOOCs may be a relatively new phenomenon, these early indications suggest that the introduction of social media can have a very positive influence, one which universities can perhaps ill afford to ignore for long.

Learning management systems such as Moodle and Blackboard have become immensely popular in universities in recent years as a means to distribute lecture notes and other course information, as a portal for students to upload assignments and check them for plagiarism, and as a chat forum where students can communicate with their lecturers, and with each other. Both platforms allow for easy integration with social media services so that lecturers can push content automatically to apps like Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. With 7 out of 10 people now owning a smartphone, and social media usage accounting for over 30% of online smartphone activity, this is a communication channel that lecturers simply can’t afford to overlook; though perhaps the greater challenge will be in selecting the frequency and volume of information they want to share in this way – too much and they risk effectively ‘spamming’ their audience, too little and they fail to engage them. As with all things, finding the right balance will be the key to success.
Since it was first imagined back in those Harvard rooms just ten short years ago, social media has exploded and has transformed the way we interact with one another – first of all on a personal level, and then on a business level, with marketing experts quickly seeing the commercial opportunities offered by an instant, direct communication link with their existing and potential customers. The possibilities for social media in education are equally exciting. Universities don’t even need to convince students of the value of social media – the students have already been won over, so it makes sense to talk to them in the online world they already spend most of their time inhabiting.
BBC Active’s videos can be used in education and training and uploaded to learning management systems, with the correct licence, providing an engaging way to educate university students.

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Partnerships strengthen computer science movement

Programs between the education, business communities help students become engaged in computer science courses from a younger age

Computer science education is enjoying more prominence thanks to awareness efforts such as the Hour of Code, as well as states’ efforts to put more weight behind Advanced Placement computer science course credits.

As computer science grows in popularity, some districts are going beyond traditional courses and are partnering with local businesses to take their computer science education to the next step.

In Stevens Point, Wisc., the staff at Pacelli Catholic Schools is working closely with Skyward, which is based nearby, to implement technology-based courses and computer science courses into the curriculum.

“Last year, we offered nothing in terms of computer science courses,” said Jeff Bushman, the district’s director of technology. “This year, we started small and started with our first high school class, which is a Project Lead The Way class.”

The district also offered a third grade coding pilot program through a partnership that paired each third grade student with a mentor from local businesses and the local technical college.

At the middle school level, students could take a one-semester computer science course using Google CS First.

“I’ve worked really hard with our administrators and staff–we’re going to have a full K-12 coding and computer science curriculum rolled out next year,” Bushman said.

Skyward has provided mentors to the district and brings industry perspective to the district.

“If our students get through these courses, when they’re seniors, we really want to place them out in the industry to tackle real-world problems,” Bushman said. “We’re trying to get these kids hooked–it’s not just sitting behind a computer and typing in code.”

The partnership is a win-win for the district and for Skyward: students have mentors to guide them through computer science concepts, and Skyward has the opportunity to shape curriculum that directly relates to the skills the company’s future employees need to possess.

“This is a really major project for us,” said Ray Ackerlund, chief marketing officer at Skyward. “We work with the local university and technical college, too. We’re going to need a lot of employees because our growth rate is so fast. It’s difficult to find really high-qualified people to fill those roles.”

Some of the partnership’s impetus came from the challenge of sustaining student interest in computer science.

“Students’ level of interest in technology is not consistent with what the industry is looking for in terms of people to fill those roles,” Ackerlund said. “Our goal is to work with them to give more opportunities for kids to have experiences in technology, and learn what it is like to work in a technology field, as early as possible in their educational career to drive interest.”

Skyward is part of a Partners in Education committee that links the education community with industry in order to build relationships and learning opportunities between the two.

“I think the relationship between the two is extremely important–that’s what really makes a community,” Ackerlund said. “If you can have a strong relationship between the education and the business communities, it will strengthen and promote the community as a whole and create more job opportunities.”

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Understanding E-rate 2.0

In a series of moves that mark the biggest changes to the E-rate program in its 17-year history, the Federal Communications Commission has updated the nation’s school broadband program for the wireless era. Here’s what you need to know.

Download the PDF Version of this special report here

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Leading a Digital Transformation

A successful digital transformation requires technology that is easy to deploy, use, and manage—plus the funding to make it all happen. Learn how successful districts such as Mooresville and McAllen have utilized E-rate and other creative funding opportunities to fuel their digital transformations.

Download the PDF Version of this special report here

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Special education shifts to results-driven framework

New guide explains how RDA works and how districts’ special education departments can successfully address the new rules

The Office of Special Education Programs’ (OSEP) new Results Driven Accountability (RDA) framework changes its accountability system from a primary focus on compliance to an increased emphasis on results.

To help educators understand and better prepare for a shift in special education from compliance to a results-driven framework, Excent Corp., developer of the Enrich special needs management software platform, has published a guide titled “ABC’s of RDA: Results Driven Accountability.”

The 18-page PDF explains the new RDA system, the processes being put in place, and how data collection and analysis can help educators address the new RDA rules.

“ABC’s of RDA” begins by explaining the shift in the way the U.S. Department of Education oversees the effectiveness of states’ special education programs.

It discusses the foundation of RDA, such as the stakeholders involved and the underlying principles, as well as the three components of the RDA framework.

The guide then discusses how educators can use student data to improve outcomes. Finally, it outlines the tasks that states and local education agencies should require from whatever technological tool is selected to support them in the collection and management of special education data.

“Under the new RDA framework, the Office of Special Education Programs has shifted the balance from a system focused primarily on procedural compliance to one that puts more emphasis on results. This shift has put a considerable strain on states and districts, which are already administering and monitoring complex special education program guidelines,” said David Craig, president of Excent. “Our customers tell us repeatedly how about the challenges the new RDA system presents… We developed this guide based on our experience helping districts across the country, and we sincerely hope it will help ease the challenge for other districts and educators as well.”

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10 steps for making your online courses accessible for all students

New report highlights 10-step plan to applying Universal Design for Learning online

According to a new report, incorporating Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in online courses not only benefits students with disabilities, but can have significant benefits for all students, ultimately increasing retention and improving learning outcomes. UDL is tough enough in a face-to-face environment, but the real challenge might be how to implement the principles in an online world where students’ abilities and learning styles differ drastically.

The recent report, written by three professors at Montana State University, aims to help educators involved in online learning implement UDL for teaching both general and diverse populations, including students with disabilities.

The authors note that while, ideally, UDL allows students with disabilities to access courses without adaptation, it can also help to improve learning—and, therefore, retention—among all students.

“The concept of universal design is as longstanding as cuts in sidewalks, which were originally mandated to allow access for wheelchairs, but which ultimately ended up with the unintended consequence of benefiting babies in strollers, people on bicycles, and children on skates,” the authors write. “The philosophy and principles of a UDL framework are similar to UD and are meant to provide pedagogical strategies for instructors to maximize learning opportunities for diverse groups of students including those with physical and/or learning disabilities.”

Knowing Where to Start

The theoretical framework for the report includes the work of Rose and Mayer and their three overarching principles of effective UDL course design: Presentation, action and expression, andengagement and interaction.

In presentation, the course provides learners with various way of acquiring information and knowledge. In action and expression, students are provided with various routes for demonstrating what they know. And in engagement and interaction, an instructor is enabled to tap into students’ interests, challenge and motivate them to learn.

In other words, educators need more than just assistive technology to create a UDL-friendly online course.

“Currently, many students with disabilities utilize technology such as screen readers, close-captioned videos, seating arrangements and a test environment that minimizes distractions that contribute to their success in higher education,” note the authors. “However, Coombs notes that for online courses there should also be an accessibility to the learning infrastructure, and accessibility to the actual course content and the student needs to be well-versed in the assistive technology that is provided by the institution.”

The authors also highlight that courses using UDL should ensure that the learning goals of the course “provide an appropriate academic challenges for the college student and that the assessment is flexible enough to provide accurate, continuous information that helps instructors revise instruction to maximize learning for diverse learners.”

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Edthena integrates videos from Gates Foundation METX project

Educators now have access to more than 2,000 videos and recorded lessons

Teachers using Edthena, an online video coaching platform for classroom observation, now have access to the complete library of Measuring Effective Teaching Extension (METX) videos.

The METX library, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is one of the largest video collections of classroom practice with more than 2,100 recorded lessons.

“Learning is collaborative, and learning to improve teaching is no exception,” said Steve Cantrell, the chief research officer at the Gates Foundation and co-director of the Measures of Effective Teaching Project. “But it’s hard to bring a group of adults into a classroom at the same time to observe and learn from real classroom practice. Edthena solves this problem for teachers and their coaches.”

Accessing the METX videos inside the Edthena platform makes it possible to interact with and analyze the teaching videos using the Edthena commenting tools. While watching a video, it will be possible to add comments at specific moments in time. Comments can also be linked to any teaching framework in use by the organization.

Launched in 2011, the Edthena platform helps schools and districts implement video coaching within a professional development process. Teachers upload videos of classroom instruction and share with colleagues who provide time-stamped comments. Now teachers can pick videos from the METX library for analysis, too.

Teachers and coaches will have many options for how to utilize the METX videos as part of their learning. Some examples include:
● Sharing METX videos to a group for collaborative conversation within a professional learning community
● Independently analyzing METX videos as a check for understanding about implementing a specific skill

“I think what’s exciting is that this isn’t just a library of videos to watch passively. By integrating the METX videos into Edthena, we’ve transformed this library into one that can be used actively as part of collaborative discussions about teaching,” said Adam Geller, founder and CEO of Edthena. “Many districts and universities want example videos that can be used alongside teacher-created videos, but securing the content often proves too challenging.”

Cantrell agrees. “It takes a lot of time and energy to develop a shared understanding of good teaching. Edthena’s use of commenting at specific moments in the video makes this much easier,” he said. “Edthena will help coaches and instructional leaders do their work better.”

The MET project was launched in 2009 as a research partnership of academics, teachers and education organizations committed to investigating better ways to identify and develop effective teaching practices.
During the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years, more than 350 teacher volunteers from six school districts video-recorded their lessons in order to help researchers and educators identify and develop examples of great teaching.

The METX library offers a special benefit for coaches and teachers because it includes three videos of every lesson: a front view of the board, a wide-angle view of the room, and a split-screen view. As a result, teachers have the option of focusing on what the instructor did, the overall interaction between instructor and students, or both.

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2016 math gaming competition kicks off

EdGaming math competitions can be a driver for engaging students

Educational games developer DimensionU has launched the 2016 Spring Tournament Season for its DimensionU Math Video Game Competitions in partnership with a variety of local education agencies and STEM Outreach organizations.

Math-based video game competitions provide a compelling environment to support student learning across a broad range of skill levels, offering the opportunity, regardless of academic background, for students to participate and achieve academic success.

The spring tournament season kicked off this month in Dallas Independent School District at its annual STEM Day event on February 6, 2016.

The tournament season slate continues with math competitions in the following locations:
Honolulu, Hawaii – Fort Lauderdale, Florida – Charleston, South Carolina – Champaign, Illinois – Rome, New York – Huntsville, Alabama – Picatinny, New Jersey – Tampa, Florida – Garland, Texas – Washington, D.C. – Austin, Texas – Fort Worth, Texas – New York, New York.

The competitions are typically conducted as live physical events involving elementary, middle, and high school students under a team-based and/or individual-based structure with curriculum differentiated according to a student’s current grade or performance level. This unique feature of the DimensionU Gaming platform, combined with its action-oriented game format, enables and fosters participation among a more inclusive base of students.

“Aside from educational excitement, what is most significant about our competitions is that they can be a key to unlocking the academic potential in students who may otherwise not be engaged in the classroom,” said Steven Hoy, CEO of DimensionU. “ We are creating positive change for many students and lighting a path towards the opportunity for higher education by establishing educational success through non-traditional means,” added Hoy.

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Science achievement gaps begin as early as kindergarten

Research indicates math, reading achievement in early grades also influences later science achievement

Science achievement gaps present between racial, ethnic and socio-economic groups in the eighth grade already exist when those children are in kindergarten, according to new research published in Educational Researcher, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Educational Research Association.

A research team analyzed data from the National Center for Education Statistics on over 7,750 children from kindergarten entry to the end of eighth grade and found that kindergarten children’s basic world knowledge was the strongest predictor of their general first grade knowledge, which in turn was the strongest predictor of their third grade science achievement. Their science achievement gaps remained fairly stable from third grade through eighth grade.

Math and reading achievement also were associated with science achievement in those grades, which suggests that improving math and reading skills in lower-performing students might help improve their science achievement gaps. The report cites prior research noting that children’s kindergarten math and reading achievement is strongly predictive of their achievement in elementary school, and the achievement gaps begin very early.

“If you enter kindergarten with very little knowledge about the natural and social world, you are likely to be struggling in science by third grade, and you are then likely to still be struggling in science by eighth grade,” said Paul L. Morgan, an associate professor of education policy studies at Pennsylvania State University. Along with Morgan, George Farkas (University of California, Irvine), Marianne M. Hillemeier (Pennsylvania State University), and Steve Maczuga (Pennsylvania State University) conducted the research.

Of those children in the study who had low levels of general knowledge, 62 percent struggled with science in third grade and 54 percent struggled with science in eighth grade.

General knowledge gaps between racial/ethnic minority and white children were already large at kindergarten entry. For example, 58 percent, 41 percent, and 52 percent of black, Hispanic, and American Indian children had general knowledge scores in the bottom 25 percent at kindergarten entry. The contrasting percentage for white children was only 15 percent. About 65 percent of low-income children entered kindergarten with low levels of general knowledge. Only 10 percent of high-income children did so.

“We were dismayed by how early the gaps emerged,” said Morgan. “However, the gaps were also largely explained by modifiable factors, including those that can be addressed by policymakers. Our findings argue for the importance of intervening early, particularly for children who may be at risk because of fewer opportunities to informally learn about science prior to beginning elementary school.”

The researchers noted that children from traditionally marginalized groups have lower access to high-quality childcare and preschools, a circumstance that limits their learning opportunities prior to entering kindergarten. Income inequality and racial segregation in schools then perpetuate the disparities in learning opportunities and contribute to science achievement gaps throughout the elementary and middle grades.

“Science achievement gaps are themselves mostly explained by underlying inequities that we, as a society, too often tolerate or simply decide not to fully address,” Morgan said.

The findings suggest that, for the United States to retain its long-term scientific and economic competitiveness, policymakers should redouble efforts to ensure access to high-quality early learning experiences in childcare settings, preschools, and elementary schools, particularly for children who are at risk.

According to a 2010 National Academies report, low levels of science achievement in the United States are no longer a “gathering storm” but now are “rapidly approaching a Category 5” in their potential to derail the nation’s long-term global competitiveness. Waiting to address science achievement gaps by middle or high school may be waiting too long.

At the family level, Morgan said that regularly talking and interacting with very young children, pointing out and conversing about physical, natural, and social events that are occurring around them, and supportively extending their general knowledge about the world may be ways that parents can help their children learn the facts and concepts that will prepare them to take full advantage of the science instruction they receive during elementary and middle school.

Funding for this study was provided by the National Center for Special Education Research, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.

Material from a press release was used in this report.

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Teachers and social media: trekking on treacherous terrain

Social media has pros and cons when the classroom is involved

When news broke last month that Newark teacher Krista Hodges used Twitter to express her desire to stab some of her students and pour hot coffee on them, the questions arose quickly: Aren’t there rules about that? Why wasn’t she fired?
The answer is that teachers who use social media are living in the Wild West: Rules are few and far between, and discipline for stepping over the line is a hit-or-miss proposition.
In Hodges’ case, she acknowledged receiving a written reprimand from her school district. After this newspaper’s disclosure of her tweets, local police initiated an investigation into the matter. In other cases, teachers have been fired for much less.
“We’re not given any guidelines, really,” said Carissa Weintraub, a science teacher at Ygnacio Valley High in Concord and a Twitter user. “At this point, it’s sort of a free-for-all and we’re learning as we go along. I’ve heard horror stories across the country about people losing their jobs after posting stuff on Twitter or on Facebook.”

Weintraub added that teachers need to be trained how to use social media “the same way students need to be taught how to use it.”
Newark Unified School District Interim Superintendent Tim Erwin said the district, like many others, has no policy on teacher use of social media nor does it have written guidelines for dealing with teachers who go too far.
Eric Goldman, a law professor and co-director of the High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara University School of Law, said the drafting of policies is not easy.
“Some school districts are making rules,” Goldman said. “But it requires careful thought. The policy has to navigate between legitimate use of social media and the free speech rights of employees. School districts basically have to tell their teachers not to do anything stupid online. That’s the gist of it.”
Or as Ligia Giese, a Berkeley mother of two students in public schools, put it, it’s about respect.
“I think if you’re talking about your job, whether it’s in public, on the Internet or in any other forum, I would like the teacher to have respect for the students,” Giese said. “I couldn’t pinpoint the wording of the rule, but I would expect a teacher, like any professional, would speak with a modicum of respect.”
While teachers have the protections of free speech, when they post things on the Internet, be it in blogs, emails or social media like Twitter and Facebook, they need to know they are giving administrators information about their job performance and responsibilities that they would not otherwise have, Goldman said.
“We all joke about the ways that we could maliciously behave in our jobs,” Goldman said. “That’s gallows humor. Going online gets problematic. With (Hodges) it was not just a joke, it was a running theme. At some point it crosses over from being a joke to a warning sign.”
Other teachers have been fired for posting much less offensive things than what Hodges wrote.
Just this summer, according to Goldman’s Technology & Marketing Law Blog, a judge upheld the firing of a Pennsylvania teacher who used a blog to call her students “frightfully dim” and “rat like” and said the parents were “breeding a disgusting brood of insolent, unappreciative, selfish brats.”
The court said her speech was not protected because her comments were not a matter of legitimate “public concern,” an oft-used standard in cases of free speech rights of public employees.
“When it comes to government employees, we need to believe they are exercising their discretion properly because they are acting on behalf of the public,” Goldman said.
Last year a New Jersey teacher was fired for posting on Facebook that “I’m not a teacher — I’m a warden for future criminals!” She sued, asking for her job back on free speech grounds, but was rejected.

Here in the Bay Area, school districts are grappling with the problem regularly, but none contacted for this story have established a formal social media policy.
However, the board of the Mt. Diablo Unified School District has written a draft policy that says teachers will be disciplined for posting “inappropriate threatening, harassing, racist, biased, derogatory, disparaging or bullying comments toward or about any student or employee.”
The Berkeley, Oakland and San Jose Unified school districts have not put anything in writing. Nor has the Fremont Union High School District, which runs schools in San Jose, Sunnyvale and Cupertino.
“We researched this specific issue because of questions from teachers, and the best advice we can give them is use common sense and remember you are a public sector employee,” said Cathy Campbell, president of the Berkeley Federation of Teachers. “We also encourage them to not engage in a lot of social media with their students. There are no laws or court cases that clarify exactly what they can and can’t do. That’s the biggest challenge right now.”
Marisa Hanson, president of the East Side Teachers Association in San Jose, said the California Teachers Association counsels teachers not to have minors as Facebook friends.
But Newark Unified’s Erwin said social media, “when used appropriately, can be a very helpful tool in communicating with students, because that is where our students are a lot of times.”
The more common social media issue, Hanson said, is students posting inappropriate comments online about a teacher — a situation that may produce a conversation between district administrators and parents.
In Oakland, school district spokesman Troy Flint said he hasn’t heard of any teacher being disciplined for inappropriate social media use, and the district offers “very little guidance.”
“Right now, it’s a hodgepodge of practices that vary from school to school,” Flint said. “Creating a more universal standard that gives teachers guidance is something we should do. In the meantime, we’ve trusted teachers as professionals to use social media responsibly.”

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