Abe, P., & Jordan, N. A. (2013). Integrating social media into the classroom curriculum. About Campus, 18(1), 16-20.
Social media is an area that educators are often weary of tapping into as a resource to facilitate learning. This article examines the importance and implications of using social media in the classroom. Whilst is mostly focusses on social media in higher education, it is also applicable in a secondary school setting, particular in the senior years. With students that have been raised with the internet, smart phones and other technological devices, it is important to integrate social media software into the classroom. It creates new forms of interaction with students and between students and endorses collaborative learning. Connection with the students outside of the classroom is enhanced and more likely with social media and it provokes discussion in a tech-savvy way. Whilst the journal article does also explore some disadvantages of social media, such as it is a powerful distraction, with the right interactions, this can be combated. This area is of particular interest to me, as I am trying to engage my senior students to engage in wider reading and greater collaboration. My most recent Year 12 class, had a Facebook group together, where they used it as a forum to discuss and post articles and issues relevant to the course. From reading this article, I have been more encouraged to use Twitter in the classroom, and employ the use of