Social Media in School Libraries

Social media is here to stay, and there are two viewpoints about its use in educational settings. The concerns with cyberbullying and inappropriate posts are understandable, but do the benefits outweigh these negative risks? According to Adelstein and Barbour of the SAGE Encyclopedia of Educational Technology, the use of social media equips students with the ability to collaborate, think critically, communicate, and be creative. (p. 3) Social networking, blogging, and bookmarking are all outlets that students use on a daily basis. Why not use them for educational purposes rather than purely social, especially for students who are less eager to learn? I can understand a sympathize with a few of the concerns, mostly with younger children. In the district where I teach, we have several students who are under protective custody or even parents who just don't want their children's photos all over the internet at such a young age. While I am not a parent, I would feel the same about my own children being exposed online using a public site like Facebook or Twitter. There are many reasons that families are not exactly supportive of the use of social media in schools.

When exploring social media, I looked at the use of Facebook and Twitter to analyze how schools are using these outlets to connect with students and families. Facebook had many more pages dedicated to school libraries than expected. When typing in "school library", both elementary and secondary libraries were listed. The page for Alexander Elementary School in Booneville, Mississippi is operated by their librarian and is kept very current. She posts reminders about school functions, any needed donations, pictures of school events, and notifications of important due dates. Most of the comments were posted by families who had children in the photos who were tagging other family members so they could also see the pictures. Some comments were from teachers or community members excited about the school's events. The page for Cinco Ranch High School Library in Katy, Texas looked quite different from that of the elementary page. Cinco Ranch's page was also operated by their librarian, but it did not contain any student pictures. The page had posts about events and due dates as well as updates about different programs operated through the library. I was surprised at the lack of pictures, because I would imagine that more parents would consent to their teenager being photographed than their young child. In addition, there were less comments as well. In the past six months, only one of the posts had a comment, and it was from a local business. A few posts were liked but comments were rare.

On Twitter, I enjoyed reading some of the articles linked to the leaders in educational technology. Either they had insightful posts or were linked to excellent posts created by other authors. I really enjoyed reading Gwyneth Jones' Twitter page (@GwynethJones) because she had such a range of information posted. While she occasionally posted about technology use, she also had everything from book reviews to pictures of places she has visited. Her enthusiasm and fun layout on her page made it very enjoyable to read and visit. Kathy Schrock's page (@kathyschrock) was slightly frustrating in my opinion. I felt very overwhelmed with the terminology and felt that I needed an introductory course to learn the lingo before reading her posts. Jim Lerman (@JimLerman) had practical information for use by teachers and librarians. Of all the edtech leaders, he was the most understandable person to follow. His language was much less technical and html-based and more relatable. I also noticed that he retweeted more than the other feeds that I viewed. Buffy Hamilton (@BuffyJHamilton) had a very unique page because she asked technology questions in addition to giving advice for educational staff. She asks her readers troubleshooting questions that she encounters as well as retweeting when she finds the answers. Overall, Twitter is a vast community of both learners and leaders. It can be equally as beneficial to both adults and students when used in the correct way.