Social Media Statement

Lena M. Hitchcock

There is diversity in what children learn and how they participate online through social
media sites. Sometimes this is friendship-
driven, for social purposes, and some
students use these media for more complex
skill sets, such as participating and creating
content online (Edutopia, 2013). Either
way, students need opportunities to learn
and practice respecting their own privacy
and the privacy of others through critical
thinking and analysis. It is critical that
educators engage students in online
activities that enable students to become
Image Source:
makers of creative online content
https://tinyurl.com/y83x7wvm (Connected Learning Alliance, 2011). This
engagement must be driven by standards, such as the ISTE standards for students and
educators, and integrated across the curriculum.
Social media sites are powerful tools that can both connect the world through shared
experiences and give individuals the
power to distribute knowledge and
information. Social media can also expose
learners to untrue or inappropriate
information. Critical inquiry can allow
these issues to come to the fore.
Educators must teach and allow students
to practice the skills students need to
analyze social media texts without
demonizing social media sites as a whole
(Alvermann, 2017). The goal is to build
upon student social media use to evolve Image Source:
learner participation in 21st Century https://tinyurl.com/y6kglxz
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communication skills as well as adhere to online safety and etiquette. Critical digital literacy
allows students to think deeply about what they read, view, and experience online. Social
media texts (a tweet, video, post, etc.) can be shared and viewed or read by individuals
around the world. Explicitly taught and practiced strategies that examine online content,
fact-check, and encourage healthy skepticism and questioning of digitally presented ideas
are critical.
Educators must be models of online etiquette, safety, and comply with legal
protections such as CIPA, COPPA, and FERPA (Schouweiler, 2014; Halla, 2015). We must also
be advocates against cyberbullying and cultivate self-respect in ourselves and our students
(Kimmons, 2016).
Within the framework of standards and critical thinking, learners are active, thinking
participants rather than passive consumers of misleading or harmful disinformation.
Alvermann, D. E., & Harrison, C. (2017). Social media texts and critical inquiry in a post-
factual era. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 61(3), 335–338. doi 10.1002/jaal.694

Connected Learning Alliance. (2011, August 4). Henry Jenkins on participation and civic
engagement [Video file]. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/lavd85m

Edutopia. (2013, October 22). Mimi Ito on learning in social media spaces [Video file].
Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/o37em2e

Halla, K. (2015). Deeper learning through technology: Using the cloud to individualize
instruction. Thousand Oaks: Corwin.

Kimmons, R. (2016, May 11). Teachers and online safety. Retrieved from:
https://tinyurl.com/ybv3ckpr

Schouweiler, D. (2014, November 12). CIPA, COPPA, & FERPA. Retrieved from:
https://tinyurl.com/y9p6mx3