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That although our students have grown up around technology, and they know how to post stuff on TikTok, etc., that they are still kids.  They still need to be taught what is wrong vs. what is right and how to sense danger in an online environment. -Justin

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Social media can be positive or negative

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Social media can be positive or negative

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We all know that once you put something out there, it can be replicated and viewed multiple times just within a second. Thus, we need to remind our students that they must be their own gate keeper of information. -Justin

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One of the lessons that I plan on instilling into my students now, as I think about it more and more often is the fact that whether it is physical bullying or cyberbullying. It is still bullying. One of the questions that was instilled in me, was to always think, would my parents be happy with me if they heard me say those words that I am typing?

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As educators, we are not only gatekeepers of our own information, but also of our students, which is why I never and will ever talk about my students online even with contacts that I would make in person comments too. Even in person, I will never talk about my students (especially in a negative way), as you never know who is listening and how they may interpret just one notion that is said.

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One resource I found under cyberbullying was the "common sense on cyberbullying" tip sheet geared for elementary students. It explains what cyberbullying is and gives specific tips that families can use with their children.

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I thought the '5 surefire ways to protect your online privacy' was a great resource for parents. It's a short video, but gives 5 concrete steps parents can take to protect their and their child's online privacy. It also had pictures and text within the video, which made it easy to view.

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I found the 'BCPS Digital Citizenship Scope and Sequence K-12' as an interesting resource to share with families. It breaks down specific topics and skills, breaks down in which grades these targets and skills will be introduced and reinforced, and lists family engagement activities for each topic.

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There are many tools that students are using in their classes. I like that on this page, they shared what type of information was shared at different levels and which applications were at which level of privacy.

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Encouraging twitter with paper so students can practice what is appropriate and not appropriate to communicate to families.

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Encouraging twitter with paper so students can practice what is appropriate and not appropriate to communicate to families.

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Cyberbullying is serious and parent communication with them learning to monitor their child's accounts is essential.

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Cyberbullying is serious and parent communication with them learning to monitor their child's accounts is essential.

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I liked the tip sheet provided on this page for families of children in elementary school.  I think there were good suggestions as far as talking about it and to practice writing a text message to someone.  Another suggestion is to read stories about bullying.  This can start at a very young age with familiar characters such as such as the Bernstien Bears and being nice to friends.  Incorporating these lessons early can be a useful tool in preventing future cyber bullying.

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I agree with Rachel's post above. The video is short and it's catchy with the music. It gives short, basic specific recommendations that are easy to implement. A family would have a good starting point to improve their security by just watching the video.

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I like the chart that was provided in the digital citizenship section under scope and sequence. Starting at the very youngest age it had a learning target of balancing media time and non-media time. It also had resources for family activities that parents could access if they needed ideas. In addition, the chart was helpful to families because the learning targets and objectives changed by the student's grade level. It gives family's a guideline of what to focus on at different age levels.

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I think the scope and sequence chart is very helpful to parents, especially when it comes to balancing media vs. non-media time (although that's a challenge in our current situation). I'm hoping once we are able to teach in our school buildings we can try and get a handle on the amount of time students are spending in front of screens.

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I think the scope and sequence chart is very helpful to parents, especially when it comes to balancing media vs. non-media time (although that's a challenge in our current situation). I'm hoping once we are able to teach in our school buildings we can try and get a handle on the amount of time students are spending in front of screens.

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Amberly

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The challenge here is for parents to be more aware of what their children are posting, reading, and exposed to online. Unfortunately, parents are so busy that they can't always supervise their children's online accounts. I see so many elementary students with their own phones, iPads, and tvs in their bedrooms. I think we may need to incorporate the tip sheet and frequent discussions about cyberbullying in our SEL lessons at school since we don't know how often parents are able to discuss this issue with their kids. -Amberly

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The challenge here is for parents to be more aware of what their children are posting, reading, and exposed to online. Unfortunately, parents are so busy that they can't always supervise their children's online accounts. I see so many elementary students with their own phones, iPads, and tvs in their bedrooms. I think we may need to incorporate the tip sheet and frequent discussions about cyberbullying in our SEL lessons at school since we don't know how often parents are able to discuss this issue with their kids. -Amberly

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In this digital age, parents assume their children know and understand things better than the children actually do. It is important that we teach and model to students how to behave in an online setting. Yes, we know the comments section on youtube is full of brutal criticisms and foul language, but that is not what it should be. We need to teach kids how to be good digital citizens so that they can recognize when they are cyber bullying others and/or how to deal with cyber bullies.

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The irony of this after the ransomware attack. We as a school system have a duty to protect the PII of our students because if not, it can have severe ramifications for them. Their addresses, DOB, phone numbers and pictures are available. If this was to be sold, it could easily get into the hands of some truly heinous people. Additionally, their SS numbers can be stolen and used fraudulently to wrack up thousands of dollars in debt without parents or students being aware. These are devastating life events that we need to protect our students' data.

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I cannot access the Growing Up Digital Page, due to the ransomware attack. However, I do love the idea of using social media as a way to build community with students and families. It is a great way to stay in touch with former students, to share/celebrate big moments in their lives, and to teach students how to use social media appropriately and safely.

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STOP BULLYING NOW HOTLINE (USA) 1-800-273-8255

Helpline set up by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE (USA) 1-800-273-8255

Suicide prevention

Available 24/7

Website also in Spanish

Available 24/7

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1. Be safe on social media
2. Ensure tech tools are encrypted
3. Check each tool's privacy policy
4. Be transparent with students and parents
5. Have a plan in place for mistakes

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Use digital citizenship lesson plans to address timely topics and prepare students to take ownership of their digital lives. Browse lessons by grade and topic below, or see an overview of the curriculum.

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Common Sense Education provides educators and students with the resources they need to harness the power of technology for learning and life. Find a free K-12 Digital Citizenship curriculum, reviews of popular EdTech apps, and resources for protecting student privacy.

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Social media has various uses in the classroom as well as to help market and promote schools and universities.

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With remote learning and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), social media is an integral part of education more than ever. There are many different ways to use social media for education inside and outside the classroom.

Because we believe in the power of social media to make nearly anything easier, we will share 15 ways to use social media for education, based on insights shared with us from top institutions.

Benefits of social media in education

Here are our top three benefits of using social media in education:

Benefit 1: Extends learning opportunities

Social media unleashes more learning opportunities. Online classes and remote jobs are the new norm, so teaching students to work from a distance becomes a necessity for digital literacy and preparing them for their careers. Social media platforms support educators in various ways from sharing announcements to holding live lectures.

Benefit 2: Create connections with students and alumni

Social provides a way for institutions to quickly and directly communicate with students, faculty, staff and alumni, fostering connections across various audiences. Social content can attract prospective students, keep parents informed, grow alumni networks, promote on-campus events and more.

Focusing on nurturing community and publishing engaging content can also help increase enrollment. According to our Higher Education Social Media Benchmarks for 2023 report, 41% of school officials can directly attribute increased enrollment to social strategy.

For example, Keele University said their campus photos on Instagram help students solidify their college decision. One student came to the university because she saw their posts on Facebook and it helped confirm her decision, later becoming a digital ambassador for the school.

Benefit 3: Build brand identity

Social supports and amplifies university branding. University marketing teams use social media to maintain a positive brand reputation for their institutions. With the right strategy, colleges and universities can attract more students, increase endowments, promote events or initiatives and improve alumni relations.

Social media in the classroom

From preschool to college, there are so many methods for using social media in the classroom to communicate and educate. Here are seven ways to use social media in the classroom across platforms:

1. Use posts to broadcast updates and alerts

Instructors and colleges can meet students where they are by incorporating social media platforms they're likely already familiar with like Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter).

Have students follow a class Facebook Page or join a Facebook Group to view posts about course updates, homework assignments and tests. Universities can have publicly accessible pages dedicated to specific schools or departments that students can see even if they aren't active on Facebook.

When using social media for education, it's important to maintain a professional boundary. Email students a direct link to the Facebook Group for access and avoid sending friend requests. Groups are the perfect "home base," especially for online courses because it makes it easy to connect with students. Similarly, instructors and departments can use Posts on X to keep students informed.

2. Use live streaming for lectures and discussions

Instructors can use Facebook Groups, Instagram Live, YouTube Live or LinkedIn Live to stream lectures and facilitate more accessible learning. If a student can't come to the lecture hall, they can join online or review later. Adding live captions helps students who may be deaf or hard of hearing, non-native speakers, or learn visually. And platforms like Instagram and YouTube allow live streams to be recorded, providing students with review material for midterms and finals season.

Recorded live streams also widen the institution's reach and authority by making lectures available to scholars and professors from other colleges, states or countries.

3. Use X for class updates and more

X is a great option for providing quick updates and reminders to students. Teachers can create a single handle per class and reuse it every year, or they can create a new handle each school year. Use X threads to share resources like practice quizzes, interesting perspectives or thought-provoking quotes to foster critical thinking. Hashtags can mark specific discussions or chats with guest speakers.

4. Create a class blog for discussions and cross-channel learning

Blogs are another great outlet for incorporating social media in the classroom. Students can link to the class blog on other social channels. For example, a student might share a photo from their visual essay on LinkedIn to attract the attention of recruiters for job or internships. Using blogs as a semester-long assignment can improve students' short-form writing and critical thinking.

Don't feel limited to just an English or writing class; this use of social media in education can be transferred across all subjects. There are also several platforms professors can use to create class blogs, such as Tumblr, Medium or WordPress. The course syllabus, updates and resources can be shared on the blog as well.

5. Use Instagram for digital storytelling

Have students practice storytelling on Instagram by creating class-specific accounts where they can present photos or graphics (and delete them once the course is over, if they so choose). This can work especially well in visual-heavy classes: Have photojournalism students post essays or challenge the social media marketing class to create a faux-brand campaign.

6. Create a class-specific Pinterest board

Educators can use Pinterest to prepare and organize resources, lesson plans and worksheets for their classes in one place. They can also set up Pinterest boards for each of their classes and save pins that are relevant to lessons.

Create boards according to class or subject, and create sub-topic boards for weekly units, projects or worksheets. Pinterest can also be useful for students to curate a digital bibliography for research projects, papers or group assignments. Students can pin websites, books or videos to a board on a single topic and refer back to it when it's time to write an essay or thesis.

7. Prep for post-graduation and create alumni relationships

LinkedIn can help current students develop networking skills, craft their personal brand and connect with alumni. Flexing these career muscles could help them earn internships, gain mentors and secure job offers before they walk across the stage on graduation day.

Institutions can use LinkedIn for university colleges as well. For example, a business school may have several private LinkedIn Groups for regional alumni chapters to connect them with students and faculty for internships, fundraising, volunteer opportunities and events.

Encouraging students to post relevant articles, projects and research, internship experiences and other academic accomplishments helps the university develop social proof on the platform. This is also an excellent example of the importance of incorporating advocacy into your social strategy.

Social media for education marketing

Just as there were many ways to use social media in the classroom, there are also many uses for social media in education marketing. Social media marketing can help if you're looking to reach a larger audience for your college or university. Let's dive into how social media can empower education marketing.

8. Leverage TikTok creators and influencers for user-generated content

Although many public universities have banned TikTok from campus Wi-fi, some educators and institutions embrace the app to educate and connect with students. Student and teacher influencers can provide user-generated content that satisfies a prospective student's desire to see authentic content from their peers and future professors.

For example, Chapman University professor @itsmattprince went viral after challenging his class to earn 1 million likes on a TikTok video in exchange for canceling their final:

Fun, yet real-world applications like this illustrate the power of social influence-plus who doesn't love a canceled final?

9. Include social media links on your school website

In the Higher Education Social Media Benchmarks for 2023 report, we found that 68% of high school students use social channels to research schools. Many parents and prospective students will check a school's website first if they're interested, and offering even more ways to follow the school creates a different insight into campus life.

Make it easy for parents and students to find your school's social media profiles by adding links to the website's main navigation or creating a social media directory that houses them all in one place.

10. Give a glimpse into student life through photo and video

If you want to attract new students and parents to your school, share photos of campus events to showcase what they could expect. Use short-form video like Reels, TikTok or YouTube Shorts to help prospective students envision themselves attending college there.

Highlighting events, sports, extracurriculars and the beauty of campus can make your school stand out from the rest. While school and university websites tend to follow the same mold, social media allows you to be more unique and casual like this Barbenheimer-inspired post from the University of Georgia:

11. Create alumni community groups

Many alumni want to remain involved with their alma mater after graduation. Creating a dedicated community via Facebook Groups or LinkedIn Groups can increase engagement.

For example, the University of Newcastle has over 148,000 alumni. Their team features current students, staff and alumni to amplify the career opportunities that manifest from being part of their community.

Alumni groups, groups for different graduating classes or departments, and groups for different extracurriculars and organizations allow former and current students to engage and meet others with common interests. Take a look at our alumni engagement best practices guide to learn more ways to keep the school spirit flowing.

12. Incorporate a social media crisis strategy

How would you communicate to the entire campus during an emergency? Whether it's a fire, tornado or other immediate campus emergency, a social media crisis plan can help institutions proactively prepare. Keep parents and students updated on the situation by sharing information about the crisis and if authorities are involved. Many campuses have automated messaging alerts set up, but using social also enables people to be updated in real time.

Institutions can use social listening, which involves analyzing conversations and trends related to your brand, to aid with public relations crisis management plans. Seneca College leveraged Sprout's capabilities a few years ago when 12,000 staff members went on strike. Using Brand Keywords and the Smart Inbox, the social media team was able to sort through and respond to a deluge of inbound feedback from concerned students.

13. Use chatbots to support students outside of office hours

In our higher education social media playbook, we talk about the importance of social customer service. Using automated replies or chatbots can help the student body get their questions answered immediately, or at least guide them to a solution faster.

Keele University used chatbots via Sprout's Bot Builder to respond immediately to common questions about courses and bursary information. In the five months after using chatbots, nearly 500 conversations addressed a variety of topics from housing applications to international student services.

14. Iterate social strategy to create student-centric content

Using social media for education allows educators and marketers to meet students where they are by connecting on channels they use everyday. Social creates an opportunity for institutions to be more even more student-centric. But to keep students engaged, institutions will need to produce content that caters to the wants and needs of their audience(s).

If you want to manage your institution's social channels successfully, you'll need to iterate and improve your strategy by reviewing the top and lowest performing content.

Dartmouth College uses Sprout's Sent Messages report to determine content performance and iterate their overall social strategy as needed. After reviewing which posts performed well, they schedule new posts with similar content to inform their content calendar.

15. Manage your communities all under one roof

Social media empowers universities to bring their various audiences together. Many institutions have an extensive community of prospective and current students, faculty, staff and alumni, but this causes a common pain point: decentralization.

Since colleges and universities have multiple social media accounts, it can be difficult to manage them all seamlessly. However, using a social media management software centralizes multiple networks in one place, so overseeing various accounts becomes more manageable and scalable.

Texas A&M University, one of the largest public universities in the nation, uses social media to connect with these various communities. The university has hundreds of departments, 16 colleges and 19 NCAA sports, so using a social media management tool is essential. Their social team uses Sprout's publishing suite to discuss strategy, collaborate on content creation and provide feedback to interns all on one platform. In just six months, between August 2020 and January 2021, Texas A&M earned over 131 million impressions and 8.3 million content engagements across X, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

A tool like Sprout Social can help make social media management a breeze, regardless of whether you're a solo marketer or a full marketing department. Multiple users can use the Sprout platform to create content with consistent messaging and schedule posts across networks at the best time using our ViralPost® feature.

And the Post Performance report takes the guesswork out of identifying what content resonates because teams can pinpoint top posts and view engagement across channels.

Sprout enables you to monitor and manage multiple accounts across different networks, which is ideal for educational institutions. Each department or teacher at your school might have their own separate social media accounts for specific information, and a social media management tool can help you ensure the right posts are going out on each of these accounts.

And if there is news or content relevant to multiple departments, Sprout enables users to share the same content across multiple profiles with a single click.

Start using social media for education

Using social media for education goes beyond the classroom because it helps educators shape a modern holistic learning experience, build community and establish academic authority.

Take some of these ideas for a test drive, and sign up for a free Sprout Social trial to help you manage it all.

Jamia Kenan

Jamia Kenan is a Content Specialist for Sprout Social based in Atlanta, GA. When she's not writing, you'll find her talking about the Internet from the latest TikTok trends to NFTs and the metaverse. She also enjoys trying new restaurants, hiking and watching movies.

Read all articles by Jamia Kenan

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15 ways to use social media for education

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There are many different ways to use social media for education, so we've identified 15 ways to use it, inside and outside the classroom.

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I like this short slide show to introduce what cyberbullying is to students and parents. It gives great definitions and lots of explanations. This is a great introduction because many parents and students do not understand cyberbullying. Many students have some type of access to the internet, so this is very important.

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I love this document for parents to use.  It is a great resource to see what each grade level is learning and different lessons that will be taught. One of the lessons, "Safety in my Online Neighborhood" takes children on an online field trip to keep safe online. Great way for children to relate when traveling through a real neighborhood.
Betsy

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Before students can understand how to protect themselves when online, they need to see what happens when they are online - Digital Footprint. "Who Am I" is a great lesson that gets students to understand who they are online. The one part of the lesson that I found interesting was showing students what happens when they look up something.  Not only does that bring up many aspect of the search, but now marketers have idea of what you or what you didn't look up.
Betsy

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How is being a citizenship online like being one in real life?

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How is being a citizenship online like being one in real life?

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The first part of the article has questions that the parents can discuss with their children.  The second part of the article includes activities that parents can do to help extend the questions.  For example, How do I know when I have spent enough time on the internet - then the child with the parents would make a graph to show how much time they spend on the internet each day.  There is also a book that corresponds to the activity.
Betsy

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The various dangers and effects of social media should alert parents to monitor and regulate their children's accounts. A comfortable age for using social media should be around 13. At this stage, it becomes more gradual and easier to monitor.
JB

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This is an electronic form of harassment.  It's increasingly common especially among teenagers as the digital sphere has expanded and technology has advanced.
JB

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You must be very cautious dealing with this type of interaction with the digital world. You don't know who you are communicating with and/or is this person for real or a robot. Parents need to seriously monitor this, so their children want share personal information to an unknown identity.
JB

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JB
Confidentiality of student information and records are essential. It helps to protect embarrassing personal information from disclosure. This prevents discrimination or cause prejudicial treatment.
Teachers are overseers of this information

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A great resource to support families in understanding and using BCPS technology. Also for teachers who may be knew to BCPS or not familiar with particular apps. Educational Technology - YouTube

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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Students and parents can access the definition of digital citizenship, watch videos to visualize and see examples and review the standards so they are aware of not just BCPS expectations but standards for responsible technology use in general.

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A great visual for families who want more information about what can constitute copyright infringement and how to use materials appropriately so they can guide their children. This will aid parents to be informed and better able to confidentially help their children as they browse through and use resources for school assignments.

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A less than 5 minute video to provide elementary age students with an overview of online safety with a focus on keeping their personal information secure. Parents, even those who are extremely busy, can watch this short video, discuss with their children and support their online privacy and security. Better informed parents can feel more confident about their young children using digital and online resources.