Safe social media learning and twinning for primary schools

Safe social media learning and global connections for primary schools

The Dramaforum mission

Empowering children to be active global citizens

Do you teach your students to use social media? Question

-  59% of children aged 10 have used a social networking site

-  Mostly popular social networking sites among teens: -  Facebook -  WhatsApp -  BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) -  SnapChat -  Ask.fm

Some facts

Results based on Knowthenet’s The Social Age survey (www.knowthenet.org.uk/), published in e.g. The Telegraph and Daily Mail

-  Cyber bullying -  Leaving outside -  Calling names & threatening -  Fake pro!les for bullying

-  Huge effect on self-image -  Competing in likes & comments

-  Stress & pressure to be constantly online

A lot of good, just some things to be aware of:

Children need assistance in using social media A 21st century skill

-  Post home work or useful links on a class blog / wall -  Encourage students to interact or ask questions

-  Use social media as the way to hand in assignments -  Write blog posts -  Share images & videos

-  Share work and have students evaluate others’ work -  Co-create material

-  Create wiki pages e.g. on your local area -  Write blog or other posts and discuss what is appropriate to share -  Share experiences and cultural information with a twin class through

a class blog -  Create a video and share it on YouTube

-  Discuss a topic through chat and let students re#ect on the experience -  Ask the students to keep a blog e.g. on their favourite hobby

Some ideas how to use social media in primary level education

-  Tool to help educators teach communication and social media skills on primary school level

-  Safe environment controlled by the teacher -  Can be used for any subject -  Online tool – no installations required -  Developed with teachers in Finland

Petra’s Planet for Schools

Built on top of Petra’s Planet virtual world

-  Chat -  First touch to live chat -  Practice within safety of class -  Chat log for teacher -  Prede!ned and free-text modes

-  Pigeon Post (simple email) -  First touch to email -  Understand the consept of

sending and receiving email -  Practice within safety of class -  Prede!ned and free-text modes

Communication and collaboration features

-  Friend list -  Blog

-  Simple and easy to use blogging -  Teaches concept of sharing levels -  Liking and commenting

-  Class blog -  Crowd sourcing within class -  Sharing between twin classes

Social media features

-  Search for twin classes -  Be found yourself -  From within same school to global

Twinning

For more information, please visit:

Petrasplanetforschools.com

Thank you!